Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Hello, Einstein.

This week, as with many weeks, I have been writing about things I don't know much about or are difficult (for me) to understand. Budgets, classic cars, federal agencies (ahem, NASA) declaring its polluted land "excess property" . . . you get the idea. I mean, it comes with the territory as a journalist. It is written somewhere in the job description. I'm like a Jack of all trades but a master of none (love that expression). I enjoy that part of my job though, constantly learning about new things. Developing a healthy curiosity.

Still, it can be exhausting. And that's how I feel right now. Exhausted. It's almost midnight and I just want to go to sleep but I still have another story to write for my editor (the one about classic cars, in particular, the Shelby Cobra).

To help inspire me, I turned to this quote I found the other day on Leave Happier. It was written by none other than Albert Einstein. I have to say, he was a pretty smart dude.


See, my job doesn't end once I understand a topic, whatever it is. Knowledge is not everything in my industry. The trick is turning those facts into something interesting, something that someone actually wants to read. Enter, imagination. Oh, creativity, you can come too.

As a reporter, I have to balance knowledge and imagination, but with certain stories I can (and should) let my creative mind lead the way. So here's hoping I can unleash my imagination tonight, at the midnight hour, and finish this work so I can go to sleep.

In the meantime, tell me, does your job require a mix of imagination and knowledge like mine, or is yours more one-sided?

9 comments:

Unknown said...

At the moment, I work in Marketing. We're basically promoting the same stuff but we need to do in novel way that catches the eye, is witty and with the current trends. I think that it is simple to simply learn about things and then regurgitate the information, but showing that you know something and relating it to someone in a way that is interesting and appealing is much harder. I really think that is where true artistry when it comes to articles and books lie.

Amber said...

That is definitely one of my FAVOURITE things about writing. I absolutely LOVE learning new things all the time!! Sometimes it can be challenging because it's something that I'm not particularly interested in, but other times, when it's something I'm really interested in, I love learning about it and then figuring out a way to explain it to other people using words!

That's a great quote you found!! I'm not good at doing stuff late at night when I'm tired, for some reason I'm most productive in the morning. I've been known to get up at 4 or 5 am before to finish an article by deadline!

Since my internship is in PR/Marketing it's a lot different than journalism but the same in some ways. I'm constantly doing lots of research so I'm still learning about new things but it's SO much more than the amount you need to learn to write a story. Since when you're branding something you need to know EVERYTHING about what the competitors are doing, so it's TONS of research. I like it for the most part though!

Andhari said...

As a musician, yes a whole lot of imaginations but I dont have to research and study as much as you so I think your job is harder and cooler. If I graduate and be a lawyer, I guess it's gonna be one sided.

Lauren K said...

Oh I couldn't agree more. I'm a journalist as well and work a fairly large city magazine and I can say that I am reminded daily why I love my job. You never stop learning, everyday I'm talking to new people, exploring new places and learning about new things all to write a piece to share with others. Sigh. Great post.

trishie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
trishie said...

Hi Carissa,
Consider youself tagged..so now you HAVE to answers all those questions so I can find out all about you!
Glad you like my last meal menu. :)

Elizabeth Marie said...

Hey girl!
That is a great quote...thanks for the reminder!

I work in marketing and promotions in the fashion industry and its a pretty healthy combo of both knowledge and imagination. The imagination comes in when we are brainstorming, etc...the knowledge is how we actually make it happen.

I hope you aren't too discouraged by your job-you are such a talented writer that this WILL lead to something you are most definitely passionate about.

And hundreds for online dating? Poor guy!! I am gonna cap it at 40 I think haha!!

I hope you're feeling better today! XOXOXO, Liz

Ashley said...

My job doesn't require much imagination, but my school work does. Making new arguments about age-old questions requires a lot of creativity. To me, it would be miserable without that component.

I hope you finished the article and got some sleep! Happy Friday!

A "cheery" disposition said...

Great quote!!!!