Hi readers and writerly friends!

Today in Artsy Things, we’re going to explore writing poetry using artificial intelligence (AI).  I heard about this from an article a few years ago —I tried to find it, but so many others have come out discussing the same topic, I haven’t been able to. However, I have linked some particularly interesting articles at the end of this post for further reading. All other articles quoted in this post will be linked at the end as well.

Artificial intelligence

Before we can create poetry using artificial intelligence, we must first understand what the term means in definition as well as what it means for the future of humanity. Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world in ways no one can yet fully predict.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) of Oxford University Press defines artificial intelligence as:

“Noun. The capacity of computers or other machines to exhibit or simulate intelligent behaviour; the field of study concerned with this. Abbreviated AI.” (OED 2008)

Artificial intelligence can also be described as the theory and development of computer systems that are able to perform tasks such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, translation between languages, and other tasks that normally require human intelligence. Initially, AI included search engines, recommendation algorithms such as those used by YouTube, Amazon, and Netflix, computer programs that could play games like chess with users. In the last decade, we have seen an emergence of AI applications that can complete a myriad of tasks that typically require human intelligence. These applications include understanding and responding to human speech (apps such as Siri and Alexa), self-driving cars (such as Tesla), and even art making and poetry writing programs (such as the infamous Lensa app and Verse by Verse by Google).

In his article, “Can AI Write Authentic Poetry?” cognitive psychologist and poet Keith Holyoak explores whether artificial intelligence could ever achieve poetic authenticity. In the article, he makes the comparison of AI to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein:

“On the hazier side of the present horizon, there may come a tipping point at which AI surpasses the general intelligence of humans. (In various specific domains, notably mathematical calculation, the intersection point was passed decades ago.) Many people anticipate this technological moment, dubbed the Singularity, as a kind of Second Coming—though whether of a savior or of Yeats’s rough beast is less clear. Perhaps by constructing an artificial human, computer scientists will finally realize Mary Shelley’s vision.” (Holyoak 2022, par.6)

Despite the bleak predictions of how AI may one day replace all human activity, the reality is that this technology is simply not there yet. While AI can simulate human intelligence successfully in many tasks, it is still lacking in the poetry writing department and requires humans to be the editors and final decision makers in the outcome of a poem. Holyoak explains this current iteration of poetry AI being a system that “operates using a generate-then-select method” (Holyoak 2022, par.10).

In his article, Keith Holyoak ponders the validity of AI poetry, functionalism, the Hard Problem of consciousness, and the critical essence or subjective experience within poetry. I have linked his article at the end of this blog post, and I highly encourage you to read it if you’re even remotely interested in these topics.

Users can select up to three poets to serve as their muses. They will provide suggestions as you write. Photo by Payton Hayes.

So, what is Verse by Verse?

Verse by Verse, is a powerful poetry writing AI created by Google, that produces suggestions line-by-line inspired by famed classical poets such as Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe, Walt Whitman, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.  The tool allows users to select up to three poets they want to mimic from a list of twenty-two classical poets.

Google’s about section on the Verse by Verse demo page says this of the software:

Verse by Verse is an experiment in human-AI collaboration for writing poetry. We have created a cadre of AI poets, trained on the poems of many of America's classical poets, to work alongside you in writing poetry.

Each poet will try to offer suggestions that they think would best continue a poem in the style of that given poet. As such, try working with different poets to see whose style best meshes with your own.

Explore what works best for you when composing the poem. You can try using the poets' suggestions (including editing them to better match your style!), or write your own inspired by what they suggest. (Google)

I conducted a little more research to gain a better understanding of how the AI operates and how best to use it for writing my own poetry. The article “Google’s ‘Verse by Verse’ can help you write poetry” by Aditya Saroha provides insight into how the muses provides suggestions based on classical poets. Saroha said, “Google explained that Verse by Verse's suggestions are not the original lines of verse the poets had written, but novel verses generated to sound like lines of verse the poets could have written. To build the tool, Google’s engineers trained models on a large collection of classic poetry. They fine-tuned the models on each individual poet’s body of work to try to capture their style of writing” (Saroha 2021, par.8-10). So, the poetry that the tool’s muses provide the user with were not actually lines crafted by classical poets, but rather inspired by their individual bodies of work.

