The Importance of Creative Freedom

cre·a·tiv·i·ty — the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work

Over the past three years in my experience in college, I have constantly come to discover that I thrive best when I am not restricted in my ability to create, in my ability to have access to creative spaces, and in my ability to witness the creativity of others.

Hi! I’m Sarah McDuff, and I am going into my fourth year at Temple University as an Advertising major with a dual-concentration in Account Management and Brand Strategy. This summer I was blessed with the opportunity to intern for The Clio Awards as a Program Development intern under their Music, Entertainment, and Cannabis programs. Over the past few months, I’ve fallen in love with the entirety of my experience and I’ve been able to understand what it means to be part of an organization that truly aligns with your passions and ideologies.

I love introducing The Clio Awards as a space that prioritizes, above all else, creativity and innovation and their ability to revolutionize an industry. In relation to the advertising industry specifically, they honor work that inspires a competitive marketplace of ideas and fosters meaningful connections within the creative community. Funnily enough, I originally applied to intern solely under Clio Music, but was later offered the opportunity to also assist with the two other programs. As a songwriter and singer, I had been really excited to be part of Clio Music’s initiative, as it appeared to be — and in fact is — the perfect mix of my personal and educational interests. However, I’m so glad now that I was given the chance to utilize my passion for creative work overall, and tap into the entertainment and cannabis industries as well. Now I believe I’m more excited to know that I can easily adapt to numerous environments with different focuses.

Genuinely speaking, the last thing that I want to end is this experience. The connections I’ve been able to make through Clio have been with people that are not only fully dedicated to the organization’s mission, but also fully dedicated to opening up the world of Clio to anyone who wants to understand it. Although the internship was remote, my supervisors were able to successfully establish one of the warmest and most inviting work environments that I’ve ever been part of in my life. Moving forward in all of my educational and work-based endeavors, I feel more inspired and driven to always dedicate myself towards creative work and anything that allows myself and others to express ourselves beautifully.