Continuing Education

Working in the technology PR realm, one (myself, at one point, included) might think that we often don’t receive the opportunity to exercise the “creative muscle” of the brain. Well, now I beg to differ. In fact, I believe that it is extremely important to incorporate creativity into the traditional office environment no matter what kind of PR or marketing you are doing. Which is why I signed up to take a course entitled “strategic creativity” at the UO Turnbull Center, taught by advertising professor Deb Morrison.

Yeah, it means getting up early on a Saturday morning; it means having to stay home and do homework on a Friday night; but so far the class has been well worth my time. This morning we discussed the elements of creativity and how it is embedded into different types of office environments – and how these different environments can produce a creative “roadblock.” Interesting stuff. I’m excited for next week when we begin to delve deeper into the creative process.

Looking at the bigger picture – I think it’s extremely important for young professionals, and even not-so-young professionals, to take every opportunity they can to continue their education, whether it be a class, workshop or even a new book. Public relations is a profession that is constantly changing and there are always new ways to look at everyday situations with a fresh perspective. However, it requires a bit of effort on the practitioner’s part. It involves asking – “What are the areas I need to concentrate on? Where can I grow and expand my skill set, networking aside?” For me, the answer was strategic creativity. How about you?