In the article, “Google’s ‘Verse by Verse’ Lets You Imitate Writing Style Of Your Favourite Classical Poet” by Rudrani Gupta, provided quotes from one of Google’s software engineers, Dave Uthus where he explained how the AI was trained to write like classical poets. She said, “The suggestions of the new verses are possible because the tool has been ‘trained to have a general semantic understanding of what lines of the verse would best follow a previous line of verse,’ said engineer Dave Uthus. ‘Even if you write on topics not commonly seen in classic poetry, the system will try its best to make suggestions that are relevant,’ he added” (Gupta 2020, par.4). By training the AI in this fashion, the tool allows modern poets to write about modern topics, themes, and concepts, while imitating classical style and voice.

While this software can prove to be a useful writing too, it isn’t intended to replace talented poets. Saroha concludes his article by noting that the tool is meant to aid poets rather than replacing them. He said, “Through the tool, Google aims to ‘augment’ the creative process of composing a poem. Google said Verse by Verse is a creative helper, an inspiration and not a replacement” (Saroha 2021, par.11 ).

Google’s Verse by Verse, an AI poetry-writing tool. Photo by Payton Hayes.

I first tried using Verse by Verse in 2020

I was first introduced to Verse by Verse in 2020 and I tried it just to see how effective it could be. At the time, I was really getting into my own religious deconstruction and exploring overt sexuality and expression. As a result, my writing at the time certainly reflected my interests and spiritual journey. I typed in words such as holy, prayer, pleasure, love, lust, sex, worship, devotion, god, and church. The poets I selected as my muses were Whitman, Emerson, and Poe and as I wrote each verse on the left, they provided me with inspiration from the column on the right.

I do not have the original poem the AI created when I first did this exercise in 2020 however, from that, I ended up with the following poem:

PRAYER

"Oh God," she says, hands clasped together, fingers entwined, knees bent.

He doesn't answer; he does.

he answers with earnest, continued, devoted worship

head bowed, eyes closed, his mind devoid of all else but this

—this soul-shaking, earth-shattering pleasure, this blessed communion between man and woman,

the Holy Spirit an undoubted voyeur through the candlelight,

this holy practice wherein they do some of their finest praying. (Hayes 2020)

Revisiting Verse by Verse in 2022

To show you how this AI writes poetry and how it’s suggestions can be effective for your own poetry writing, I decided to give it another go in 2022. Below is a gallery of screenshots from the tool as I entered each verse/line at a time. As you can see, my muses Emerson, Poe, and Whitman all provided me with interesting and unique suggestions to include in my poem.

I used words and phrases that came to mind, without rhyme or reason. I typed out ten verses and my chosen muses produced three lines each to help inspire my poem. Below are the twenty-seven lines from each poet in the right column (totaling eighty-one lines among my muses).

Ralph Waldo Emerson Muse

Tides of the hands of the bold,

Tides of the North wind, and to woods

Tides of the hands of the snow;

Hearing a weary weary voice at happy eve,

Hearing a happy poet recount

Hearing a weary poet high

Whilst upper wits, and for their memory ave

Dwarfed for thy harp to willing hand;

Victor over war’s enchanted lid

Spreading their scent through a ian gold;

House in for the blood of their delight,

Bright with homage to their well-known delight!

Wield these young honey wine for their delight:

Escort and beauty for their sick delight:

Their shining beauty to each youthful lamp  

Knew that their roar and pulse of kindred air:

Wield these first tones that shine through speak;

Bright with homage to their well-known delight!

Soothes with their shining sorrow;

Mixed with sand by other true delight.

Scent with thy summer horn.

Spreading their scent through fancy and desire;

Stream through thy friendship to the upper air,--

Beer and cup from every cottage beams–

Freedom and beauty for a delicate beams.

Strewed the wide wave with their enchanted maids;

Mixed with sand by other true liberty.

