Getting started

As I work through the images I have and try to decide which ones to put on my blog, I look for signs of progress.  In contrast, I realize that as I work on my Fine Art degree, I'm required to make images that are in direct contradiction to what I'm trying to accomplish in photojournalism.  We have an assignment in Photo III that requires us to take an image and "tweak" the color in the image to create a different meaning.  Does anyone know how hard I've worked lately to get white balance and color balance right so that my images actually represent what I'm shooting?  Now I'm supposed to screw with the color/white balance and make "art."  Yes, I can appreciate the control I need to manipulate the image but I'd like assignments to fine-tune my imaging skills, not redress what I'm trying to leave behind.  Sigh.