Project 1 audio recording

The speaker didn't see writing as important outside of school due to their Hispanic cultural background. They struggled with writing, feeling constrained and overthinking every sentence. They were hesitant to go against their parents' beliefs and lacked guidance in exploring writing. In high school, their English teacher introduced them to the idea of writing for personal expression, which initially felt odd. Through daily journaling, they learned to overcome their struggles and discover new ways of writing. They had a low point when they couldn't articulate their future aspirations, but this experience led to a change in their perspective on writing. They became more comfortable with non-simple answers and embraced free writing. The speaker's relationship with writing was not linear, but they now see it as a journey of growth and self-expression. They continue to strive for improvement and to maximize their writing's potential. The role of writing in my family wasn't existent or seen by my younger self. Growing up when I thought of writing, I perceived it as only school-related activity and nothing more. I can say that growing up in a Hispanic household has its cultural ethics and religious beliefs that may differ from other families. As I grew up believing these ethics, comprehending the idea of writing in recent years was uneasy and challenging. However, as I grew to adjust and see beyond the familiar, I've learned more about myself and how to see writing as what I make it to be. During my upbringing, my family wasn't keen on the idea of how writing could play a role in other situations besides school. When I thought of writing, I envisioned jotting down answers on a piece of paper that was to be turned in at the end of class. This narrative carried on for most of my life. I found writing also quite tedious and felt constrained, overthinking every sentence and every word. In my mind, writing seemed restrictive and I struggled for that reason. My story with writing isn't steady as I didn't have any guidance into the idea of what writing can be. The option to go against beliefs or any habit of what I grew up with was unsettling as I built my habits upon what my parents taught me. They might view any new perspectives as foolish and useless, and the thought of questioning their existing knowledge always yelled out, no. What I've come to learn is that my parents will base their beliefs on what they have been taught and carry it on to me. My connection to my family is very strong and our environment in our home is very positive. Writing just wasn't in their nature. It wasn't until my first year of high school that I became aware of the various ways writing can be utilized besides school. My English 9 teacher spoke on the topic of how writing our emotions, goals, or anything that came to mind can improve our writing. So we wrote. Our goal was to write, no wrong answer, just write as you wish, which to me sounded odd. Over time, our class consistently did daily journaling, and over time I had to discover new ways to write and new ways to unveil feelings. Within these months of daily journaling, there were times when I struggled, as if my body and brain were not in sync. These initial struggling moments occurred often, and I found myself staring along the lines of the paper, trying to force myself to come up with something. These moments felt frustrating and dull, as I could not find myself clicking and finding the right words to say. I can recall during one of our writing sessions and in my English 9 when I experienced a low point. This writing exercise was towards the start of the school year for our class, and we were simply starting these writing practices. Our task was to write about our future aspirations and goals we would like to accomplish. Not only did I not know what my path was I planned to take, but I also struggled with accepting the fact that I wasn't so sure. I had failed to see that it was okay not to know, and I remember simply blanking out. It felt as if I was an outsider, and alone in my own world. At the time, I hadn't familiarized myself with writing, and lacked the thought processes to approach scenarios with non-simple answers, leading to this experience. Reflecting on this experience, I'm glad it occurred, as my narrative on writing has since changed. I have become familiar with approaching scenarios I might initially not know how to respond to. As I've accustomed myself to the practice of free writing, I've found success over time. My writing experiences began to feel more positive, and I began to understand it. These moments of serenity grasped the idea of writing. It felt as if different parts of my mind were finally set into the free world. I can recollect the nervousness I initially felt starting to disappear as I allowed my thoughts to flow freely. Feeling relaxed, every word that was called out from my mind just felt right. The feeling of success after these new experiences evoked not only a relief, but was eye-opening. My habits changed, and the words flowed naturally. My path with writing was a journey with obstacles to overcome, but it simply took time. As I became more accustomed to writing, I produced a simpler base for me to follow. I allowed myself to follow a guide that emphasized natural free writing, allowing for more elegant writing. What I wrote about varied, but every writing exercise in class taught me to think creatively about the situation at hand, but it always fell back on the element of calming myself and writing from then on. Looking back, I can say my relationship with writing was not linear. My family and writing didn't meet, therefore writing didn't become my nature. As I've learned, these simple practices in recent years opened the scheme of what I thought writing was. As I drifted away from limiting myself to my creative skills, I allowed a flow that settled my mind, leading to more creative and confident writing. I carry these experiences with me today as they represent my journey as a writer. I recall these experiences as part of how and why I write the way I do, all while still striving to further my writing and maximize its fullest potential.