Walt Whitman Muse

Entering my feet over the prairies,

Wherein each stands or sweeps in the though,

Entering my feet upon the prairies

Splashing the waves with a yellow light,

Splashing the waves over the beach at night,

Splashing the river with a mystic midnight light,

Gave up the mighty and diverse hand

Rose the old drunkard, with a long side,

Making the young land tremble for the soul;

Wherein I feel so certain and happy,

Wherein all women pass from the world,

Encircled by a servant at hand;

Encircled by a servant at hand;

Making a song of a open air;

E’er lashes and clothes without wealth.

Thunder on stride on stride on lean words:

Rich greenish drift and the measureless light;

Wherein I understand each breath and the age;

Encircled by a delicate mouth and hand.

Mighty and perfect pour through the night.

Perfume the white arms of the summer night

Rich with ample forms and barbarian words,

Rich and perfect play for other globes!

Light the world with a mystic motion;

Encircled by a world in other bay;

Encircled by a perfect float in the air;

Encircled by a perfect float in the air:

Edgar Allen Poe Muse

Which fall’st into this world like rain

When in an happy Runic rhyme,

Wherein my youth and dreams and words,

Light as the lavas of summer air

Drowning a wild feeling with the sound

Tempting and dreaming in this passionate light

Filled with deep thoughts of thee.

Brought a silver, silken rest.

Brought a silver silken veil of light,

Beside the dames that gilded each bright noon,

Filled with light of life and light!

Brought down the world to me with their delight;

Put my own solace to a golden light,

Brought a silvery silken veil of light,

Hold about my fingers with their delight,

Divulge this secrets of that lovely isle!

To breathe those voice of thine. The lovely light

Nor ask the riches of the summer air;

To breathe those kisses of the summer air.

Sorrow with its own light eye.

Filled with light of many eyes.

A fountain of light. No living light

Hold about my fingers with their delight

Hold about my fingers as a crown.

Brought on a throne in their elysian air;

To breathe those kisses of the jewelled air;

To breathe those voice of thine.The lovely light

So, the muses definitely wrote…something. It’s not necessarily poetry —yet.

From those lines, I narrowed them down to my favorites in the following lines:

Wield these young honey wine for their delight:

Their shining beauty to each youthful lamp  

Splashing the river with a mystic midnight light,

Wherein I feel so certain and happy,

Encircled by a delicate mouth and hand.

Light the world with a mystic motion;

Tempting and dreaming in this passionate light

Brought a silver silken veil of light,

Put my own solace to a golden light,

Brought a silvery silken veil of light,

Hold about my fingers with their delight,

To breathe those kisses of the summer air.

Here, you could put these lines back into the AI to see what you get. I decided to rework them myself to make them less abstract. The lines crossed out above, I ended up using below. I kept my first verse, “feminine beauty dressed in light” and used that as the first line for the poem.

Feminine being dressed in light

To breathe those kisses of the summer air

Held about her fingers my delight

Washed softly away my every care

Encircled by a delicate mouth and hand

Wherein I feel so happy and certain

Her shining beauty imprinted in the sand

She is most deserving of devotion

You don’t have to use all of the lines the muses provided you with. As you can see, I have only used a handful here. This poem isn’t complete, but you get the idea. I’m going to set these lines aside for use with another poem later.  The suggestions from the muses in the tool may not have been completely sensible or eloquent, but its a great starting point for poets who may be stuck. It’s also a great way to practice mimicking your favorite classical poet’s writing style if you’d like. Although AI cannot yet write poetry that is indistinguishable from human poetry, it can certainly serve as a useful tool in your own poetry practice.

The next time you find yourself stuck on a line, try using AI to help you finish out your poem! If you try this, leave your work in the comments below! What was your favorite line the muses came up with? Let me know below!

Thank you for reading this blog post and if you’re interested in reading more about AI poetry or delving deeper into the sources I mentioned above, check out the bibliography and further reading sections below! Additionally, if you’d like to read similar posts, check out the related topics section. Lastly, if you want to read more posts from me, check out my recent blog posts.

Bibliography:

1. Saroha, Aditya. “Google’s ‘Verse by Verse’ can help you write poetry.” The Hindu, November, 28, 2021. (Paragraphs 8 and10-11).

2. Google, “Verse By Verse” Google AI: Semantic Experiences. (AI Writing Tool and About Section).

3. Holyoak, Keith . “Can AI Write Authentic Poetry?” The MIT Press Reader, December 7, 2022. (Paragraphs 6 and 10).

4. Oxford English Dictionary, third ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), s.v. “artificial intelligence, n.”

