Bonnie L. Oscarson offered insights into how we can use our creativity to uplift others at the 2023 LDSPMA Conference.
Have you ever sat down to write and couldn’t figure out how to get started? Crafting that first sentence of a book, talk, or article often proves to be the most difficult, but it’s also one of the most important. This is one of the lessons BYU alumna Bonnie L. Oscarson learned during her tenure as the Young Women’s General President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in the course of becoming a published author. In her keynote address at the annual conference of the Latter-day Saint Publishing and Media Association (LDSPMA) on October 21, 2023, Oscarson shared her journey to becoming a writer through persistence and hard work and encouraged her audience to use their talents to create uplifting and faith-promoting media.
Other than her family and the Gospel, Oscarson’s two great loves in life have been art and literature. She completed BYU’s online bachelor of general studies program, with an emphasis in British and American Literature. While she had always loved reading, she found writing difficult, and felt daunted by the number of papers she needed to write for her degree. However, through persistence and the mentorship of her professors, she gained confidence as a writer. Oscarson said, “Improving a skill takes a lot of hard work and a lot of effort and a lot of determination. But I learned that even when we don't feel like we have a particular gift or talent, it is possible to learn to be creative and to develop new abilities.”
Through school and writing for her calling, Oscarson learned important lessons about the need for persistence and self-discipline when writing. Some of the biggest challenges Oscarson faced as a writer included figuring out where to start and dealing with distractions. She said, “At some point you have to sit down and start typing. Inspiration and ideas come when you sit down and make yourself go to work.” She also came to understand the essential role of revision, rewriting, and feedback. She said, “You can’t live without those who read it for you, and who are part of the process of editing.”
Oscarson believes that we need more Latter-day Saint authors and creatives because, as they incorporate their values and beliefs into their work, their creations can help change and uplift each person who experiences them. She said, “We need quality creative works that reflect the talents and gifts our members possess in abundance. We need examples for our rising generation of creative Saints who are willing to respond to the urge to create, and are doing it through working hard and educating themselves and listening to the promptings of the Spirit to share our beliefs in creative ways.”
Oscarson concluded her address by encouraging her audience to make the most of their own creative talents. She said, “Many members of the Church are blessed with natural gifts and abilities and talents, as well as strong desires to create. And I believe that those gifts and talents are gifts from heaven. The Master Creator wants us to follow Him.”
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