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