Introduction
Hello! My name is Eva Halsey, I am a film student at Freestyle Academy. For the past two years, I have strengthened my film skills, digital media skills, and english skills. Taking Mr. Greco’s English class at Freestyle made me enjoy reading again but also made me love creative writing styles, such as lyrical essays. I used to work at a tutoring center for kids teaching them how to read and write so that also definitely sparked my interest in both the english department and also the teaching and learning department.
For my showcase, I have decided to share my lyrical essay which I wrote second semester junior year for English. I decided on this because it is the thing I’m most proud of from Freestyle. I have always been passionate about writing but I could never seem to find the right type of writing to express myself until we were introduced to lyrical essay writing. I loved how experimental and free the essays we read were and I was confident that I could make something that could express my thoughts and feelings. I was inspired by Lemony Snicket’s “Poison for Breakfast” because I love the way he writes and a lot of the way I phrase the sentences were inspired by his style.
I would like to know if I my use of colors as emotions is a powerful enough way to drive home the meaning of this essay and would also like to know your thoughts on the description and it it is a strong enough visual. I would also like to know your general thoughts and if there is anything I can do to improve this essay.
Im attending Northeastern University in the fall and will be in London for the first year. I’m going to study Business and Entrepreneurship with a minor in journalism or creative writing. I plan to start a business having to do with the literature/philosophic world. I look forward to welcoming other works such as this as I continue to pursue my studies and career.
Here is my Showcase video.
Reflection
This essay went through several revisions with the help of my English teacher Mr. greco to turn it into what it is now. It was really difficult at first to try and write out and emotion but with the help of my teacher and peers, I decided to connect an emotion to a color which seemed to really help to present it how I wanted it. Another thing I struggled with was letting go of parts of this essay that I really liked just because they didn’t fit with the overall theme and message of the essay but it was necessary in order for my essay to be what it is now. I hope I create another essay like this because I just love this style of writing and you can be so creative with how you can write. Another thing I love about this style of essay is that you can change the actual text to be any color and size you want. I used this a lot when I wanted to emphasize certain words.
When I first joined Freestyle, I didn’t know how to use a single adobe application, much less how to use a camera. Now, at the end of Freestyle, I can confidently create any type of digital media using these application. This includes websites, videos, graphic effects and more. I can also confidently create a film knowing all of the steps to take starting with storyboarding, preproduction, filming, production, and editing, postproduction. Overall, Freestyle has made me much more literate and able to create all things media.