Turn the Odds in your Favor
Even though I was a member of the Nekst committee last year, it has been a while since I wrote an article for Nekst. In my first year I did some interviews, and in the years after I wrote articles about some activities, but I have never been creative with words. You could say language is not really my thing. After this, purposefully, horrible sentence, I already feel sorry for you. I am thankful that you are reading my piece of illiteracy, but just know that even though I will not do it on purpose anymore, it might not be a delight to read.
Last academic year I avoided writing for our magazine by becoming Nekst’s lay-out editor. Even though I cannot do any magic with words, or make sentences that stun you, I do have other qualities. InDesign, Photoshop and other design programs are good friends of mine. As lay-out editor, you get the opportunity to let your imagination speak trough designs and I spent a lot of time with these good friends of mine.
After such a year, I have to admit that when I started in the function of External Affairs, I was a bit scared. I was scared that I could not be as creative as I used to be. Indeed, as External Affairs, I did not have to spend much time at our design/photo computer. However, I could not keep my creativity in a cage, it had to be freed!
Do the things you love to do
If there is one thing I have learned, it must be that you always have the opportunity to do the things you want to do, even if it is not in your job description. You only have to indicate that you want to do it. For instance, my creative subconsciousness spoke during our candidate board meetings and as a result, made our introduction in the Annual Report of Asset | Econometrics.
It was not the only task I agreed to as far as design is concerned. From the first Monthly Afternoon poster to our new Christmas banner on Facebook, I could let my inner artist go wild with Photoshop and InDesign. I absolutely love my function as External Affairs, but I would lie if I denied that I sometimes long for a task with some design aspects in it. When I said I would ‘take a look’ at our photos for the Christmas card, it was no wonder that I ended spending my Saturday night on the computer: playing with layers, light, backgrounds, and our incredibly photogenic faces.
I guess my message in this blog is to do the things you love to do. You have to find opportunities and seize them. It is almost time for New Years’ resolutions, and even though only some of us pull them through the whole year, I hope that you will challenge yourself to make use of these opportunities. Do not wait for the odds to be in your favor, turn them in your favor yourself. In the meantime, I wish you a delightful Christmas and a wonderful creative New Year!
Text by: Ashley Beringer