5. Danilyuk, Pavel. (@pavel-danilyuk), “Robot Holding a Red Flower.” Unsplash photo," May 28, 2021. (Thumbnail photo).

6. Gupta, Rudrani. “Google’s ‘Verse by Verse’ Lets You Imitate Writing Style Of Your Favourite Classical Poet.” She The People. November 26, 2020. (Paragraph 4).

Further reading:

• Barkat, Sara. “Can a machine write better than you?—5 Best (and worst) AI Poem generators.” Tweetspeakpoetry post, September 27, 2022.

• Cummings, Lance . “How I Use Artificial Intelligence as a Conversation Partner to Write Poetry.” Medium article, September 9, 2022.

• Hart, Matthew. “Google’s New AI Helps You Write Poetry Like Poe.” Nerdist article, November 24, 2020.

• Kendall, Kirsty. “Can AI Write Poetry? — Look at the Examples to Decide.” Medium article, May 4, 2022.

• Lance Cummings, “Why Tomorrow’s Poets Will Use Artificial Intelligence.” Medium article, July 1, 2022.

• Rockmore, Dan. “What Happens When Machines Learn To Write Poetry.” The New Yorker article, January 7, 2020.
  

Related topics:

• 20 Poetry Projects Writing Exercise by Jim Simmerman

• Writing Exercises from Jeff Tweedy's Book, How To Write One Song

Recent blog posts:

—Payton

Hi readers and writerly friends!

Welcome back to my blog! I’m glad you stopped by! This week, I’ll be showing you how to write a poem from a bunch of nonsensical lines. 20 Poetry Projects is a creative writing exercise by Jim Simmerman, taken from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twitchell.

In my sophomore creative writing and poetry class, we did this activity and I had a lot of fun with it, so I figured I’d share it with you! Later in this post, I will do a second attempt at this writing exercise with a step-by-step look at my process.

My favorite example of this was “A Thousand and One Nights” written by Margo Roby for the literary journal, Lunarosity. I had this information in my files from school, and couldn’t find the webpage where Margo Roby posted the poem she wrote from this exercise, step-by-step. I did find it on her website so I’ll link that in my bibliography, but if anyone can find the other webpage, please link it in the comments!

20 Poetry Projects by Jim Simmerman

1. Begin the poem with a metaphor.

2. Say something specific but utterly preposterous.

3. Use at least one image for each of the five senses, either in

succession or scattered randomly throughout the poem.

4. Use one example of synesthesia [mixing the senses].

5. Use the proper name of a person and the proper name of a place.

6. Contradict something you said earlier in the poem.

7. Change direction or digress from the last thing you said.

8. Use a word [slang?] you’ve never seen in a poem.

9. Use an example of false cause-effect logic.

10. Use a piece of talk you’ve heard [preferably in dialect and/or which you don’t understand].

11. Create a metaphor using the following construction: The [adjective] [concrete noun] of [abstract noun]…

12. Use an image in such a way as to reverse its usual associative qualities.

13. Make the character in the poem do something he/she could not do in real life.

14. Refer to yourself by nickname and in the third person.

15. Write in the future tense such that part of the poem sounds like a prediction.

16. Modify a noun with an unlikely adjective.

17. Make a declarative assertion that sounds convincing but that finally makes no sense.

18. Use a phrase from a language other than English.

19. Personify an object.

20. Close the poem with a vivid image that makes no statement, but that echoes an image from earlier in the poem. (Simmerman)

I will use these steps when my brain is not behaving, when I have an idea and don’t know where to go with it. There are steps I ignore, but not many. Below is the final draft as published in Lunarosity, a now defunct ezine. I was going nuts while typing the drafts from my old notes. I kept wanting to fix things and get rid of verbs of being. I also had to decipher the original below my first revisions.

