There's a lot of freedom in being an onchain artist. But that freedom also comes with a couple of restrictions. You need, for example, to be able to sell yourself, or at least your work. That's hard work. If you want to do that well, you also need to understand the idea or ideas your work is based on. The why of what you create. Or, in another way to look at it: your vision for your body of work. From there, you can create a clear and simple to confer message to share with people who want to learn more about you. Or who you may be able to convince to collect your work or support you in another way. Today, it's time I share that message. In its current form...
When I learned about communication in university, the basic structure was explained as sender - message - receiver. I think that still holds universally true, and it is similar to how I see my poetry: poet - poem - poetry lover. I look at the world based on my lived experience. Who I am, what I have lived, what I have learned, how I feel. Those are all elements that influence how I interpret the things I see. That is me. The poet.
Catching poetry
From that interpretation I create my poetry. I look at a cloud and see something. I run and think of something. I hike through the mountains and experience something. I stand with my bare feet in the surf and I feel something. Poems are hiding everywhere. Often I see them, and sometimes I even am able to catch them. I do a little sanding, and painting and things you do to uncover an intrinsic shape. That's the poem.
And then there is you. You find my poem, and when you read it, you bring your lived experience to that reading. And you will see in that poem something others will not see. You are the one that gives the poem actual meaning. You are the poetry lover that makes that the poem has value. Even if for you that value is non-existent. This is what I call a tripple effect: the poet, poem and poetry lover combining forces to make new meaning and understanding. This is also the reason this publication is called trpplffct.
If all goes well, we can even take this a step further. I'll tell you how below, but... only to the subscribers of my Hypersub. You can subscribe here using crypto (ETH on Base) or fiat (regular money via credit card).
There is a thing that I would like my poetry to do. I don't want to change minds. There's enough of that going around. But based on the tripartite force of poet, poem and poetry lover I described above, I hope my poems can achieve something I find very important. We live in a world that is suddenly filled with increasing rifts between groups of people. A world in which polarising seems more the flavour of the day than bridge building. A world in which rather yell at The Other than listen to them. I believe art, and hope my poetry, can help to turn that around.
I intentionally keep my work superficial. I sometimes call it snapshot poetry. I try to share how I see the world. Not to make you see it the same way. Please not. I try to share how I see the world, in the hope that you realise you see it differently, and that that is okay. It's good to not see everything in the same way. We all are different, we all are individuals.
Meet The Other
As soon as you realise, time and time again through art for example, that some people simply see things differently, without demanding, asking, or forcing you to see it in the same way, you will grow empathy. And with empathy, we have a better understanding of the fact that The Other is not our enemy. The Other is just some other person who wants to build a happy future. For themselves and for their kids.
Together, we can do that with much more ease, much more fun and much better results, than if we try to force ourselves into tribes and fight for dominance. That is a very destructive game.
So, I hope my poetry also has this tripple effect: the effect that we understand eachother better when we realise that if we look a the same thing, we might see it differently, but we can still co-habitate. Or maybe even be friends.
