New Year, New Tidings

Happy New Year! There’s much to look forward to in the new year and I’m deeply grateful to all of you who have been with me on this wild journey of visual poetry.

AWP 2024

Am excited to share that I’ll be heading to AWP 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri next month to join a panel on visual poetry with artists I deeply admire: Chris Santiago, Doug Kearney, Keith S. Wilson, and Mag Gabbert.

Sight Singing: Poetry and the Visual

“This panel explores the intersections between language and visual art through the lens of visual poetry. Our panelists will engage with questions about the role of design, typography, poetic images, so-called white- or negative space, and how visual elements can expand our understanding of poetic meaning. We will examine a range of visual poetry forms, including concrete poetry, collages, and multimedia works, to showcase the playfully diverse ways poets blend text and image to create meaning.”

It’s been about nine years since my last conference so I look forward to convening with creative kin and seeing many folks I admire, and of course finding good reads at the book fair.

NewSletter Transition

Due to the acquisition of TinyLetter by Mailchimp, I’ll be transitioning my newsletter onto a new platform and format this spring. I’m grateful to all of you who have been following this work and look forward to sharing more creative process, new reads, and events coming up this year. While I’ve been quite immersed in the studio making things, I am seeking to develop a sustainable model for keeping you posted that continues to feel playful and nourishing for all. More soon!

Sustainable Studio

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

Speaking of sustainable process, I’m keen to share with you a couple of books I’ve found much guidance from for building a practice that is holistic and that allows me to bring all of myself to the studio.

I’ve been sitting with these meditations from Rick Rubin in his new book The Creative Act: A Way of Being, particularly in the mornings as I set my intentions for the day. Over the years, I’ve learned that while the artist has complete freedom in the studio, what happens to the work when we bring it out from there is often unpredictable. As he states:

“When we sit down to work, remember that the outcome is out of our control. If we are willing to take each step into the unknown with grit and determination, carrying with us our collected knowledge, we will ultimately get to where we’re going. This destination may not be one we’ve chosen in advance. It will likely be more interesting. (p.278)”

It also reminded me of the best thing I took away from art school: To stay in the game, we need to develop a high tolerance for rejection and failure, yet to continue to plant seeds and make causes no matter what while also learning from our setbacks and being kind to ourselves. Creating and supporting communities around us are also tantamount to moving forward with resilience.

Make Your Art No Matter What by Beth Pickens

Another wonderful read for those of you growing a studio practice is by Beth Pickens: Make Your Art No Matter What. It’s a friendly guide to revisiting the stories around some of the most common artistic hurdles that one can face day to day. Her approach is also mindful of the kinds of messaging we might have internalized from various positions of gender, race, and class. She moves readers towards important shifts in perception and offers concrete and practical steps to work through them. As someone who often struggles with time, and in turn insomnia, I’ve been learning to sound the alarm when the To-Do lists get too unreasonably long and have been better about programming more breathing room between deadlines and events to focus on health and caregiving. It’s still a work in progress and I look forward to experimenting with more of her practical tips throughout the year. I hope these bring some light as we set forth into 2024.

Gratitudes

I have so much gratitude for this community’s support of visual poetry. I look forward to creating more intimate events for readings and sharing new work this year and for us to be conversation with one another. There is so much that we all carry, some of it heavy and difficult. More than ever, I deeply believe in how art uplifts, how it mends, and how it brings us together. My hope is to continue creating spaces of wonder, mutual care, and encouragement in the places we connect. Thank you with all my heart.

Happy New Possibilities!