Amateur Blogger turning pro?

 When I found out this blog was going to a prominent part of my semester, I have to say my excitement level was pretty low. I had never blogged or thought about blogging about my own writing too much, but now that I have, I'm glad I did. It allowed me to express my thoughts and opinions in a free flowing space, that at times can be hard to verbalize. It allowed me a path to be myself and write without fear, which is something that we shouldn't take for granted. "professional" blogging is probably not the correct word to describe whatever it is that I did this semester. I know there are parameters or guidelines that we were supposed to follow, and I like to color outside the lines a little bit, but this blog has been a really good representation of who I am? Sure, I'm a little bit stubborn and like to do things my own way, but I am honest and passionate about this teaching shit, and always want that to come across. The idea of being a "genuine" person is important to me, and feel like sometimes we button ourselves up so much we kind of lose a piece of who we are, and I can say a lot of things about myself, but I can honestly say I have been authentically me, every step of the way, and that is something I can rest on. 

My most professional blog is probably the post regarding zines. I would mostly contribute that to the fact that I knew the least about zines and had the least personal connection to that area of coursework. I found zines interesting and all that, but this semester was the first time that word even entered my lexicon. Fan Fic and other shorter multimodal content that can be incorporated into a future curriculum, which is not something I had thought too hard about before. So breaking it down to the base understanding of what those are and how to use them was the outlet in which I gotta throw on my professional hat a little bit.

https://terrencereno.blogspot.com/2023/03/multimodal-storytelling.html

Artwork or multimodal designs has not been a strong point of my blogs up to this point, which I think we can all see. I think my favorite design in relation to my writing was on the blogpost titled "Writers Block on a hundred" it was just the closest and best relation to my writing process... a true unbridled mess. The image of an intertwined colorful ball of yarn is about as close to my brain and my words that we're gonna get.

https://terrencereno.blogspot.com/2023/03/writers-block-on-hundred.html

Creativity, ummmm, also not something I would particularly consider myself. Most of my writing just comes from me rambling and typing whatever comes out. But I think there comes a pretty decent amount of vulnerability through that rambling. I would venture to say my most creative and engaging blog was my life as a writer. It gives just a little snapshot into some of the things that formed me into who I am as a person and a writer, for better and for worse. But this process has allowed me to feel like I can just be me, and with really sweet and encouraging feedback. I am not a particularly feeling type of person, out loud anyways, but I just want to say thank you, for giving me an outlet to figure out who I am and what my voice sounds like. 

https://terrencereno.blogspot.com/2023/03/early-life-as-writing-coach.html

I would nominate Bradley for the "Peoples Choice Award". I think he does an excellent job at reverting back to the readings and content that we are referencing in our blogs. All the while really expressing his writing voice, and unlocking a level of vulnerability that is both relatable and sincere to a point that we don't always get to see. I think pondering the questions of how we will be as teachers and also confidently being an authentic version of yourself is a really tough thing to achieve and he did that consistently.