I'm my biggest fan

[bogusbrig]

I was sat around in my studio with friends and we got to talking of our hedonistic student days at art college, when a piece of advice came to mind that was given to me by a lecturer. He said: (I'm paraphrasing as it was such a long time ago.)

'Respect so called great artists for their achivement in self publicity because that is why they are great. Anyone who wonders around Italy with their eyes open will notice there are a lot of artists equally as good as the greats but are more or less unknown and they too can teach you as much as the so called greats. Do yourself a favour and don't be in awe of the greats but be your own biggest fan. Self belief will take you further than talent, swathes of people have talent, you need to stamp your own mark.'

I noticed when I used to scrummage around the secondhand bookstores on the Charing Cross Road and one brilliant secondhand bookstore in Iford, East London, I found many an exciting poetry book that were written by people that were unknown to me. Many a time I thought, stuff your Nobel Literary prize winners, this is far better.

Applying what my lecturer said to poetry, I was wondering what people think it is about their own poetry that I or anyone else should take the time to read it.

 

[champagne1982]

I love my poetry for the simple fact that I am willing to experiment with form and content, never foreswearing those who inform me what doesn't work and embracing the information I glean, that I may be a better poet.

However, you may love it for the rhythm, the use of unsophisticated rhyme to develop more sophisticated themes, my vocabulary, my subjects or just cause y'think Hell, she's so prolific, there's gotta be something good in here!
Anyhow, read me and love me or hate me, tell me what you think.

 

[Sabina_Tolchovsky]

good morning

yes, self confidence breeds success...you and I had this converstation regarding models and getting them to do the poses you want. If you come across as confident and sure you give importance to the task at hand and make people more confortable in front of the lens...I suppose this could transfer over into anything you do.

My question is this...in a meduim such as the internet how do you come across as savoir-faire? I mean I try to come across as condfident and passionate in my beliefs and get accused of being a "rabid dog" or a "zealot" Is that sort of attitude best presented in the flesh if you will?

Then again, all of my poetry is affluent...(lol)

 

[Maria2394]

I was sat around in my studio with friends and we got to talking of our hedonistic student days at art college, when a piece of advice came to mind that was given to me by a lecturer. He said: (I'm paraphrasing as it was such a long time ago.)

'Respect so called great artists for their achivement in self publicity because that is why they are great. Anyone who wonders around Italy with their eyes open will notice there are a lot of artists equally as good as the greats but are more or less unknown and they too can teach you as much as the so called greats. Do yourself a favour and don't be in awe of the greats but be your own biggest fan. Self belief will take you further than talent, swathes of people have talent, you need to stamp your own mark.'

I noticed when I used to scrummage around the secondhand bookstores on the Charing Cross Road and one brilliant secondhand bookstore in Iford, East London, I found many an exciting poetry book that were written by people that were unknown to me. Many a time I thought, stuff your Nobel Literary prize winners, this is far better. -----



hey BB

I once had hundreds of poems posted here. I hated some of them, and could not remember writing most of them. then some "stuff" happened and I pulled most of them. YOu are correct in your saying that you must promote yourself, but that is difficult for some people. LIke me, I was once so afraid of being seen as pompous or arrogant,. Hell, I know nothing, I came here writing sappy, why dont he fucking love me anymore type poetry and learned pretty fast that it was fluff. and I thank those who are still here and still take the time to point me towards improvement.

There are , were, some folks here who just pushed and pushed and made me see that through kind, albeit, harsh as times, crit, that I could be better than I was..so, in the morhing of a poet, or any writer, who has no self confidence, it is good, in fact, wonderful to have a place that has people who are more experienced than the poet so they can sort of guide..

I babble, sorry. I like some of my work, some of it really sucks and it has taken me some time to understand which is which but it still baffles me when someone lloves something I cant stand but just had to write anyway...



maria

 

[twelveoone]

yea, I once thought my stuff was good, until I realized I was mistranslating them into English from the Language that they where originally written. It is a shame no one speaks Feral anymore.

 

[jthserra]

I find that I may be a fan

but I am often my own greatest critic, often stifling my work before transcribing it from notepad to computer screen.

jim : )

 

[bogusbrig]

Well, you have always been a jerk, and what I have read of yours has always been, welll, trying to be accepted, so why don't you tell us why we should want you to read anything, or even one thing that you have written? Give us one.

Hmm A challenge.

My work is original in imagery and refuses to conform to classic form and ideas of what poetry is. It does have rough edges and appears lazy in places if you are a traditionalist but the rough edges hopefully have a purpose in challenging the reader to consider more than the aesthetics of the poem. I want to create a visceral reaction in the reader rather than to anesthetise them with word craft. Craftsmanship is necessary to a point but only to a point and beyond that it can strangle creativity and my poems refuse to have their creativity strangled by the tyranny of craft.

Many poets I read make me think, fine, you've proved to me you are a wordsmith, you've shown me your peacock feathers, now fly. Inevitably they are trapped in their preconceived ideas of what poetry is. My poems might not fly, they might not escape the tyranny of craft but they make brave attempts to escape.

Take two Nobel prize for Literature winners, Seamus Heaney and Harold Pinter (A poet as well as a play writer). When I first read Heaney in the seventies I was in awe but by the time he won the Nobel prize when I read him, all I could see was Seamus Heaney writing Seamus Heaney, beautifullly crafted poetry. Harold Pinter however, can still puke vomit onto the page and like him or loath him, he causes a reaction beyond thinking, oh what a lovely poem. I prefer Pinter, he doesn't seem to be creating monuments to himself but is still activily responding to the world he finds himself in. I try to be like that, trying to respond to the world beyond the 'me'. Whether I succeed is for other people to judge but if you don't read me you won't know if I do or don't.

 

[twelveoone]

Hey, Bog
not much for fandom, but I am in minor awe over your sensitive portrayal of the life and death of a plastic bag.

"Like the well-schooled horse changing leads in mid-air, Henry Taylor makes us perceive the grace of that moment of suspension. For him it is a moment of acute recognition of our mortality, our connection to the past, our need to love. His voice is meditative, his control of form absolute."

—Maxine Kumin

Like the dance of a plastic bag in mid-air, Bogusbrig makes us perceive the grace of that moment of suspension. For him it is a moment of cute recognition of colours, Indian Girls, whatnot. His voice, his form, his control Absolut. - 1201 detourment

Seriously, nicely done. I do like the parrellelism here.

 

[bogusbrig]

Hey, Bog
not much for fandom, but I am in minor awe over your sensitive portrayal of the life and death of a plastic bag.

"Like the well-schooled horse changing leads in mid-air, Henry Taylor makes us perceive the grace of that moment of suspension. For him it is a moment of acute recognition of our mortality, our connection to the past, our need to love. His voice is meditative, his control of form absolute."

—Maxine Kumin

Like the dance of a plastic bag in mid-air, Bogusbrig makes us perceive the grace of that moment of suspension. For him it is a moment of cute recognition of colours, Indian Girls, whatnot. His voice, his form, his control Absolut. - 1201 detourment

Seriously, nicely done. I do like the parrellelism here.

Jeez. I never know how to respond to such comments other than to say thanks