You're Creating Art (ePortfolio)

Reflection 

A Letter From Me to Me 

Writing is art, and it took too many English courses for me to finally realize it. Art has always been one of my biggest passions. The details, the colors, the freedom, the ability to express myself.. I love it. Remember in the very beginning of the semester we talked about writing being "art"? Well, I was skeptical. It wasn't until I wrote my rhetoric narrative "A Month Later" I was able to express myself in a way that was similar to art (or even better).

In "A Month Later", I was able to express my love for my grandpa and his field through the use of details. Sounds, actions, thoughts, you get it all throughout my narrative. But, I knew what details are effective for my narrative, and which ones weren't. That's something I learned throughout this course, not everything you want to say has to be said. I was able to express my thoughts, the sounds we heard, and what we did very explicitly, yet only confine to the most important details. I was able to create a picture through the use of words and descriptions and that's what I liked most about my narrative.

In art you are able to use different medias to create the picture you want. Likewise, you can use different writing techniques and aspects to create the mental picture you want your audience to have. In my narrative you see that I incorporate storytelling, thoughts, dialogue, reflection, and an essay portion to effectively portray how the smile of my grandpa has impacted me.
In this narrative, I learned how to integrate dialogue effectively. I never used dialogue in previous English courses because they all consisted of analyzing readings and novels, so it was something I was uncomfortable with at first. But, once I practiced it throughout my narrative (and with some changes), I learned how and when to use them in a way that'll better my paper. I also feel like I was able to balance out the dialogue and the storytelling. Additionally, I also learned how to make my narrative flow. When Dr. Kyburz mentioned the fact that we had to incorporate a section of a formal essay into the narrative, I didn't know to to approach it. I wasn't sure where or how to place it in a way that would make sense and flow with my narrative. After a few attempts in placing it and adjusting my narrative in order to incorporate the essay portion, I was able to effectively do it.

Throughout this course I was able to write about things that were of my interest. I was given guidelines, but I essentially chose what to write about, and I think that's why it took me this long to realize that writing is art. I previously created a painting to express my love for my grandpa. I have always wanted to paint him in his field, but because we're so busy working, I was never able to capture a good picture of him. But, through this essay, I was able to capture that picture through the use of words, and express my love for him and his field in a way that I haven't been able to through a painting.  I've learned that when you write about something you're truly passionate about, then you aren't just writing a paper. You're creating art.