Week One

There are a few things that are always with one during the walk of life. Unfortunately, the things that stick with you seem to always be those that you despise the most. For me, one of these things is writing. I've never been a very good writer, and continue to struggle to this day. Writing just takes too long. Often I feel I could easily express my opinions and arguments in a much more concise and practical manner than that which is expected of me. My problem first materialized in fifth grade, when I got a C in English. It was my first C ever, and came completely out of the blue. I thought I was doing just fine. As a child, I was devastated, and gradually grew a discomfort for English, which grew into an annoyance, which grew into a dislike, which grew into a hatred, which grew into abhorrence. I'd really rather do just about anything than write. Unfortunately, as we are all painfully aware, it is not possible to exist in today's society without writing. English exists as a core curricular subject in every level of education. Scholarships and applications for school and work often require essays that are the deciding factor. So one learns to live with such things and get one with life.

My situation as a rhetor is slightly different. I have adequate competence in observing and understanding exigencies, but my motivation and determination to see my message through to the end is lacking, to say the least. A prime example would be current events. In all honesty, I really should at least follow the state and national government, as the policies my representatives write and put into effect are those that affect my day-to-day life. But instead, I find myself asking my friends, peers, parents, and instructors whether or not things have already changed, only to be met with the same blank stares that occupies my face. Everyone knows that the local news stations are not the best source of relevant information, but it’s better than nothing. I have, in effect, become another one of the blind mass of the American public, uninformed and apathetic to global happenings.

Despite my lack of appreciation for writing, I find ample satisfaction of reading the work of others, provided it is thought through and well written. Some of the most inspiring works to me is Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. This book contains a description of their nonviolent, teen-led revolution against the low expectations society places upon adolescents. It is written in a very up-in-your-face manner, demanding one put down the book and do something for oneself, a friend, or a stranger. Another very influential book for me has been Diary by Chuck Palahniuk. In this novel, the theme of suffering and true inspiration and their intimate relation are discussed and theorized. Seeing as how architecture is technically an art, I consider any discussion on inspiration to be intriguing.

Writing can be considered a very broad topic in the career path of an artist. In all artistic fields, it is difficult at best to quantify an improvement of an individual. Of course, it is possible for one to determine one’s own preferences, and even for society to determine their preferences. However, is that really a valid form of judging an artist’s talent compared to those of other artists? I do not believe so. Therefore, the only really judge of what is an improvement in an artist can be the artists themselves. As time passes, the artist’s tastes and preferences change, and therefore their product does as well. All of these changes can be considered improvements in the eyes of the artist, as their current tastes and preferences dictate that their current work is an improvement upon previous products. We then arrive at the conclusion that the only way to improve one’s work is to let time pass, tastes and preferences evolve, and oneself dictate what work they desire to produce, as that will be an improvement upon their previous products.