WRITING PORTFOLIO

2023
P4

DIEGO FLORES
Dedication:
I dedicate this portfolio to the people who continue to push the limits. To the ones who
continue to innovate and find ways to express their ideas in a way that is different than others.
I choose Brutalism to celebrate those who are unappreciated in their innovation by using a
unique design style that is overshadowed due to its unappealing general nature.

in favor of exposing and

cel-
brat- the raw materials

ing
brutalism : raw architecure BRUTALIST
DESIGN
 Table of contents
Title Page Chapter
Front page 1
Dedication 2
Tabel of contents 3
Dreams and passions 4 1
Flashback 5 2
Far away places 6 3
Your song 7 4
Rememberance of things presents 8 5
The pandemic 9 6

ge
Final Chapter 10 7

p a chap
l e

ter t
ti
 Chapter 1: Dreams and Passions

My current dream is to live free of any burden I may have.

The goal of my life is to achieve this dream. I’ll dedicate my life to
becoming free of any financial, societal, or mental challenge. Being
able to do anything at any time is
what I believe life should be at its
peak. With my want for freedom,
I’d focus on my passion for design.
To make things that are appealing
and have a purpose is what I want
to do most in my life. There is a
sense of freedom in being able to
imagine certain objects or concepts in a different way. A mug may
be a cup with a handle, but there is so much more to what makes a
mug in some people’s eyes. It could be the specific style in which the
cup looks, or maybe the type of material and technique to make it.
The idea of a form that all objects take is something that is so re-
strictive but also allows for more creativity in a way. My passion is
to see how far I can stretch these forms to make something that is so
recognizable, but also so foreign.
While I go on with my life, I hope to have my passion be how
I make my living, but I don’t believe that I can achieve my goal of
being “free” with just that. The idea of being “free of any burden”
goes much further than having no challenges. For the most part, it
means being content with how things are to me. For all of my life, I
have had things that I wanted more in. Like a number that I wanted
to keep increasing. I believe that once I have reached what I deem
the “peak” then I’ll be free of any burden I may have. When I reach
the peak, the summit of life, only then will I have no more roads to
climb. The only thing that’s left is to enjoy what’s left in front of me.
 Chapter 2: Flashback
I wish I could relieve the experience of the height of the lock-
downs. During these days life as a kid was so freeing and something
not many get to experience even in normal situations. To have no
school, no worries about jobs, and the freedom to do almost any-
thing. It was some of the most freeing experiences a person could
have in the current present. Memories I specifically wish to relive
are waking up early and going biking alone or with friends. Waking
up at sunrise to go and ride around in the wind was a privilege that
I believe only some people have. It was just nice a nice experience
that I want to relive again. Another thing I’d like to do during the
lockdowns is more impactful things. Enjoying my free time is nice,
but that free time was also crucial to the development of my habits
and lifestyle.
If I did go back I would put more time into becoming a better
person overall. Things like communicating more, having a more
active day, and appreciating more would be things I would put more
emphasis on. Another reason to go back is just to relive my years
again. Leaving high school and becoming a fully functional adult
is tiring. Many early adults and even some older adults would kill
to have the life of a high schooler. I wish to go back just to enjoy
the taste of no responsibilities just a little longer. Having the added
foresight would also be nice to
have during those years. I feel as
though everyone has a time they
would like to relive, and may-
be in the future, I’ll have an era
in my life I would like to relive
more. We will just have to wait
and make the most of it until that
time comes.
 Chapter 3: Far Away Places
A faraway place I’d like to visit is Denmark. One major aspect
of living within the United States that I dislike is the dependency
on cars and the control these companies have over our lives. These
two factors make living here an absolute pain and leave a sense of
hopelessness. In my eyes, cars are not something more convenient
or give more freedom than walking or biking to places. Now why
Denmark of all places? Most cities are designed beautifully for ease
of transportation without a car. Many cities put the people first in-
stead of parking lots and cars everywhere. Denmark also places near
the bottom when it comes to financial transparency and corrup-
tion rate. This all sounds like a great place to live, but I don’t want
to make plans until I’ve experienced it
firsthand. Seeing what life is like there
with my own eyes is what I believe will
give me the push to make a move.
Moving past Denmark, visit-
ing major cities in Europe and Asia is
something I want to experience with
my family. Both my parents never had
the opportunity to explore their world.
Immigrating from a wartorn country doesn’t give them much time
or capital to explore the world. I want to be the one to give them
these trips and show them that their sacrifice and hard work eventu-
ally lead to memories they can have for life. Luckily most locations
on both continents have accessible transportation between coun-
tries. While I want to travel the world and experience every corner
of the world, what I really want to do is find a country that is right
for me. I don’t like being restricted and need someplace where I
don’t need a prerequisite to travel. I want to visit a faraway place that
can give me the freedom to live my life how I want.
 Chapter 4: Your Song
If I had to pick a song that represented my life right now it
would be “Mellow Dream” by Ryo Fukui. A jazz composition that
has no lyrics but still conveys a story with the character. Ryo Fukui
is a well-known Japanese jazz artist who only started playing piano
at 22. Six years later he released his first album named Scenery. If
I had to explain the sound he makes it would be a smooth but also
