The creation of this website came out of a class. Professional Writing in English Studies. Up until this class, I thought that my branch of professional writing would mean academic writing; literary analysis, book reviews, things like that. As it turns out, it does mean those things but it also means a lot more.
We started with CVs and resumes, cover letters, grant proposals, transcriptions, and ended with a professional website. Personally, that progression meant a destruction of my self-confidence followed by a mandate to confidently market my personal academic brand on the Internet for everyone to see! Needless to say, I found this quite troubling.
Ultimately, I came to see this website as a way to tangibly project my current brand and use that projection to refine it. The things that I declare about myself through my statements of interest on a CV or the writing samples I choose to display on this website, don’t invalidate the other work I’ve done or the other interests that I have. This revelation has been very encouraging.
I’m in my senior year of my BA and I’m thinking about the future in more concrete ways than ever before. I’ve always thought, I’ll go to grad school after I graduate! Now, I am having to decide and articulate where, and exactly when, and exactly for what I will go to grad school. Thinking about those things is very difficult! It’s especially difficult for me because I still find myself in a place of wonder about nearly all literature and most learning in general. I do know for certain, however, that I will not be pursuing a graduate degree in American Literature in the 18th or 19th centuries.
I hope that this website reflects me as a student: wondering and exploring. That’s my brand. I want to learn, I am passionate about everyone’s learning, and as of now, the subjects that I find compelling and important are not particularly limited, but I know that eventually I will find my place. Odds are good that my place will be surrounded by books.
Lindsey Grundyson 