Always Come Back with Stuff

By Jeff Kurrus

It was the first rule I received when I began working with NEBRASKAland Magazine. I could spend nearly as much time as I wanted afield, as long as I always returned with photos, words, or hopefully both. It’s been a rule that I have tried to share with past interns (sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t), but it is a rule that must be administered for a writer or photographer.

For I do not clock in at midnight when an idea for a story keeps me away and I write instead of getting some shut-eye, nor do I leave the field after my eight-hour day just about the time the light gets really nice. Just like the rest of our staff.

I once sat down for an interview at another publication and was told that I would spend 95% of my time in the office. “Why?” I asked, “that’s not where the stories are at?” I ran back to NEBRASKAland as fast as I can, truly understanding why our staff is as successful as it is: this freedom allows us to see the many wonders of this state without feeling as if the stories are in the four walls of my office.

The office is where I usually write, yes, but is very rarely where I create.