I am a concrete person with my writing. When I first tried this, I was sitting on our bed, in Jakarta, because that was my work space. I was feeling downhearted with life — I wrote the first line. I had a small Persian carpet next to me I was staring at while trying to figure out how to do this prompt — I wrote the next line…

1. I am a prisoner without walls
2. among the flowers of my Persian carpet vines/weeds are beginning to sprout

Once I had a focus, a direction, I found the exercise much easier to carry out. I don’t think I can write this exercise without knowing where I am going. It would be interesting to try, though. Randomness has merit. (Roby)

Steps with my first draft
1. Begin the poem with a metaphor.
I am a prisoner without walls
2. Say something specific but utterly preposterous.
among the flowers of my Persian carpet vines/weeds are beginning to sprout
3. Use at least one image for each of the five senses, either in succession or scattered randomly throughout the poem.
They twine and curl reaching for me pulling me down into the fields of silk and wool; as I slide through warp and weft I hear the rustle of thread grasses. My nostrils fill with the pungency of sheep and goats and I taste the dryness of dust.
4. Use one example of synesthesia [mixing the senses].
The dampness of a blue silk river runs through my ears.
5. Use the proper name of a person and the proper name of a place.
Nearby, Omar Khayyam sits writing under a date palm, the white minarets of Nineveh on the horizon.
6. Contradict something you said earlier in the poem.
If a carpet can have a horizon.
7. Change direction or digress from the last thing you said.
The hunt was on; turbaned caliphs on Arabian steeds, bows and arrows slung across their backs, chased a leopard peering forever across his shoulder.
8. Use a word [slang?] you’ve never seen in a poem.
Tally ho and an arrow is loosed never hitting its mark,
9. Use an example of false cause-effect logic.
suspended eternally in mid-air by silken threads.
10. Use a piece of talk you’ve heard [preferably in dialect and/or which you don’t understand].
A thousand throats can be slit by one man running.
11. Create a metaphor using the following construction: The [adjective] [concrete noun] of [abstract noun]…
The towering trees of thought stand in an expectancy of silence
12. Use an image in such a way as to reverse its usual associative qualities.
and I stand in the trap free of danger
13. Make the character in the poem do something he/she could not do in real life.
my arms sliding around the leopard’s golden ruff;
14. Refer to yourself by nickname and in the third person.
Ducky would have run
15. Write in the future tense such that part of the poem sounds like a prediction.
to be hunted forever through threads of colour,
16. Modify a noun with an unlikely adjective.
chased by frozen horses
17. Make a declarative assertion that sounds convincing but that finally makes no sense.
trapped by a web of patterns
18. Use a phrase from a language other than English.
another playmate in the Bokharan fields.
19. Personify an object.
The arrows hum through the staring trees
20. Close the poem with a vivid image that makes no statement, but that echoes an image from earlier in the poem
and I am trapped in a web of patterns.

With a draft to go on, I stopped worrying about the steps. I listed nouns and verbs that fit with Persian carpets and Middle Eastern fairy tales, circled words I wanted to look up for other possible meanings, and started back through this draft, trimming, adding line breaks, making the story active rather than passive. I got rid of lines that I had in only because the exercise asked for them.

I will use these steps when my brain is not behaving, when I have an idea and don’t know where to go with it. There are steps I ignore, but not many. Below is the final draft as published in Lunarosity, a now defunct ezine. (Roby)

A Thousand and One Nights

Among the flowers of my Persian carpet

vines sprout curl twine me into fields of silk

and wool. Sliding through warp and weft,

I hear the rustle of thread grasses, and

my nostrils fill with the pungency of feral cats,

I taste the dryness of dust, and the dampness

of a blue silk river runs through my ears.

A blend and blur of color mark the horizon

spots of russet and black resolving into a hunt

undisturbed by my addition to the scene.

Arabian steeds damp dark with silken sweat,

silent as Attic shapes, prance and wheel

through date palms and trees of fiery-fruited

pomegranate. Turbaned caliphs, bows slung

across their backs, chase a leopard forever

peering over his shoulder. An arrow loosed never

hits its mark eternally suspended by woven

threads. Trees stand in an expectancy of silence

as I move within zig-zags of light and shadow.

