To demonstrate my communication competence, I selected a renaissance research paper from ART-111 (art appreciation), which I took in the fall semester of 2022. This was one of my first opportunities to write an in-depth analysis of several selected artworks from a chosen artist, as well as research the artist’s background, so it was exciting to see what I would make of it. Fortunately, I had previously studied my chosen artist—Albrecht Durer—and was extremely familiar with many of his works, making this assignment far less tedious than it might have been otherwise. I was able to communicate my thoughts more clearly and effectively due to my prior knowledge and familiarity.

My research paper and art analysis, titled “The Life and Artistry of Albrecht Dürer,” began with a quick introduction to the artist himself, which—in my opinion—was somewhat choppy and could have used some additional attention grabbers, but during the time this paper was written I do not feel I had entirely developed my writing voice, though I still wrote in a way that explored my thoughts and met my audience’s requirements. My analysis of each artwork was far more detailed and attention-grabbing than the background and flowed significantly better, likely due to the fact that I had mentally analyzed each of the works prior many times but had never written my thoughts down. I also had previous experience communicating analytical thoughts in other classes, such as HIS-131, HIS-132, PSY-150, and ENG-112.

The goals I had selected previously for this assignment were to use communication competence within my future speeches, speaking clearly and effectively with as few errors as possible, and to present a report on zoology or literature using communication competence. While I did successfully complete both of those goals in other assignments, this particular paper was not zoology or literature focused, and it did not have a public speaking component. Two alternative goals I selected were to effectively communicate detailed analytical thoughts that can be understood by both artistic and non-artistic audiences and to incorporate visual references into my writing in a way that enhances the message I am trying to convey.

The first goal, communicating detailed analytical thoughts that can be understood by both artistic and non-artistic audiences, took a bit of time to figure out, as I tend to write using artistic terminology when writing about artists and their work. I also had to figure out the best way to condense my thoughts into a shortened version of a formal analysis, which was somewhat difficult as I tend to enjoy expanding on what I write and going into lengthy detail. Nevertheless, I still managed to successfully accomplish this goal by primarily focusing on the visuals in each individual piece, such as texture, color, and expressions. I ensured that each analysis fully explored my thoughts while keeping it at an acceptable length and that my transitions flowed smoothly.

The second goal, incorporating visual references into my writing in a way that enhances the message I am trying to convey, was a fantastic goal for this specific assignment as it was extremely helpful to include images of artwork along with my analysis for a number of reasons. Adding an image for each analysis assisted me in ensuring I could direct the reader to a specific visual area of the artwork and better explain my thoughts relating to what I was seeing, considering the reader could also see it. It also made my paper significantly more interesting, as visuals tend to enforce messages or allow writing to be more memorable, which was ultimately what I wanted to do for both artistic and non-artistic audiences. 

Much like my written communication skills, I have always felt that my communication competence is strong, but each of the classes I have taken here at SPCC have reinforced those skills in a number of ways that have significantly improved my overall ability to communicate with confidence, especially within my choice career fields. Both in art and life sciences, I have built connections and learned to effectively communicate in ways that will bring me closer to success and eventually to achieving my dreams. This particular assignment helped me learn the terminology and style of communication artists tend to use and was ultimately helpful in furthering my understanding and ability to communicate in the arts.