I have always appreciated storytelling in all forms. From the handful of literature and creative writing courses I have taken throughout high school and college, to the (admittedly, far too many) hours of standup comedy I have watched while in quarantine, storytelling is an art that I have the utmost respect for. The art of storytelling is unique in that it can be adapted to showcase virtually anyone’s strengths. Storytelling exists in so many creative fields; filmmakers, photographers, visual artists, writers, journalists, comedians, and poets – to name a few – are all storytellers. Learning to tell stories in a way that engages your listeners is an important skill. Storytelling is how humans connect with, relate to, and learn from one another. As someone who enjoys writing and reading opinion-based pieces, storytelling is an important part of my life.

Through collaborating with The Creative Process, I am becoming acquainted with creative people (both students and interviewees) and I hope to gain production skills. Although I am unsure of which professional field I will end up in, I believe that interviewing guests and producing podcast episodes will be beneficial for someone like me, who is interested in writing, storytelling, and media production. 

As a resident of New York City – the world’s epicenter of COVID-19 – I was unable to work a formal job this summer. Nevertheless, I was determined to pick up a new hobby to keep myself busy for the months I was barely able to leave my home. As I sat through hours upon hours of daily Zoom lectures, I began embroidering on old linen fabric that had been stored away in the depths of my closet. I eventually monetized this hobby, creating and selling original embroidered patches that I attached to tank tops and tee shirts. As of now, I’ve sold almost 90 items from my online store that I run through social media. I don’t consider myself to be an embroidery expert or a marketing genius (nor am I well versed in the ins and outs of the fashion design industry), but through this personal project, I realized that I take pride in creating and distributing original work of any sort – whether it be a piece of writing or products from my online store.

This semester, I have an exciting project ahead of me. A friend and I are founding a print humor magazine at Tulane. Although humor writing is far different from sewing patches onto clothing, both of these projects stem from my desire to produce and distribute original work that provokes positive reactions from recipients. My fellow co-founder and I have already come up with a plethora of ideas for the magazine –we've created a running list of jokes; discussed the magazine's format; and have made plans to recruit writers. We have plans to include a satirical advice column, quizzes and flowcharts, and satirical “The Onion”-style articles centered around campus life. Currently, we are working with a professor to map out our plans for the magazine’s founding semester.

Regarding how the arts and the general public can work towards leaving the world a better place, aside from my more immediate wishes (regarding a COVID-19 treatment and a socially just society), I have broader hopes for the future as well.

In the future, I hope that high-quality education becomes accessible to all and that the United States becomes full of creative critical thinkers. Right now, so many American students are left to fend for themselves without adequate educational resources. I firmly believe that having a well-educated population that values learning would solve many of society’s most pressing issues. I hope the next generation grows up in a world in which students are encouraged to develop intellectual curiosity and acquire the skills necessary to become creative and self-motivated individuals. 

Of course, this issue is a matter of societal values and public policy. But I hope that my generation – one that has been exposed to society’s various ills from a young age – will collectively develop an understanding of the importance of education that is not entirely test-based. Instead, we need a system that forces students to step out of their comfort zones, allows them to focus on what they love, and provides them with mentors.

Some examples of my journalism:

https://tulane.therival.online/content/2019/2/14/when-bearcat-is-your-bruff https://tulane.therival.online/content/whydoesnttulanehaveaprotestculture