I’m taking another class in autobiography. I have to write an introduction to my professor about myself — how I see autobiography, how I see myself, how we identify ourselves, what is identity, etc.

These courses always make me take a long look at myself. They make me question where I’m going, what I’m doing. Do I have valid things to write about? Am I projecting myself in the manner I wish to be viewed in? Is my identity clear or muddled?

I start paying closer attention (as if that is possible) to the rhetorical value of my text and my images. What do they all mean? Do my images add or detract from my writing? It matters.

In my work, I am consistently facing the needs of faculty members trying to emphasize their lectures through online mediums. We face the issues of textual and visual rhetoric on a daily basis. We assess the images we create or use to make sure that they are supporting and increasing the validity of the language the instructor is putting forth.

It is a battle. When is there enough visual media to promote a concept? When is it too much? What is that fine balance? And what if we choose an image that is not right for the text? Does that throw off the balance of the lecture? (It does, btw.)

Every image I choose to accompany my words here is thought about before being used. I want to make sure to emphasize my words — and my images. They are a pair. They go together.

So why sneakers today? It’s a part of me, a part of my identity. I get compliments every time I wear these particular shoes — and they are just a pair of sneakers. They give me an identity, though. They add to peoples’ perception of me. They see me in a certain light when I wear these particular shoes — as opposed to my Birks, Tevas, or leather boots.

The shoes, with the words, create an image of me for you. What do you see?