After reading the Portfolio, albeit falling asleep several times during my session due to Sleep Deprivation, it adds an additional depth into how I look at organizing my structures. It was also in a sense familiar, and it redefined my idea of what a portfolio is. When I thought of a portfolio, I thought of it simply as a collection of art works, or in the financial context– never before could I have imagined that the definition could extend to writing entries, short stories, and other variety of documents and materials- or that it could be used to gauge growth and development.

When reading it, I thought back to earlier this summer when I started journaling. I’d think and organize it in a rather structure that emphasized self-reflection, about how to make tomorrow better, self-criticism, and although I never had it peer reviewed like it mentioned some portfolios were- I began recognizing during my journaling that the tone and subjects had significantly developed and shifted. They were initially started as a coping mechanism for what was emotionally a difficult time, and I recall when I mentioned that when days would feel like “a 3… a 4…” several times in a row shifted towards “7… 8… 9” on various occasions. Although still different from the essence of the Portfolio book, the book itself woke me up to how writing can be used to demonstrate growth and change.

In terms of the articles, I found them also interesting. They were coupled with a few naps in the library, but as I read through them- the additional depth especially in terms of the fire and observing it calls back to this summer as well, where I had personal talks at the fire with my dad with bonding- but also to when I would sit at the camp fire with friends. It also raised interesting questions for me over technology uses.