Creative.
Why did you pick the word creative?
My whole life I've been smart, I've been a hard worker, I can do things and I can do them well, but I think I've learned a lot in college about how I have more to offer. I have more to bring to the table. A lot of that is creativity, the ability to see things in a new light or innovate or push forward with change. It is super necessary out in the real world.
This summer I did my internship with the Kemper Art Museum, the contemporary art museum in Kansas City. It was really cool because they had a bunch of projects for me to be working on but they would also invite me to all of their meetings. They would ask me what I thought and asked for my opinion on how to do things. That work environment really facilitated a space for me to reflect and realize not only am I learning all of this stuff in class, I have a personal investment that I can offer. That has been really cool to see, and once being able to see it I can apply it to my whole life. It has been really encouraging.
Do you have a story from when you recognized that you truly embodied the word creative?
My mom and sister are really great fine visual artists and I can't draw or paint, it's not my strength. Growing up I always thought, "I am not an artist, I'm not creative," but the truth is that I am a musician, I am a really good writer, I am a problem solver, I am a good speaker.
At one point I was like, "you know I should just let this go because I really don't want to be an artist," but I do think I have been able to cultivate creativity in other ways and I do think that is a strength of mine.
What would you tell others who struggle to recognize their strengths or abilities?
It's a good idea to sit down and think about where you want to be and the kind of person you want to be and then put yourself in those places. I do love art, so I was always like, "how can I be more involved in the arts, how can I be a supporter, how can I contribute?" Once you find your place it's easier to find your people who can lift you up and who you can learn from.
I do think I am much more confident in myself, not just in my abilities. There are so many opportunities when you get into college. At first, you feel like you have to narrow it down to one thing you want to do post-grad, but then senior year comes and you realize there is so much that you can do because college has prepared you so that when you enter the real world, you may not be in one career field your entire life, but you're equipped to handle that. That totally flipped for me. I was so worried about being an adult or being stuck in one career field my entire life.
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