Reflective Cover Letter

Dear ePortfolio Readers,

Before this course, I had many thoughts regarding my writing. I felt like I was weaker in creative writing, as I’m a very analytical thinker. Furthermore, I felt that my writing was not good enough because, in the past, many times I had to go through numerous drafts to achieve the desired result.

In writing and rhetoric, something important that I learned was how to properly cite in MLA format, from the annotated bibliography to organizing the works cited from the business plan draft to the final version.

Skills that I utilized in another class included identifying media bias and public speaking. For example, I have a presentation for my health and wellness class in which I feel that I will be more confident engaging with the audience and stuttering less when talking about Dialectical behavior therapy. Furthermore, I had to ensure that the information from the articles did not promote health advice solely to sell products.

There are two examples of critical thinking from my portfolio. The first was when I considered the type of audience in New Paltz for my business to thrive in many aspects, taking into account that a majority of the town is college students and that creative arts are heavily emphasized. The second was when I determined how I wanted to advertise my business, using animation as our business supports various forms of art for expression. These skills will be valuable in future studies as they help in making the best of the circumstances at hand.

One way that I think college reading and writing are different is that it is essential to have strong resources, especially from scholarly articles, in comparison to a quick Google search. In high school, I often relied on my reasoning alone to get the point across, or I would use basic evidence from online.

I have learned two important things about the writing process for me. One thing I learned is breaking information into parts rather than working on a whole section in one go is crucial. For instance, when working on the formal proposal, I wanted to do all the sections in one shot because it included the initial ideas for the business. However, I came to find out that this method results in burnout more easily and hyper fixation on unnecessary parts, closing off my thinking and creativity. Another important thing I learned is to approach drafting for what it really is supposed to be. What I mean by this is that in many projects, I would attempt to perfect it on the first attempt, making progress more difficult.

Currently, I consider my writing strengths to include bringing meaning with detailed evidence and explanation of examples, identifying media bias, and utilizing rhetorical appeals. When writing about my business surrounded by art therapy, one might think it is basic. However, I was able to bring reasoning and evidence to prove that the business model is unique with different services. I was also able to distinguish bias in the annotated bibliography when I found evidence of how art therapy can help students studying in that field, but I understood the benefits can still be useful for development in other circumstances. I solidified the use of rhetorical appeals for the commercial, providing pathos with the music and the emotion of the guy seeking the service, including ethos through the lens of a college student struggling, and logos with the benefits of our services and therapy as a whole.

Upon completion of this course, I feel prepared regarding college writing expectations and other professional contexts, as long as I maintain a good pace and take proper breaks. Currently, I believe my attitude toward specific writing tasks has changed, as I think I have become more open-minded in my approach to brainstorming, using techniques like mind maps. I also understand that it is normal to go through many drafts to make proper progress toward the result.

Enjoy my ePortfolio!
Saphir Maor