Professional Mission Statement - May 2009

Mission statement


As a professional communicator with a passion for creative writing, I am committed to:

• Using my wit, humor and imagination to create unique, physical dwellings for the words inside my head;
• Using the art of storytelling to write fiction that is fresh and entertaining;
• Creating characters that are vivid, spirited and multi-dimensional;
• Earning a comfortable living for me and my family by doing something I love and enjoy.
  

Self-evaluation

In addition to writing fiction, I am also a fan of blogging. For an Advanced Writing class this spring, I started a professional blog chronicling my development as a communicator throughout the semester. We were asked to post our assignments as well. One piece that I am particularly proud of is a fictitious advertisement I created for J. Peterman magazine. My instructor actually read it aloud in class. Hearing it read with her dramatic flair was just as delicious as when I read it to myself after writing it. I could feel how good it was. Another piece I love is a proposal I wrote to my siblings regarding the start of a new Mother’s Day tradition. I presented it to them and was pleased when they accepted it. The changes will be instituted starting this year.

Another field of communication I have always been interested in is Journalism. I was able to try my hand at it this semester as well. The hard news assignment presented a new challenge for me, and I enjoyed learning the Inverted Pyramid technique. The feature story assignment was more my style. As a play off of my hard news article, which was about Dr. Seuss’s birthday celebration, I wrote about some online resources families could utilize related to reading and Dr. Seuss. My story was informative and entertaining, complete with quotes from some of my favorite Seuss books and my own attempt at the rhyme and rhythm that makes these books so popular even after all these years.

Although writing is obviously my first choice for a career in professional communication, this past semester I was able to entertain another passion of mine which I plan to continue to pursue: Digital Photography. To me, photography is storytelling without words. It was a challenge to switch my focus to nonverbal, but I am so proud of what I accomplished. There were a number of shots in my final portfolio that received high praise from my instructor and my classmates. My favorite subjects to shoot are people, specifically children, especially my own, but I also enjoyed shooting the inside of a chapel for my Architecture piece. One photo came out so well I have challenged myself to create a portfolio consisting solely of church interiors.

Combining images and text is another area where I am seeing progress. As a young girl, I always imagined myself as an author and illustrator of children’s books. However, my artistic skills have advanced beyond crayons and markers to using desktop publishing software such as Adobe InDesign. I have learned to make brochures, flyers and newsletters. I am also learning the IMovie software and had the opportunity to make a short video which incorporated live and still images, text and music. It was a poetic piece based on my four-year-old daughter and was an attempt to really capture her personality and bring it to the big screen. I received a certificate from my instructor Sherry Wulff that read, “Your video production stands out for delightful “capture” of a beautiful spirit.” I am especially proud of this piece and am currently filling orders from family and friends who want a copy.

Supporting information

I have used my communication skills quite a bit outside of the classroom lately. My children attend an MPS school, and I find it is often easier to communicate in writing when I have something to say because the teachers are often too busy during the day to take phone calls. I recently sent in a letter to my son’s teacher regarding a new medication he would be starting. A few days later when I stopped by the office to drop off something for my son, the vice principal pulled me into her office not only to compliment my writing skills but to offer me a job for a research project which was coming up. Apparently, my son’s teacher was so impressed with the quality of the piece that he shared it with the vice principal, and the rest is history. I am also using my skills to help my children express themselves in a way that is constructive and improves their self-esteem by making a family art gallery in our kitchen. Now when we have company over for dinner, the kids can participate too by showing off their work and talking about what’s going on in each picture, which also helps developing reading skills.

Even though my ultimate goal in life is to be a successful author of fiction, I am amazed at how versatile my communication skills have become. I know that it could be years before I even get one book published, so it’s good to have several back-up plans in place to keep the income and my creative juices flowing until the real payday comes. I have been so inspired all semester by my instructors and classmates alike. I feel blessed to have been in class with such talented individuals, and I am proud of the work we all have submitted. Seeing their progress has only pushed me harder to do my best and give my all as I throw myself 100% into each new task. As summertime approaches, I am happy with what I’ve accomplished so far and excited to see what’s up next for me as I begin my search for employment and continue to work on my own personal projects.