Why were you
interested in joining Project 366? How did you see it relating to your art
practice before you got involved?
I was interested in joining the project due to the
possibility of working together with all the great names in poetry. As a
starting poet, I realized that I still needed to learn much more. What could be
more appropriate in working together and putting myself in some kind of
‘apprenticeship’ system with more experienced people in the field? As I did not
regard myself as a published poet before this, I could only see working
together in this project as a way for me to polish my writing, experimenting
with different styles, and finding my own voice in poetry writing.
How does working with
other people affect your art practice / process? Does it also change your style
of working?
I have to say that working with people from different
cultural backgrounds in this project changed my approach in writing. While
previously I got used to write more on what I know my reader (from the same cultural background) will know, I am
more careful in doing so right now.
Has Project 366 been a
good way for you to be with others in an art practice community to you?
It certainly feels like a community when people are learning
together. It provides a supportive community to work and learn without fear of
hierarchy. Other participants are generally nice in giving the feedback, and it
is quite encouraging to write more. I also tend to see the collective theme
springs up sometimes, with people are more encouraged to write about the same
phenomenon from different perspective or style. This, for me, reflects the
community spirit of Project 366.
Do you see 366 as a
dialogue?
For me, Project 366 feels like a dialogue between texts.
Poets and artists are sometimes responding to each others through their work,
creating a collage of different voices / perspective upon the same matter /
topic. Perhaps the most impressive one of this case for me was when storm and
flood became an overarching topic for several days. It sparked my internal
dialogue with the theme, resulting in me getting more ideas to write about the
flood that I experienced couple of years back. For me, this project brings up
dialogues on a daily basis.
Has working on daily
artmarking through Project 366 affected your work or the way you work?
While I have only been translating poems in 366, doing it
daily forced me to work against my mood. It also helps overcoming writer’s
block (that I experienced quite often lately). On the other hand, working in this project also
gives me a surge of new ideas every day. It made me more productive in my
poetry writing.
Do you think others in
the project have influenced you?
This is a big yes. As a starting poet, I feel that I have
gotten lots of influence in my work. Susan Hawthorne’s take on mythology, for
example, has given me more ideas to work on the local mythology from when I
grew up. I agree with Beatrice’s response, sometimes it is about discovering
how a word can be used, sometimes it’s the sense of humor, and sometimes it’s
someone else’s take on a matter that I didn’t even think of.
Hi Chrysogonus, have any of your poems been translated into English, or do you translate any yourself... and what are some of the themes you're working on, at the moment?
ReplyDeleteJeltje
Dear Jeltje, I'm sorry for the late response. My internet condition is lately very dire.
ReplyDeleteI'm working on various topics at the moment. I will start posting my poem as of today :)