Blog #5: American Icon Reflection

1. What did you discover about your writing during this project?
I discovered my writing needs a process. Many people at school didn't give good critiques. I think it was mostly because people saw it as an assignment. Most of the suggestions I was given, I either wanted to add myself before or they simply said, "Yeah it's good, it's cool!" Critiques started getting better when I asked friends or my family to give me critiques. They were much more specific and gave me lots of new ideas. With this information, I was able to cut down my paper from a page and a half to a page. I had to reword a lot of things. I also noticed I have a lot of different ideas that don't connect well enough for people other then myself to see the connection. I did get better at this hitting the second to third draft.


2. Identify and describe (at least) one specific writing technique that you used. How did you use it? What effect did it have on your writing?
One of the techniques I found the most helpful was getting rid of the "-ings". After Randy talked about words with "ings", I did notice the trend with them. When I read my paper, it did have a flow but it was only because the "ings" flowed from "ing" to "ing", making it sound almost like a chorus played over and over again. When I changed most of my "ings", my paper started to show more meaning and a "thunk" in words. I also used the technique of creating a relationship with your reader. I thought this was an important skill to have because it helps you answer the question, "Why should I care about your paper?" By doing this, I was speaking to a vast majority of people. It ranged from people who work at Pixar, people who do art, people who were inspired by other people, people who don't know what art is, etc.


3. If you had time for one more draft, what would you do?
I am actually very content with my drafts. I have three drafts and a final. I would have wanted to get more critiques though, good feedback. I know I could have organized the ideas a little better and use more details about Pixar. One of the things I was striving to do but did not accomplish was adding quotes by Pixar that may have been inspirational or stood out to me. Another thing I would have done was compare myself to other aspiring artists or how I influenced people too. I go to a lot of game sites and draw. I also have a Deviantart. I help many young kids who want to learn how to draw by teaching them techniques I use, redline their art if they need an outline, or overall, talk when them how to improve or how where they may acquire inspiration.


4. Copy one sentence that you believe is well-written and/or important to your overall piece. What makes it stand out to you?
"How can I improve?" was no longer a blank question -- it had become a question brimming with unattempted answers.

I have a lot of lines I like in my artistic statement, but this one is, by far, on of my favorite ones. It stands out to me because it is a question I ask myself everyday. It's something that every artist does. You hear everywhere about how "there is always room for improvement". After hearing that, you automatically think of "how could I improve?" By putting a strong line in there, I have done a lot of things with it. I have praised myself for being able to have an answer to that question to work towards. I have noted things that other artists may have trouble with. I give the hint of a hopeful feeling for those who are pooped out and don't know what they can do to be inspired of really improve. I know how frustrating it is when you look at the question and think "how much more do I have to improve?" or "What do I need to improve now!?" I wanted to hint that you can always improve and there is no reason you should be frustrated about. I feel like I'm the horse being led on by a carrot on a stick. It's always one step ahead and, sure, I will get frustrated if I can't have it. But it is there to motivate me to walk. Like I said in my statement, "Improvement, inspiration, and input were words of motivation for me" and still is (Another favorite quote of mine).