Multimodal Essay Remix: How College Writing Helped Me as a Style Blogger.

@svgarspice on Instagram

I've been interested in fashion from a young age. I was even one of those second graders who picked out their own clothes... which wasn't as bad as some might think! Growing up through the years with a fascination of style and starting a blog on Instagram a year ago, I know I've come a long way. I even grew more as a blogger as I started college this year.

My college writing class helped me to become a better style blogger.

That's right! Even though I was a business major for my first semester of college (which turned out not to be the route for me), and my college writing class had a main focus on academic writing, the course outcomes of the class really helped me as a blogger.

My style blog on Instagram is mainly composed of pictures, captions, and hashtags, all of which were not discussed in my English class. But I promise you, you may be surprised to find just how much the learning outcomes applied to my work and how it may just apply to yours as well if you blog or use Instagram as I do!

Rhetorical Knowledge

Rhetorical knowledge is about identifying and responding to the needs of an audience. For Instagram, I did this through the types of outfits I uploaded. My target audience is teen girls to young women, so my posts show casual outfits that can usually be worn day to day, at school, on the go, etc. I also have a very feminine audience, so my theme on Instagram is very cute, chic, and has lots of pink incorporated into the page.

This learning outcome really helped me realize that establishing a set audience is the base for sharing an idea. It also helped me make my posts more specific, instead of just general outfit posts everyday. Having a target audience and purpose really makes your posts more geniune and authentic.

Tone Consistent with Purpose and Audience

Another course outcome that made my Instagram blog more authentic was having a consistent tone. This more applied to the captions of my pictures. I always did casual captions as if talking to an acquaintance, and try to be open and interactive my prompting my followers with questions to generate activity in my comment sections.

Just recently, I've changed my captions to be short, quote-like phrases, with more casual and personal notes toward the end of the caption. This keeps my blog stable while still maintaining my personality, which I want to showcase in my blog so my followers will be able to relate to me more.

Revising Multiple Drafts

While the previous course outcomes were factors of English that I haven't struggled much with, this one is definitely a challenge for me. Revising is hard because I just find it difficult to go over something that I just did and pick out things that need improvement, especially since I usually go into an essay by giving it my best. Of course no one is perfect, and no one can be right all of the time... even if you really want to be!

But over my course, I have come to realize that it is possible, in both my writing and my Instagram blog, to revise multiple drafts. When it comes to my Instagram, I take multiple pictures before choosing one that I feel showcases the outfit the best. Then, I edit the lighting and colors, add the correct filter, and I may even post and delete it numerous times to make sure that the photo visually fits with my other posts.

I hope this helps you realize that your college writing class may apply to you more than you think it does, and can help you as a composer in many different aspects. It really help me, and it made me realize my strengths and weaknesses. I can honestly say that pinpointing these things helped me to grow as a writer and composer over the semester. I just hope that I keep growing as a blogger and writer in the years to come during my college endeavors!

Keep things sweet!

-xoxo, Sugar Spice