One of my mother’s favorite traditions growing up was making homemade Christmas tree ornaments each year. Some years we would use paint, other years we would create some sort of ornament from craft supplies, and one year we even used gourds to create our ornaments. Each Christmas when we pull out the ornaments my family gives me the hardest time. I was never really that creative in comparison to other family members, so my ornaments typically provide comedic relief for the evening (and entire Christmas season truthfully).
I had this idea in my head from a very young age that I simply was not a creative person. Despite this lack of creativity, my transfer advisor at Old Dominion University convinced me to at least attempt a Public Relations emphasis. My time spent studying at ODU has taught me the difference between artistic and creative. While I am not at all an artistic person (my abilities do not go beyond stick figures), I do have a lot of creativity inside of me.
One of the attractive elements of Public Relations to me is the way it pushes me outside of my comfort zone. My personality type is that of a lifelong learner. I constantly desire to be challenged and pushed in new ways in order to gain more skills. Thankfully I chose the right career field! Even this past semester I have been pushed to tap in to my creative side for writing assignments, projects, and presentations.
One specific example of creativity in my writing was with a recent student highlight project I did for an Entrepreneurship and Public Relations class. The assignment was to tell the story of a student who was involved with the MonarchTeach program as a way to highlight unique experiences at ODU. The student I chose was a Marine Biology major and was not interested in having a lengthy conversation. The answers he gave to my questions were very short and direct, sometimes even just one word. In order to adequately complete the assignment, I had to be creative with the angle I took on the story. Since he didn’t give me enough information to write a complete story, I had to supplement his answers with unique opportunities that the program provides to students.
We live in a culture that desires constant entertainment. While it is absolutely essential to provide adequate information in professional forms of communication, it is usually more effective when creativity is also incorporated. Sometimes just elements as simple as a unique twist can make the story much more successful! Creativity sets your work apart from the rest. It tells a story while also telling a little about you through the writing style and choice of words. Creativity has the ability to bring communication messages to life and, when utilized effectively, have a much greater impact on society.