I have been inclined towards literature, and specifically writing poetry for a couple of years now, but I forgot or often neglected this hobby with excuses of “time”. To make sure that I don’t waste my potential talent in something I love, during the lockdown period, I decided to make an instagram account @_reverie.s_ specifically for posting my poetry. Creating this account keeps me on my toes, and is a constant source of inspiration for me to keep writing.
LO 1: Identify their own strengths and develop areas for personal growth.
I was aware that I was a fairly good writer before I started reveries, but there’s a difference in writing for yourself, and writing for the world to see, because there can be many interpretations and many ways in which different people will receive your pieces, and that helped me realise, that to post my work online, and to actually make an impact with it, simply writing wasn’t enough, I also needed to present it in a creative manner, so it would attract more people, and the graphic/image/photograph or any other supporting content that goes with my piece would help people connect and understand it better. I learned that presentation wasn’t my strongest suit. I could present it creatively, but I’m still learning how to present my work in a way that it’s not too complicated for a larger audience to grasp it. I of course, over the course of starting the account till now have gotten both compliments and criticism, that have helped me enhance myself as a writer.
LO 2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.
The main challenge that I faced was updating on my account in a timely manner. Poetry is something that you can’t force out of yourself, but if you create a writing account, your followers expect you to give them some sort of content, and you can’t just not post for a couple of months because you couldn’t write. So there were times that I had nothing to write about, which frustrated me, however, at one point, I just had to learn to sit myself down and peacefully think and create. I was terrible at updating my account at the beginning of this endeavour, but now, I feel as though I have gained more experience and the reciprocation in forms of feedback that I receive from my followers has inspired me to be more consistent in writing and updating.
LO 3:Demonstrate how to plan and initiate a CAS experience.
Initiating this experience was extremely easy, a few simple steps and my account was ready, but maintaining it and planning different ways to keep my followers engaged was the tougher part. I had to constantly come up with creative ideas to keep my followers intrigued and keep myself motivated to explore more types of poems/writing, and branch out of my comfort zone to create something new and better. The experience not only helped me write more and writ better, but I also developed myself as a graphic designer, and an artist, because like I said along with the writings I had to plan other things to make my work more interesting for which I drew online, drew on paper, and once even stitched my poetry on an envelope made of cloth to make it seem more aesthetic and different. I am still exploring, I recently started writing in a style very different than mine, I even experimented with photography(that would go with my poems) and I started an exclusive email chain for my followers called ‘rantrooms’ where I would share my unedited raw pieces, for even random rants or updates about my life, so in that way, if sometimes I am unable to write a poem for any reason, constantly updating this email would still keep me in touch with ‘writing’ even if it isn’t poetic, and ofcourse it was something interesting for my followers too.All in all, I think the planning aspect of this experience is pretty much an ongoing process, and though it’s sometimes challenging to come up with new ideas, it’s been extremely rewarding and exciting.

LO 4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.
Like I’ve mentioned before, commitment and consistency is extremely important when you create content online, and over time I believe I have indeed created a sense of responsibility which helps me be regular and fully committed to this project. My personal attachment and interest in this activity is also a major factor that ensures I stay committed to it, and always keep updating, even after CAS.
To conclude, this has been an extremely enriching experience for my creative instincts, and I plan to continue it for a very long time, perhaps forever. It’s helped me understand that writing isn’t just something that I like but it’s something I’m truly passionate about.
Reveries Evidence