Socialization is a concept that has been ingrained in us as human beings. Therefore, communication between each other becomes a natural interaction. While we often verbally convey our feelings and emotions, writing has become more significant in creating long lasting records of data. Writing is essential in our everyday life whether it is texting, writing down the agenda, or keeping a journal. Writing always has a purpose, from accomplishing simple daily tasks to far more complex ones.
As a child, I didn’t understand the importance of writing. During writing sessions in english class, I would play with my pencil. Writing seem like a meaningless task that the teacher had to assign to keep us occupied. I never wrote for enjoyment. My expectations coming into this class were kept low because writing is not something I’m fond of or neither is it my best skill. However, the assignments given were surprisingly pleasurable. The amount of guided freedom that was promoted in the assignments definitely shaped the writings that were produced. When given an assignment that is intriguing, the product of the work naturally shows that of detail and attention. By writing the way I enjoy allowed me to achieve the course learning objectives effectively.
The Interview was enjoyable because it was a chance to learn something new about someone else’s culture and background. In doing so, I was able to articulate a meaningful conversation with Gabby into writing. While we responded to the questions we had for each other, we were able to understand each others backgrounds and lifestyles. While writing about someone can be difficult, communication was key. We made sure we didn’t make any assumptions and actually updated each other to make sure our information were accurate and compelling.
The Op Ed allowed the freedom to choose a topic of my passion which was to encourage the usage of reusable bottles. I was able to provide a strong opinion and back it up with reliable resources. During the process, I found myself constantly rereading the article in order to extract all the evidence I need to support my stance. In doing so, I was revising my work repeatedly to provide an effortless argument.
The Arts Review gave me the choice to critique a piece of art. This allowed me to visit the Met Museum in order to observe the Temple of Dendur. The writing was deeply influenced by the architectural design and layout of the space. While it is difficult to explain such a space in writing, the assignment offered me the chance to complete the explanation in another medium. By sketching out a simple drawing of the temple, it adds a new layer of visual to the writing which flows together as one piece of work.
The Grant Proposal offered the students the ability to create a project that reflects on a social issue of our choice. With such an open ended project, writing can be completed in forms that are far more creative. Research was a crucial part of this project. In order to backup our intervention of creating green roofs around the city, a great amount of information was needed to be compiled together in order to display a promising project to the client. Sources were taken not only from the internet, but through lectures, books, and speaking to peers and professors at the The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture to gain more knowledge.
Every assignment provided a new perspective to work with. The most impactful part of writing that resulted from this course would be the importance of knowing your audience. Knowing the audience you are producing for shapes the writing style and format. I have grown to be more and more comfortable with writing as I find purpose in each piece I complete.
