I

’m not creative.

I’m just not. I know saying 

that seems like the ultimate 

admission of failure to some, especial-
ly considering my choice to pursue an 
English major, but after a lot of soul-
searching and many failed attempts to 
write the next Great American 
Novel, I’ve come to the some-
what 
depressing 
realization 

that I am just not creative.

I have my creative moments, 

but the thought of sitting down 
to write something completely 
on my own talents and with 
no instructions seems terrify-
ing. Even writing this took me 
weeks of planning and outlin-
ing and it still was not easy for 
me to create something unique 
of which I could be proud. I like 
rules, I adore guidelines and I 
function a heck of a lot better 
with a clear instruction manu-
al. That’s why I love the work-
ing at the copy desk so much.

Not to say that everyone at the 

copy desk is like me, because in 
my time at The Michigan Daily I 
have learned that copy attracts 
creative and witty people with 
a fondness for Oreos and the 
Oxford comma. I simply hap-
pen to thrive in an environment 
where the rules are clearly laid 
out and I have a guide to follow. 
The Stylebook is probably the 
most comforting tab open on 
my computer, all 65 pages of it. 
I’m not creative, and working at 

the copy desk allows me to be a part of 
the creative process where otherwise 
us non-creative people would get shut 
out.

Coming to college, I was under the 

impression that every single intelli-
gent person was also creative — they 

had only original thoughts, they never 
struggled to say something interesting 
and the quality of their work, no matter 
the discipline, always reflected their 
imaginative dispositions. I thought 
that I had to be someone who only ever 
added to the discussion with original 

insight. I thought that being creative 
was a sure-fire way to be successful 
at the University of Michigan and in 
careers beyond.

There wasn’t one specific moment 

when I realized I wasn’t creative and 
decided I was probably doomed to fail 

in any and all future endeavors. 
My creative energy just sort 
of deflated over time, and as I 
realized how utterly uncreative 
I was, I began to see and appre-
ciate all the more the depth 
of creativity that exists in my 
peers. There are some wacky 
and wonderful things going on 
at this University, and my lack 
of creativity means I am often 
on the outside peering in.

The world needs people who 

are creative, but the world also 
needs people like me who love 
creativity but just can’t be a part 
of it. My work at the copy desk 
is probably going to be reflec-
tive of most of my adult career. 
I am not going to write the nar-
rative, but I am going to be able 
to come alongside those who 
are creative and hone and shape 
their work into something that 
is even better. If that involves 
changing “amidst” to “amid” 
and Googling party affiliations 
of city council members for the 
rest of my life, that’s fine with 
me. I’m just happy to be includ-
ed, lack of creativity and all.

3B
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 / The Statement 

Copy That: Finding Structure in the Stylebook

B Y E M I LY F I S H M A N

“It’s pretty strange to put something like that 
out with such little information right before 
the election... In fact, it’s not just strange; it’s 
unprecedented and it is deeply troubling.”

—HILLARY CLINTON, Democratic presidential nominee, on F.B.I. director 
James B. Comey, who disclosed the agency was looking into potential new 
emails tied to Clinton’s private server on Friday, October 28. 

on the record: “your damn emails”

“As it stands, we now have real-time, raw-take 
transparency taken to its illogical limit, a kind 
of reality TV of federal criminal investigation. 
Perhaps worst of all, it is happening on the eve 
of a presidential election. It is antithetical to the 
interests of justice, putting a thumb on the scale of 
this election and damaging our democracy.” 

— JAMIE GORELICK, former deputy attorney general under President Bill 
Clinton, and LARRY THOMPSON, former deputy attorney general under 
George W. Bush, in an op-ed for The Washington Post.

“In the absence of additional, authoritative 
information from the FBI in the wake of your vague 
disclosure, Congress and the American people are 
left to sift through anonymous leaks from Justice 
Department officials to the press of varying levels of 
detail, reliability, and consistency... The American 
people deserve better than that.”

—SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY (R-IOWA). chairman of the Senate Judiciary 
Committee, in a letter to Comey on Monday, October 31.

ILLUSTRATION BY EMILIE FARRUGIA

