Composition Experience

Jason Palmeri’s “Composition Has Always Already Been Multimodal” discuss the process of creating multimodal text. Creativity is the beginning of that process. When explaining creativity, Palmeri compares composing a multimodal text to writing a work of art or music, saying “When people are “composing in writing” (I), they are selecting and ordering words; when people are composing a painting or composing a symphony, they are selecting and ordering auditory or imagistic elements” (26). Later in the article, Palmeri encourages teachers of writing to experience composing with different modalities, including fine arts, to gain insight into invention and revision. I would like to explore his theory by experiencing the composition of a work of art and comparing the composition and revision of that work of art to the composition and revision of a text.
For my work of art, I chose to use PhotoShop to create a collage of images. To begin my composition, I decided which photos I wanted to use for my collage. Not only did I have to decide which photos I wanted to use, but I also had to determine how many I wanted to use and what color or pattern I wanted my background to be. Once those decisions were made, I had to start placing my images onto the background. As I put each picture onto the background, I had to decide what size I wanted each image to be, and how I wanted them arranged. While making these decisions, I had to have some idea of what I wanted my final product to be, however, my plan for my final product was flexible and varied as I made decisions for each image. Once I felt my final product was complete, I took a moment to look at the picture as a whole, checking for any changes I might want to make and editing accordingly. Then, I printed and framed my work.
After displaying my hard work, I began to reflect on how the creative and revision process I used to create my photo collage compared to the method I use when composing a text. When writing, instead of choosing photos, I often select resources to support my text. As part of selecting my resources, I make decisions about how the resource text will support my claims, and at what point in my writing, I would like to include them. I may also highlight portions of the resource text to use in my final product. This is similar to the decisions I made regarding the number of photos I would use and details of my collage background. In both cases, I had to have some idea of what I wanted my result to be, and I needed to be flexible to have the best final product.
Next, when writing, I begin putting my words onto a paper or screen, much like how I started placing my images on my collage background. Also, just as I revised my college as I worked, I edit the words, I put on the paper of screen. I may choose to reword a full sentence or change an individual word in favor of a synonym. As I type or write my plan for my final product may vary, however, once I feel I have reached my desired result, I will proofread and edit it, similar to how I took time to step back and review and edit my completed photo college before printing and displaying it. Once I finish composing a text, I will “display” it in some way, either submitting it for a professor or classmate to view or publishing it on the internet for the public to view, just as I displayed my photo collage for myself and others to see.
After completing this experiment, I agree with Palmeri that there are similarities between composing a text and composing a work of art. I also have a better understanding of the benefits of teachers of writing to experience composing with different modalities, including fine arts, to gain insight into invention and revision.

Palmeri, Jason. “Composition Has Always Already Been Multimodal.” Remixing Composition: A History of Multimodal Writing Pedagogy. Southern Illinois University Press, 2012, pp. 21-50.