creativity
Making the most with whatever you're given
My story about writing and editing starts in the early '80s when I drove the long and winding highway to a nascent ski resort called Whistler to become the reporter for the local newspaper. It was my first job out of journalism school. A year later, I bought the Whistler Question and its sister publication, Whistler The Magazine, making me one of the youngest publishers in Canada.
Together with a small but talented staff, we went on to win more than a dozen national and provincial awards for good newspapering and writing. It just proved that you don't have to have a lot of money or resources to achieve excellence.
What you do need, though, is integrity; good work ethics; respect for your subject matter, your audience and the people you work with; and a desire to be, if not the best, then very, very good and innovative at what you do.
Later I worked for the largest forestry company in Canada, throwing me into the world of corporate communications and some of the most contentious issues of the day. There I earned international and national awards while learning grace under fire, and how broad a good communication strategy must be.
Counterpointing all this was my early background in art and design and a strong interest in world and cultural affairs. I founded the Whistler Community Arts Council, and to this day make time for my creative side. I'm working on a fine arts degree at one of the most respected arts institutions in North America, plus I've served on public art juries and continue to be a strong advocate for arts in the community. I'm also very concerned about all aspects of sustainability, and constantly write and research on this topic.
I enjoy new challenges and finding fresh, relevant solutions to whatever undertaking my curiosity leads me to. Who knows? It might be your next project.
Glenda: I wanted to tell you how happy we are with the special issue of our newsletter that you just completed. As usual, you did a first-class job of researching the issue and produced a meaningful piece that will help our employees understand and manage the challenges that come up when two companies merge.
Virginia Aulin
Director, Public Affairs (Canada) Weyerhaeuser