I have to be honest, initially I was very excited for the “creative” essay and the freedom that would bring to my writing. However, composing essay number 3 turned out to be quite challenging for me. Crafting the outline of what I wanted to do and how to make it fit with my research question from essay 2 went smoothly, it was the visual genre proved most difficult to navigate. Once I had decided to represent two different political perspectives surrounding one subset of my research I was able to compose my selection for the second genre, a letter to the editor, rather quickly. For that I wanted to represent a conservative standpoint using pathos and what might be viewed as more traditional ethical views. This was a contrast to the logic I wanted to underscore the emotions roused by the more liberal satirical cartoon of the first genre. My troubles came when it was time to seek out a cartoon to modify that would align with my objective—the overpopulation of prisons and serious health risks for inmates and staff due to Covid-19. After days of sifting through options while writing and rewriting wry and ironic quips, I settled on something simple and relatively on the nose. It made the point I sought and spoke to a more liberal, yet serious,  politically progressive demographic. After receiving helpful feedback on my first draft it became obvious that my cartoon needed to be more dynamic and an illustration of my own rather than a manipulation of previously drawn work. This sent me to my sketch book (and cartooning is definitely not my strength) to rework the message I wanted to convey. Ultimately I am content with the outcome of my revision and feel more accomplished as a student and as a writer for having persisted through what I considered, at times, the most exasperating assignment of the course. I think I will always prefer a conventional essay to a visual composition, yet I have found the value in how different genres can relate to an audience in more meaningful and lasting ways.