Reflective Writing videos

After watching all nine videos on reflective writing, I have taken notes on all the interviews. I feel a lot happier and not so anxious after viewing them. I think my perception of what a PDP encompasses was not wrong, but a different approach after listening to other alternatives and ways of creating one. For the past two years the way in which I would lay out my PPRD file was different to what I have tried this year. Looking back now I don’t think I made the most of what a PDP can give back to me, because I used to look at it as a chore and put it off. Something I also picked up from the videos was the way you decide to lay out your PDP, whether it take the form of a book, a blog, or a series or letters. After observing previous visual diaries and progress files, I felt it didn’t work for me as a visual diary by hand or a file just full of writing, it became very uninspiring, I felt uninterested therefore not wanting to look at it or enjoy doing it. So I decided to start a blog, I think the reason I didn’t pursue this before was due to the fact, I’m not a confident computer user. Again though this refers back to my first year of uni, I completed my final illustrations by hand, and I wasn’t happy with how they looked, they didn’t look professional or particularly how I wanted them too. So I decided to learn how to combine initial hand drawings with digital input, and using Photoshop and Illustrator. I started by just experimenting and to my surprise it really wasn’t that hard, I had been worrying that I couldn’t do something rather than just trying. My illustrations came out beautifully I was very pleased at what I had achieved. So back to the blog, I thought right I really want to try this, so I set it up and it’s great, I feel so much more confident working in this way. Now I wish I had done it straight away but then again, I think I needed to go through what I did to make me discover the ways in which I prefer to work and the ways I don’t like working. The videos were really easy to understand, and pointed out some great tips and ideas for a good PDP. By watching them I do feel that I’ve engaged better this year all ready by having my blog to look back on and also if I find I’m struggling at all I can just go back to my notes and view the videos whenever I want or need to. It’s had a very positive effect on me personally as well as helping with reflective writing, by this I mean I’m not worried about starting this academic year, and going back to uni. I know its not going to be easy, and sometimes I really won’t feel as positive as I do now, but for now I’m ready to go back and learn through all experiences good and bad. Link to videos http://www.arts.ac.uk/cetl/visual-directions/podcasts.htm