By Jerald Council, CouncilMag.com

Face it, I am in love and I have been in love since our first encounter. She’s my spiritual muse and soul mate. We were linked from inception and destined to be together forever. Her name is CREATIVITY.

As a kindergartener, I remember falling deeply in love with creativity. I found joy in her vision and problem-solving proficiency. She was flawless and challenged me to always think outside the box. I rapidly learned to channel my thoughts and express ideas using crayons, pens and coloring pencils. Those sketches and drawings were the beginning of a fulfilling relationship. She opened my eyes to a whole new world of communication and imagination.

I am blessed to have this talent. With her help, I am able to conceptualize an idea into reality. Each concept is brought to life with the click of my mouse. Creativity engages all my senses. For example, my eyes capture exceptional footage when looking through a camera lens. My ears allow beautiful melodies to flow when editing audio. This is what happens when you are in love with creativity.

Whether it’s visual design in UX or digital magazines, creativity’s ultimate goal is to successfully enhance content to heighten user interaction and engagement. Creativity offers common-sense approaches to achieving functionality and conformity in the digital space.

As creative director of Studio Gannett, a part of the USA Today Network, I get to embolden creativity through my leadership of the design team, which creates national print and digital lifestyle magazines for diverse clients.

Without creativity, all is lost in a dull and confusing aesthetic. Her influence is limitless and I love her with all my heart. I would be miserable if I ever lost my creativity.