Dear Matthew, 

I have seriously loved this semester! The last formal writing class I took before this was in my Senior year of high school, seven years ago. I was afraid to check this last English class off my list because writing was something I always dreaded. I came into the class just hoping to survive and to hopefully learn something to improve my writing.

I learned that my writing process involves many drafts and lots of time. I prefer to work slowly, alternating between research and writing. I believe that my writing process metaphor has changed. I would compare it to oil painting. As an art major this is something I do often. Writing is like oil painting because sometimes when painting there gets to be too much paint on the canvas. At that point you can either scrape it off or take a break. This is similar in my writing process. Sometimes when I've worked on it too long things seem to start to break down. I can either scrap it and rewrite the entire thing or the better choice is to take a step away and come back later. The time away from oil painting and writing can be used for more research or to simply get my mind off of the project. Usually when I return to the painting or writing, it isn't as bad as it may have seemed. Using a slow process in writing helps me to produce a better product. 

In this portfolio, I chose to revise my technical report. I did well on this assignment so beyond a few grammatical errors there wasn't much to revise to keep it in its current format. I have decided to use the technical report to create a blog post. Thus taking the report into a new format and creating something new. 

Additionally, I have included a revision of a short essay I wrote in an art history class. I also created a blog post out of this essay and directed it to a new audience. I wanted to make this essay directed to an audience outside of the art history academia to make it more accessible to our class. 

I really have enjoyed your class. I loved learning about rhetoric in everyday life. As an artist, it was extremely helpful to see rhetoric in a new light. The things I have learned will certainly help me to progress and develop as an artist. 

Best,

Lindsey Bentley