I love this post, Connie. I only recently started writing poetry and it's all those things. I am really shocked at how healing it is. I hope you'll take a minute and read a recent post of mine if you have the time (How to Love the Body through the Transformational Power of Poetry on 2/21) where I state that the act of writing a poem about my belly split me open. I had no idea that was in there. Thank you for your beautiful writing. I just subscribed.
Thank you for reading and taking the time to leave such a considerate comment, Ilona. I just read your post and found it really moving and powerful. I do a lot of yoga and it has certainly helped me to reacquaint myself with my body through various transformations of ability. I love the idea of writing poems to the body!
This is a wonderful perspective and endeavour, I look forward to it. I often feel that putting art, of any variety, into one box becomes limiting. Which is why more artists and perspectives are always needed. Some can challenge and disrupt, some can expose, some can create space to heal and grow. In many, many ways healing, perspective shifting and growth can be challenging enough. Thank you for exploring this publicly with us.
Thanks for your insight, Dzesika. It's true, we need art across the spectrum of emotion. I guess it goes to show that art always has an impact for someone.
You've raised important points in this essay Conny. I often find writing poetry to be a liberating experience! It helps me deal with the trauma I've suffered in my life. Creating/experiencing art can provide great emotional relief to the afflicted. Looking forward to your poems on Tender Rebellion!
Thank you, Dominic. I've always thought that your work reads very cathartic, and you're so good at expressing both the dark and light aspects of this "being human".
I will treasure your work on this, Conny. Your layers of experience have given you a compassionate perspective that will enflesh itself in everything you make.
What a gift this is, Conny. It echoes my sentiments in conversations I've had with artist friends, but what you've written here is far more eloquent and insightful. Life is already so hard; the last thing I want is for my art to hurt someone who's already hurting. Thank you for expressing these ideas with such clarity and compassion. I'm going to share this with a lot of people in my life.
Thank you, Kate. I appreciate that! It took me a while to get this piece of writing in a good shape. I hadn't written anything like this in a long time. And I'm glad it resonates.
I am genuinely excited about this, Conny. Something that has come to me through many recent private conversations (ironically enough on a certain not-private social media platform I’ll be exiting myself very soon) is that what many of us need from art in all its forms is a bridge to our environment and our community, which is made up of much more than human beings. I feel like you have a gift for finding such a medium, so this is a space I look forward to watching!
Since I'll be writing from my own perspective, the poems and reflections will contain a spiritual component of interconnectedness. My Daoist inclinations will shine through, I'm sure, and I've always loved to use natural imagery in my work. I'm also inspired by the Thrutopia and Protopia movements, and I'd like to think that I can contribute to the much-needed narrative change, "the new myths for humanity" as Alina Seigfried calls them in A Future Untold.
This is going to be wonderful. 💜
Thank you, Jennifer!
I love this post, Connie. I only recently started writing poetry and it's all those things. I am really shocked at how healing it is. I hope you'll take a minute and read a recent post of mine if you have the time (How to Love the Body through the Transformational Power of Poetry on 2/21) where I state that the act of writing a poem about my belly split me open. I had no idea that was in there. Thank you for your beautiful writing. I just subscribed.
Thank you for reading and taking the time to leave such a considerate comment, Ilona. I just read your post and found it really moving and powerful. I do a lot of yoga and it has certainly helped me to reacquaint myself with my body through various transformations of ability. I love the idea of writing poems to the body!
This is a wonderful perspective and endeavour, I look forward to it. I often feel that putting art, of any variety, into one box becomes limiting. Which is why more artists and perspectives are always needed. Some can challenge and disrupt, some can expose, some can create space to heal and grow. In many, many ways healing, perspective shifting and growth can be challenging enough. Thank you for exploring this publicly with us.
Thanks for your insight, Dzesika. It's true, we need art across the spectrum of emotion. I guess it goes to show that art always has an impact for someone.
You've raised important points in this essay Conny. I often find writing poetry to be a liberating experience! It helps me deal with the trauma I've suffered in my life. Creating/experiencing art can provide great emotional relief to the afflicted. Looking forward to your poems on Tender Rebellion!
Thank you, Dominic. I've always thought that your work reads very cathartic, and you're so good at expressing both the dark and light aspects of this "being human".
Thanks so much Conny!
I will treasure your work on this, Conny. Your layers of experience have given you a compassionate perspective that will enflesh itself in everything you make.
Thank you, Ann. I'll strive to keep bringing my unique experience to both poems and reflections. I hope I will learn something from it myself!
This sounds brilliant. I agree with everything you said.
Thanks for that, Howard. I appreciate you being here.
What a gift this is, Conny. It echoes my sentiments in conversations I've had with artist friends, but what you've written here is far more eloquent and insightful. Life is already so hard; the last thing I want is for my art to hurt someone who's already hurting. Thank you for expressing these ideas with such clarity and compassion. I'm going to share this with a lot of people in my life.
Thank you, Kate. I appreciate that! It took me a while to get this piece of writing in a good shape. I hadn't written anything like this in a long time. And I'm glad it resonates.
I am genuinely excited about this, Conny. Something that has come to me through many recent private conversations (ironically enough on a certain not-private social media platform I’ll be exiting myself very soon) is that what many of us need from art in all its forms is a bridge to our environment and our community, which is made up of much more than human beings. I feel like you have a gift for finding such a medium, so this is a space I look forward to watching!
Since I'll be writing from my own perspective, the poems and reflections will contain a spiritual component of interconnectedness. My Daoist inclinations will shine through, I'm sure, and I've always loved to use natural imagery in my work. I'm also inspired by the Thrutopia and Protopia movements, and I'd like to think that I can contribute to the much-needed narrative change, "the new myths for humanity" as Alina Seigfried calls them in A Future Untold.