Business information systems (BIS) is a relatively technical discipline that focuses on the cross section between business and technology. Creative writing is a liberal arts discipline that well…focuses on creative writing. These are not two studies that are typically paired together.
Nevertheless, whenever I’m asked what I’m studying, I’m always very excited to tell people that I’m a BIS major with a minor in creative writing, and truly, I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I initially declared the creative writing minor because creative writing has always been a passion of mine, but as I’ve continued to grow professionally within my business degree plan, I find my creative writing skills to be more transferrable than I had previously considered. Here are just a few of the transferable skills I’ve gained in my liberal arts minor, and maybe you will be inspired to take a liberal arts course or two as well!
1. Storytelling
The art of storytelling is not limited to writing books. Cover letters, pitches, personal branding, and presentations are all examples of how storytelling is generally used in business. More specifically to the information systems degree, storytelling can be seen when mapping out the desired user experience through the use of user stories and user personas. The ability to explain your cause or idea through a story humanizes the effort, and that’s what makes it such a compelling feature in business.
2. Discipline
This is a crucial one, because discipline is perhaps the greatest lesson I’ve learned since taking creative writing classes. I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I could only do it on a whim. Therefore, there were times where I would write ten poems in one night, but then go six months before feeling up to it again. Now that this is my minor, I have to write, whether I “feel creative” or not.
In all honesty, this is a skill that is applicable to me, beyond business, and just as a college student and working professional. Taking creative writing classes has trained me to see my writing and other projects as more of a muscle to be trained as opposed to a fleeting emotion. This has helped me override my own lack of motivation, and push through on some of my least determined days.
3. Extempore
Similarly to learning how to do things even when I don’t feel like doing it, I’ve also learned how to do things on the spot with little preparation (which is never something I want to do). In most creative writing classes, you will find yourself minding your own business, and then — bam! You have ten minutes to write about the silliest prompt you’ve ever seen in your life. The first time this happened to me, I broke into a cold sweat. How dare my professor expect me to write a story without mapping the entire plot, creating the setting in Pinterest, and explaining the last 10 years of lore in the life of every character?
Thankfully, now I’ve learned to appreciate these moments, because I’ve become a faster thinker because of it. There are times where you have very little time to prepare an idea in a pitch or interview, whether as a class activity or real world experience, so the ability to be fast on my feet, a skill sharpened greatly in my Creative Writing courses, has greatly improved my ability to conquer this business settings.
4. Humaneness
Let’s make one thing clear: business is and always has been about people. In fact, business is technically considered a social science. However, it is also true that a lot of discussion, in my experience, that surrounds human nature does tend to tie back to financial returns.
Obviously, financial growth is imperative for the health of a country, but all I’m saying is that there is so much more to people than their productivity and ability to grow businesses. So, with that being said, it’s pretty refreshing taking these liberal arts classes, because I enjoy learning about people through the lens of basic human nature.
My classes in creative writing allow me to work with different people, read stories from cultures I’m unfamiliar with, and view society from new perspectives. I want to use my degree in business and technology to create solutions that enhance the experience of people, and it would be hard to do that if I were out of touch with the big world around me.
5. Writing (Duh)
Most obviously, creative writing has given me the space to practice writing! Although writing may be seen as a decreasing necessity due to generative AI, I am still a huge advocate for writing as a skill, because good writers are oftentimes better communicators as well.
With creative writing, specifically, comes writing workshops too. These have allowed me the opportunity to learn to be more aware and receptive to how I can better communicate with others.
So…
The beauty of college is that it’s a melting pot of so many different individuals. Unfortunately, if you spend all of your time in one place and with one group of people, you may miss out on the wide variety of perspectives around you. Liberal arts teaches empathy, culture, history, and everything else that makes us human, so I think — if you have the schedule space — there’s a good opportunity, regardless of major, to take a few of the courses for yourself.