My arms slide round the leopard’s golden

ruff and I am bound by threads of color

to be hunted forever through fields of silk and

wool, chased by frozen horses, another

player in the weaving fields of Bokhara. (Roby 2014)

My 20 Poetry Projects poem from 2017

In 2017, my creative writing class did this writing exercise and below is my poem that resulted from it. In the next example further on, I’ve done this exercise again (2022) and I show you my writing process line-by-line like Margo Roby did with hers. This poem was published in Rose State College’s annual literary journal, Pegasus, 2017. It was inspired by Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. If you’ve read it, let me know if you catch all the references! (I have no idea who Caroline Janeway is, by the way.)

Angel

You were an angel

but feathers fall like bowling balls

when the air is missing from the room,

from your lungs.

You gasped when I called you out, a

baffled sound, surprised more so, only by

the startling sensation of your wings being torn off.

Though, that warranted bloodcurdling screams,

and rightfully received them.

You had us all fooled with silken lies,

but Caroline Janeway saw you in the back of Al’s

Pool Hall in Roseville, Minnesota, back in 1994.

And last I checked, heaven wasn’t in the back of Al’s Pool Hall.

She said that you were glued to the lips of some chick in a miniskirt,

that you looked like you’d had one hell of a time.

That’s when I put it all together: you weren’t an angel, you never were.

You’ve always been good at bending the truth, though.

Here I was thinking that you’d fallen from heaven,

but really, I’d just fallen for you.

Solitary walks through silent city streets seem to clear the air for me.

You needed to become a part of my past, but how

do I fix the damage that’s been done?

You had a broken halo and I, a broken heart.

I never knew you could be so savage.

The glittering look of endearment in your eyes was

lust and nothing more. I saw so much more.

You, Cupid, loose an arrow; though it sticks I can

no more than despise you, now.

I pluck it from my side, warm, sticky blood

running down in streams.

Janie would have fainted at such a sight.

I’d stand frozen, watching it all unfold before me.

Your bloodied, pristine, feathers litter the ground.

There I stood, trapped by a web of lies.

Yet, la mia anima è libera, my soul is free.

I feel more weightless, now, than any feather ever could.

Though, I suspect that they feel freed from you as well.

You were never an angel but you fell from grace.

I hand you the arrow, dried blood covering the silver tip.

(Hayes 2017, 61)

Revisiting 20 Poetry Projects in 2022

Steps with my first draft

1. Begin the poem with a metaphor.

My father is a rock. He is strong, stable, and enduring. 

2. Say something specific but utterly preposterous.

My family stands trapped, smiling behind the glass.

3. Use at least one image for each of the five senses, either in succession or scattered randomly throughout the poem.

The jagged shards are sharp, threatening to cut me and the irony is not lost on me.  Holding up the frame to my nose, it smells of old and the figures behind the cracks are quiet and stock-still. 

4. Use one example of synesthesia [mixing the senses].

I could almost taste the film of dust around its edges. 

5. Use the proper name of a person and the proper name of a place.

The Payton of San Antonio is not the Payton of Oklahoma City, though she takes their riverwalks with her.

6. Contradict something you said earlier in the poem.

My father is crumbling.

7. Change direction or digress from the last thing you said.

My mother is fluid like a river. Fluid, taking up the shape of any container she occupies

8. Use a word [slang?] you’ve never seen in a poem.

Some would call her flexible, others call her flakey. 

9. Use an example of false cause-effect logic.

I’ve made it this far without a mother, I must be fine without her.

10. Use a piece of talk you’ve heard [preferably in dialect and/or which you don’t understand].

She was just ‘round the corner. Just ‘round the corner.

11. Create a metaphor using the following construction: The [adjective] [concrete noun] of [abstract noun]…

The fathomless abyss of my childhood trauma gapes before me.

12. Use an image in such a way as to reverse its usual associative qualities.

I stand at the precipice, intrigued by its enormity and dreadfulness.

13. Make the character in the poem do something he/she could not do in real life.

I dive like a heron, fishing in its depths for the panacea that will restore my soul.

14. Refer to yourself by nickname and in the third person.

Peaches desires more  —ambrosia. 

15. Write in the future tense such that part of the poem sounds like a prediction.

And the soul food she will soon get, but it’s not what she expects. 

16. Modify a noun with an unlikely adjective.

Her just desserts have the gall to be simultaneously acidic and sweet. The second time around, the tequila feels more like a prison than an escape. 

