Feb. 1 marks six months since my arrival in Creston to work as the editor/reporter of the Advance.
Moving to a small town in the midst of a global pandemic to serve at the helm of a community newspaper has been an interesting experience, to say the least. I’ve covered a wide variety of different stories during my time here, and I’ve met my fair share of animated characters. There have been countless moments on the job that have like something out of a TV show. It’s been fun.
All in all, I’m enjoying my time here. I’ve grown both professionally and personally. It hasn’t been easy, but I credit the challenges and the pressure for allowing me to develop the strength to advance (no pun intended) through the tough times.
As the pandemic drags on, time continues to operate in a vacuum. The days go by slow, but the months and weeks zoom right by. January, like 2020, was a blur. I’m sure that February, the shortest month of the year, will be no different. Before we know it, it’ll be a year since the pandemic took the world by storm.
The latter half of this past January was far more enjoyable than the beginning. I’ve made an effort to go out more and take pictures of candid happenings in town. From people walking in front of a backdrop of mountains to residents shovelling their driveways, I hope that you’ve enjoyed my pictures as much as I have.
I’ve also had an interest in doing more visual stories. It started after doing a visual feature on local animator Richard Reeves in December. Richard was actually the one who recommended that I do a feature on ShprixieLand Studios, the group featured in this issue of the Advance. I had loads of fun venturing out to Boswell and bear witness to Heath and Victoria making magic through their pottery skills. I hope you all enjoy this story as well.
I was also glad to write this feature story on the high school’s medical clinic, the HUB, which can also be found inside the pages of this issue of the Advance. I can’t imagine being a student right now with this pandemic raging on. Shining a light on the struggles that youth are currently dealing with felt necessary, and I hope to do more stories on the topic in the next coming weeks.
I’ve got some story ideas that I hope to bring to fruition soon. If anyone has suggestions on what visual stories they’d like to see next, I am always open to recommendations.
Any-who, thanks for your support, Creston. Stay safe and stay fun. There’s more where this came from!
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