aggressive beat that is at the forefront of his sound. “Mellow Dream”
is the first piece of his second album named Mellow Dream. It is one
of my favorites because it shows what Ryo Fukui can do on the pia-
no and how much pressure he can apply.
The start of the piece is low and mellow, as the name implies,
but as it goes on it starts to heat up and gets more intense. The piece
itself is like riding a bike. The start is slow and low like climbing up
a hill, and the turning point is the peak of that hill. As the piano
starts to get faster it almost mirrors the speed you get. Ryo Fukui in
my mind has put an image of someone who is relaxed at these high
speeds and low peaks. The song itself has many changes in tone and
Fukui uses repeated notes and phrases
beautifully in the rising tone. One spe-
cific phrase that continues to scratch my
head is near the beginning where repeat-
ing notes are used in a skipping pattern
almost having a delayed effect. As well
as the accompaniment piano in the back
provides support to give a sense of depth
when the drums and bassline come in.
The bassline alone is such a driving force throughout the song, but
it comes in so suddenly that can don’t notice it until it has run its
course. It is subtle and impactful as bass should be. The overall com-
position of this piece is amazing and provides so much character to
the sound.
 Chapter 5: Remembrance of
Things Present
In 20 years I will remember to stay true to myself and still
desire to improve. When I wake up, a large part of my day is to be
better in some way than yesterday. Small things like having a bet-
ter outlook on a specific situation is enough for me to be satisfied. I
never want to be satiated and content with how I am when I know
the situation can be better. I hope to continue the hobbies I have
today and get better at them. Biking and playing the guitar are two
hobbies that I hope to get better and more importantly get more
consistent with. With age, I hope to find the time and passion to
continue them at a higher level than I currently am. Even if I don’t
get better at them, I do hope to find a new appreciation for my hob-
bies in some way as I grow old or have them lead me to a passion I
never knew.
However, one thing I must not forget is the will to continue being
genuine in my character. I don’t like being restricted and I don’t like
not expressing myself in any way. I want to be myself and only my-
self. No changing myself to fit someone else’s narrative or to please
someone. I want to live for what I want and
to do what I want with my life. One thing I
hope for in the future is to have a life where
I don’t need to bend my knee and risk my
character to progress. Being true to what I
believe in and sticking to it is something I
believe is a basic rule everyone should fol-
low. In 20 years from now, I hope to contin-
ue to keep my values for what I believe is a
good life.
 Chapter 6: The Pandemic
The pandemic was not as bad for me as it was for others. I
learned about the lockdown while getting ready to start my first vol-
leyball game. Prior to learning about the cancellation of our game,
we were getting ready and talking about how our season went. I
went home that day without playing
a single game of volleyball ever. Right
away I was happy that we got an extra
week off, and even when school was
ended prematurely I didn’t see any rea-
son to be sad or angry. I was happy and
free for the majority of the pandemic.
Early bike rides with friends, more free
time, and an excuse to laze around. It
was a great time for me personally. We
did have scares of the pandemic as both my parents caught it, but
never snowballed into anything major. I never lost anyone close to
me due to the virus, but I do know other people that did. I’m so for-
tunate to not have much happen to my family and I do understand
that I got lucky while others didn’t.
School during my sophomore year however was a bumpy road.
Going through online school was a test of what I really cared about
in school. Classes like Algebra II and World History were useless in
my mind before and resulted in me not attending them as much. I
do feel the repercussions of these actions now, however. Due to the
horrible “learning” system online, I learned nothing from Algebra II
despite “passing”. Now in my current math class, college prep, I have
to relearn and deal with new concepts on the fly. I realize that my
Sophmore year was wasted and I didn’t have a second year of high
school. There is no point in trying to change something in the past,
however. Instead, I look forward to cherishing the current moments
just to make sure I don’t miss anything.
 Chapter 7: Final Chapter
To my future self,

I hope everything turned out ok and the plan we have goes well.
I don’t know how far you’ll read this, but I hope you stayed true
to what you wanted. Your memory might not be as good as it
was so to remind you of what your high school life taught you I
will write about what I hope you remember even now. I wrote in
another chapter to stay genuine and never be content with how
you are. We both know that we can always be better, and I hope
you don’t forget to continue to try and improve. I hope you still
remind me of myself but older and more mature. I don’t want
any more drastic changes unless they come from myself. I do
hope you got the career we both wanted and I do hope you find
joy in it. I also hope that our mind has grown to appreciate and
see the finer aspects of life and design. Always be looking for a
deeper meaning in things and to continue to create ideas that
are different from any others.
I want to remind you that we always had a passion for find-
ing and analyzing more obscure objects. I hope you still have
that passion for finding the diamond in the rough. Whether
it be music, art, or stories, I want to expand my idea of what
genres can be pushed to. Remember that even if our life doesn’t
go the way we planned out it is never too late to stop and try
something new. If it doesn’t feel right then it’s okay to restart.
Even now I don’t know what I want exactly in my life. Even if
you don’t know what to do at least we’re both together at this
time, and I believe we’ll both understand what we want soon
enough.

Sincerely, your past self.