17. Make a declarative assertion that sounds convincing but that finally makes no sense.

Atlas reborn, she carries a burden that is far too heavy for her to bear. 

18. Use a phrase from a language other than English.

Mi familia es mi fuerza y mi debilidad -my family is my strength and my weakness.

19. Personify an object.

The bottle gazes up at her from the floor.

20. Close the poem with a vivid image that makes no statement, but that echoes an image from earlier in the poem.

Rough draft, assembled

My father is a rock. He is strong, stable, and enduring. 

My family stands trapped, smiling behind the glass.

The jagged shards are sharp, threatening to cut me and the irony is not lost on me.  Holding up the frame to my nose, it smells of old and the figures behind the cracks are quiet and stock-still. 

I could almost taste the film of dust around its edges.

The Payton of San Antonio is not the Payton of Oklahoma City, though she takes their riverwalks with her.

My father is crumbling.

My mother is fluid like a river, taking up the shape of any container she occupies.

Some would call her flexible, others call her flakey. 

I’ve made it this far without a mother, I must be fine without her.

She was just ‘round the corner. Just ‘round the corner.

The fathomless abyss of my childhood trauma gapes before me.

I stand at the precipice, intrigued by its enormity and dreadfulness.

I dive like a heron, fishing in its depths for the panacea that will restore my soul.

Peaches desires more  —ambrosia. 

And the soul food she will soon get, but it’s not what she expects. 

Her just desserts have the gall to be simultaneously acidic and sweet. The second time around, the tequila feels more like a prison than an escape. 

Atlas reborn, she carries a burden that is far too heavy for her to bear. 

Her family watches her, sip after sip, frozen behind the glass. 

Mi familia es mi fuerza y mi debilidad -my family is my strength and my weakness.

The bottle gazes up at her from the floor. 

Final draft

Trypophobia (Working Title) 

My father is my rock. He is strong, stable, and enduring —a stone statue against the dawn.

I stare at the relic of a bygone family — shattered, they stand trapped, smiling behind the glass.

The jagged shards are sharp, threatening to cut me open and the irony is palpable. 

Holding up the frame to my nose, it smells of old and the figures peering through the cracks are motionless, silent.

I could almost taste the film of dust around its edges.

The Payton of San Antonio is not the Payton of Oklahoma City, though she takes their riverwalks with her.

And now, my father is crumbling. 

My mother is fluid like a river, taking up the shape of any container she occupies.

Some would call her flexible. 

Others call her flakey. 

I’ve made it this far without a mother, I must be fine without her.

She was always just ‘round the corner. Just ‘round the corner.

The fathomless abyss of my childhood trauma gapes before me.

I stand at the precipice, intrigued by its enormity and dreadfulness. 

The liquid gold calls out to me, inviting me in with a false sense of courage.

I dive like a heron, fishing in its depths for the panacea that will restore my soul.

Peaches desires more  —ambrosia even.

And the soul food she will soon get, but it’s not what she expects. 

Her just desserts have the gall to be simultaneously acidic and sweet. 

The second time around, the tequila feels more like a prison than an escape. 

Atlas reborn, she carries a burden that is far too heavy for her to bear. 

Her family watches her, sip after sip, frozen behind the glass. 

She is swallowed up by the pit.

Mi familia es mi fuerza y mi debilidad —my family is my strength and my weakness.

The bottle gazes up at her from the floor. 

As you can see from all the examples above, Jim Simmerman’s 20 Poetry Projects Writing Exercise provides an excellent framework for writing poetry. When you follow this process step-by-step, you end up with at least twenty lines to work from.

You may not necessarily keep them all or keep them in order. But surprisingly,  this structured writing exercise allows creativity to flow freely. Once you have the rough draft, you can rearrange lines and edit the poem to your liking.

I always enjoy working with this exercise and I’m proud of both poems I’ve written using it.If you try this exercise, please let me know what you think of it in the comments! Thanks for reading this post and if you want to be notified when new blog posts come out, subscribe to my newsletter!

If anyone can find the webpage with Margo Roby’s post with her process on the exercise and poem, A Thousand and One Nights in Lunarosity, or information on the 2004 edition of Lunarosity, please let me know!

