This post was influence by
@Chris Scott and his wonderful post from last week.
We poets are an eclectic group,aren't we?
The flavor of poetry will varie,and after personal experience,I can say we all have one thing in common.What is that thing?
Comment below if you think you know the answer to this
The poems that influence us is the poetry we end up writing.And songs can also have the same impact.I love to think the work we produce is every cliché you can think of.
And alot comes from the counsel we listen to,
the stories we believe and beliefs that shape our reality.Theres a reason why influencer have the status they do.Along with people we follow.Simply put,their ways of being are relatable.Okay cool,what the HELL does this have to do with poetry?????
You see friend,if you like to write poetry that speaks to you,look at your influences.
Specifically social media,but off social media works well.In fact,certain types of poetry have their own influence base on time period they were created. Which is why I always recommend to be traditional first and then recreate later,so you can get the structure first and then break the rules if may.
Make sure influence is authentic to what your going through,as what's going on currently,makes poem not only real but in the future,as the case with MANY mediums,someone will find your work and think
WHOA,This person gets me!!!!!!!! - Insert future fan!!!!!
Be brave,be bold,and as long as nobody gets hurt,use your words responsibility,my friends.
Let poetry speak to one's soul and remember,your not the next -insert poet.
Your the next original.
Have an awesome rest of your week,COVERS!!!!!!!!!!
My biggest influences are probably the influences of other people. Artists like ourselves have curious, inquisitive minds, and we want to add art and meaning to empirical reality. That is probably the underlining influence that binds us all.
If you want to get more specific, i guess you could say life itself is the greatest influence for poetry, as well as relationships (as an umbrella term), profound moments, catalyst moments or moments where you have identified a metaphor in reality. This is all applicable to me, too.
Life also likes to imitate art so i think other poets can inspire people to become poets. Sometimes you can be so moved by a poem or a collection of works that you want imitate it as a way of recreating that very work that inspired you. It's a bit of a God-complex but regardless, it's putting that complex to good use.
I personally like the sentiment below:
Which is why I always recommend to be traditional first and then recreate later,so you can get the structure first and then break the rules if may.
It's a good reminder of where poetry came from, how it has evolved and what it reflects in the history of mankind.