Chelsea Van Baalen
By Chelsea Van Baalen/The Torch
chelseavanbaalen@lcctorch.com
I have a confession to make. I’m not a journalism major.
That’s not to say I don’t love journalism and obsess over AP style. It’s not as though I’ve thrown my previous experiences at Mt. Hood Community College’s “The Advocate” to the wind and am only here for kicks.
I just wanted to learn something new. This desire led me to register at the University of Oregon as a public relations and advertising major.
After all, most of us are here to learn something we’ve never learned before. It’s called higher education for a reason after all.
For instance, Lane Community College hosted an amazing media arts conference this past weekend. Friday and Saturday saw everyone from lighting experts to animation gurus, with everything in between. Artists have moved from sculpting rabbits to covering them in bio chemicals, leaving them to glow in the dark, all in the name of activism.
Right now, we’re at a point in our lives where we’re students. Sure some of us might have jobs, a kid (or two), an internship, in-laws and a mountain of homework precariously piled on top. But we have the opportunity to grow and learn from each other and create in an innovative way.
Most of my column will focus on what the community is creating, but I wanted to take this moment to put you in the steering wheel. Ever get disappointed by a book because it didn’t tell the right story? Write that story yourself. See a painting that looks like crap? Make a better one. Wish you could get your money back from a movie theater? Film something more interesting.
As a matter of fact, do you not like my column? Write in a guest column or stop in for a cup of joe and we’ll pick each others brains for ideas.
You might walk around doubting your resources, but you can be your own resource. I didn’t have the faintest clue about advertising, but I knew I wanted to research consumer needs and wants, to find out personal stories and how they related to brands. And within two weeks of my introductory class, I found a passion for account planning. Weird, right?
Whatever gets you going, spins you into orbit, makes you excited, do it and do it as best as you can. Learn from your instructors, your peers, and the random people you meet in the Center or the smoking kiosk. Take the time to see what your fellow students are doing. For instance, “Brighton Beach Memoirs” ends its run this Saturday. Test yourself and see what variety of art and creation is out there.
Who knows, maybe in a few years Lane will bring you back to speak at a conference.
