Some cool poetry news
I met a composer recently, who's music I fell in love with. Her name is Carrie. She also fell in love with my poetry.
Unfortunately for the Art Song Lab I participate in recently, Carrie and I were not paired together. At the end of the week I told her that if she ever wanted to work together I would be honored and thrilled. She laughed and said that though she loved my work, but I frightened her slightly. Haha! Love it.
She is sweet, and timid and does not like to have her creative process interfered with by the poet's desires to have the music suit the poem. During the Art Song week, she witnessed my collaboration with a composer that could not be described as the poet (me) staying out of it the musical creative process I pushed my composer to make changes to his composition so that it would better fit the poem. He totally missed the mark on his first score. Even the singer didn't like it. In the end, he edited his composition and the overall result was remarkably stronger and he even liked it better. This style of collaboration was the purpose of Art Song Lab though - to work collaboratively and to influence and shape the end result. Sweet Carrie does not like to work this way.
Although I am sort of know for being opinionated and assertive, I do have the ability to collaborate in an entirely different way, one that takes her needs into consideration. I do not have to assert my opinions. So I told her, that if she wanted to work with me (because I really really want to work with her) we could talk first about how she would prefer I be involved with her creative process and I would respect her wishes.
Last week she visited my website and emailed me to see more of my work :) I sent her a suite of 15 coffee poems, because I am obsessed with them.
Today she sent me an email telling me she can't stop thinking about them and she is going to set three of my coffee poems to trombone and electronic music! Ha, weird and awesome!! She said she would love to have insight from me regarding the meaning and intention of the poems but would prefer that she gets to do whatever she wants with them. Totally fine by me. Every collaboration is different, and this is just one more way of working with another artist. Totally excited to see what ever she does with them. The purpose of the Art Song Lab (where I met Carrie) was for the composer/poet pairs to work collaboratively and provide feedback so that the end result is shaped by the collaboration. Most composers changed their compositions numerous times during the week. I do not believe Carrie made any changes to her composition, because her composition was already amazing. But I don't have to give my opinions, as it is only one way to collaborate. I'm happy to play a hands off role, and offer feedback when it is asked for. She has already asked me to provide her with some info as to the story behind some of the poems.
I am really thrilled that Carrie took a chance on me, because I think this will be really cool. I don't have to give her feedback at all, even if I do like what she does musically. It doesn't matter to me at all what she does, because once poems leaves the writers hands, it takes on a new meaning anyways. And this is what she is doing. I wish more people were like her, in that they don't view my assertiveness/opinionated ways as something that can't be shelved or changed.
Actually, even her choice to present three poems in a certain order already changes the meaning of the work and this is really exciting to me.
Happy day.
Unfortunately for the Art Song Lab I participate in recently, Carrie and I were not paired together. At the end of the week I told her that if she ever wanted to work together I would be honored and thrilled. She laughed and said that though she loved my work, but I frightened her slightly. Haha! Love it.
She is sweet, and timid and does not like to have her creative process interfered with by the poet's desires to have the music suit the poem. During the Art Song week, she witnessed my collaboration with a composer that could not be described as the poet (me) staying out of it the musical creative process I pushed my composer to make changes to his composition so that it would better fit the poem. He totally missed the mark on his first score. Even the singer didn't like it. In the end, he edited his composition and the overall result was remarkably stronger and he even liked it better. This style of collaboration was the purpose of Art Song Lab though - to work collaboratively and to influence and shape the end result. Sweet Carrie does not like to work this way.
Although I am sort of know for being opinionated and assertive, I do have the ability to collaborate in an entirely different way, one that takes her needs into consideration. I do not have to assert my opinions. So I told her, that if she wanted to work with me (because I really really want to work with her) we could talk first about how she would prefer I be involved with her creative process and I would respect her wishes.
Last week she visited my website and emailed me to see more of my work :) I sent her a suite of 15 coffee poems, because I am obsessed with them.
Today she sent me an email telling me she can't stop thinking about them and she is going to set three of my coffee poems to trombone and electronic music! Ha, weird and awesome!! She said she would love to have insight from me regarding the meaning and intention of the poems but would prefer that she gets to do whatever she wants with them. Totally fine by me. Every collaboration is different, and this is just one more way of working with another artist. Totally excited to see what ever she does with them. The purpose of the Art Song Lab (where I met Carrie) was for the composer/poet pairs to work collaboratively and provide feedback so that the end result is shaped by the collaboration. Most composers changed their compositions numerous times during the week. I do not believe Carrie made any changes to her composition, because her composition was already amazing. But I don't have to give my opinions, as it is only one way to collaborate. I'm happy to play a hands off role, and offer feedback when it is asked for. She has already asked me to provide her with some info as to the story behind some of the poems.
I am really thrilled that Carrie took a chance on me, because I think this will be really cool. I don't have to give her feedback at all, even if I do like what she does musically. It doesn't matter to me at all what she does, because once poems leaves the writers hands, it takes on a new meaning anyways. And this is what she is doing. I wish more people were like her, in that they don't view my assertiveness/opinionated ways as something that can't be shelved or changed.
Actually, even her choice to present three poems in a certain order already changes the meaning of the work and this is really exciting to me.
Happy day.