Annah Duffey
Creator | Consumer | Empathetic Learner
Hello, Friend!
Thanks for stopping by my corner of the world.
~Annah
To put it simply, I love writing, music, and humans. I love creating stories, consuming stories, and learning from stories. I believe that words hold great power, especially the ones we choose to consume through entertainment. I believe music is the one aspect in life that never fails to pull us all together.
This website highlights my job skills in relation to writing and music. Hopefully this will give you the chance to glance into my devoted work ethic and see my passion for the human narrative. Scroll down for more information.
A Broken, Imperfect Story
About Me
I came into the world fighting against the odds at 1 pound, 13 ounces. Similarly, I find myself fighting against the odds professionally without a clear vision; only that I live and breathe art, creation, entertainment... and thus, unconventionality. I stand certain in the uncertainty, and yet I try my hardest to reach people through the written word, and hopefully touch a heart or two. Take a look around and learn more about my journey.
Keep scrolling to view my work samples or click here to view my resumé.
Experience & Skills
The Perfect Blend of Practicality and Creativity
Music Promotions
Through my internship at Hope College’s recording studio, I developed my promotional skills within the music industry through photography, writing, and social media, in the form of Instagram and Facebook. Over the summer at Frederik Meijer Gardens I actively promoted concerts to consumers by selling tickets and venue merchandise. Additionally, my time volunteering at the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival allowed me to work on promoting event materials, like flyers and t-shirts, in verbal, face-to-face relationships.
Journalism
After a valuable college class called “Writing for Media” and three years of working on Hope’s newspaper staff, I have established proficient journalism skills in regards to writing, interviewing, editing, web layout, and the overall production of the paper. This allowed my journalism contributions to the recording studio to flourish in a way that interests readers, while staying true to my voice.
Music Performance
My deep love for music and passion for the industry could not be what it is without my engagement within the art itself. For eleven years I have played the flute in a wide variety of contexts—marching band, symphony band, Solo & Ensemble, followed by Hope’s very own Concert Band and Flute Choir. For two years in high school I participated in jazz band by teaching myself the alto saxophone, and last semester I took Hope's "Beginner's Piano" class to further my instrumental skills.
Creative Writing
I have my first story, written in third grade, in a notebook in my room at home to this day. Since then, I have eagerly chased and improved my creative writing through classes like "Novel Writing" and reader feedback. Through journaling, songwriting, novel writing, and four year blog, “Living for Him,” I have found and become confident in my writing persona, which I seek to implement even in professional writings. Creative writing can transform something seemingly dull into something absolutely joyful, which others are eager to read. “Professional” does not have to mean “boring.”
Anchor articles
Ultimately, my work at Hope’s recording studio emphasized promoting the inner workings and talent among the audio team. A large part of my promotions developed through individual interviews and articles within both the newspaper and on my studio blog. These articles played a crucial role in informing the rest of Hope’s campus of the student life within the recording studio, which many people are unfamiliar with, as the studio is only three years old. The creation of one article, such as this one, involved compiling a list of interview questions, engaging and listening to the subjects in an interpersonal setting, compiling a list of direct quotes and summaries of the interviews, and crafting the information into a cohesive narrative for publication. The most important aspects of writing the articles involved staying objective to the topics and utilizing the AP writing style. With the help of my articles, Hope students and faculty were able to learn about their fellow classmates and the new academic program on campus. This then allowed our audiences to walk away with a positive view of the studio, which made them more likely to share information with friends, and increased our target audience.
"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."
Markus Zusak
Living for Him
Backstory
I have eagerly maintained a blog, "Living for Him," since September 2015, which I update every week on Fridays or Saturdays. Topics vary between entertainment reviews, thoughts on world matters, Christian life, and creative writing. It has become not only an outlet for my greatest passions, but a place for messages that I wholeheartedly believe others either need to hear or engage with on a weekly basis.
Gallery
A handful of photos from the semester
Shoot me a Message!
Thank you for stopping by! Feel free to shoot me a message if you have more questions!