Bibliography:

• Hayes, Payton. “Angel” Pegasus. Midwest City: Rose State College, 2017. (61)

• Krukov, Yan . "A Man in Long Sleeves Writing on a Notebook while Sitting on a Chair." Pexels photo, Feburary 13, 2021. (Thumbnail photo).

• Roby, Margo. “A Thousand And One Nights” Lunarosity, 2004.

• Roby, Margo. “A Thousand And One Nights” Margo: Roby: Wordgathering. (Blog).

• Simmerman, Jim. Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds. “Twenty Poetry Projects” The Practice of Poetry. New York, N.Y. : First Collins Reference, 2005. 

Related topics:

• Screenwriting For Novelists - How Different Mediums Improve Your Writing

• How To Write A Song or Poem with Jeff Tweedy’s Word Ladder

Recent blog posts:

—Payton

Hi readers and writerly friends!

Experimenting as an artist, creator, or writer, is a crucial step in your creative career. It’s important to practice experimentation, early on and regularly throughout your life as an artist to keep your work fresh, innovative, unique, and interesting both for you to create and for viewers to observe. Aspiring or amateur artists should not commit to any one specific style until they’ve had time to experiment with different styles, themes, and mediums. And once they’ve landed on a signature style they enjoy, it is wise to continue experimenting from time to time.

An experiment is a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact. In science, this is true, but it is also the case for art and for writing. When creating art, there are many aspects of the artistic process that can be changed or played with to provide different results.

Vandy, in his article “Should Artists Experiment?” said “In the world of art, often when we say experiment we think of a psychological process of working out what we like and don’t like about the act of making art and the final result” (Massey 2020).

For example, in resin art, the artist can use alcohol ink, watercolor, acrylic, pigment, glitter, guash, sharpies, beads, charms, cabochons, or just about any material between each layer of resin or submerged inside the resin. This example alone shows how much creative freedom we have with just one medium. Consider how you can experiment with different tools as a painter or sculpture. In what ways can you experiment with different colors, saturations, inversions, scales, and shading? How can an artist experiment with the same picture or subject across multiple mediums? How will an artist’s concept change from pen and paper to digital drawing on a tablet? The possibilities are truly endless and every artist’s experiments will naturally be unique.

I’ve been making art since 2010 and writing since well before then, and I still experiment with my work. Although I now have a style I tend to stick with, that wasn’t always the case, and for most of my artistic practice, my works looked as if each one came from a different artist —you’d never know my hands had created them just by looking at them.

Experimentation helps encourage creativity, freedom to try new things, and broadens your perspective as an artist and creator.

In her article, “Why Artists Must Experiment,” Kathleen Kralowec said “Recognizing an act as an experiment releases it from a lot of seriousness, a lot of demands of perfection. The outcome of experimentation is knowledge, and failure is just as valuable as success, because one has expanded one’s awareness of one’s own abilities, one’s deeper ideas, the potential of a media, a process, a genre, an art-form” (Kralowec 2019).

Art studio filled with canvases and murals done in many different styles. Photo by Matthieu Camoy.

Experimenting with Style

Before committing to a signature style or aesthetic, experiment with a wide array of different styles. Try experimenting with patterns, colors, shapes, themes, mediums and styles. No two artists' works are the same and even derivative works can be unique in their own way. Do style studies to practice working with styles that you admire or are out of your comfort zone. For example, try drawing the same sketch ten times, but base it off of someone else’s style to familiarize yourself with different styles and techniques.

Below are a few examples of the Style Challenge artists have been partaking in across social media. The challenge is for an artist to draw something in their own style and then replicate it several more times in other popular animated art styles such as anime, Disney, cartoons, and comic books styles.

Never settle on a specific style; instead continue to always experiment, innovate, and evolve your art, whilst retaining an underlying current of your own style.

ART STYLE CHALLENGE

“draw different styles” by p0kky.

“Style Challenge” by emzdrawings.

“Hijabi” by XenoPurple_Art

“Art Style Challenge” by erinleedani.

“Art Style Challenge” by Yulaukira

“Style Challenge” by Mcseal.

Experimenting with Themes

Art studio filled with colorful canvases depicting different styles and themes. Photo by Dom J.

Consider using different themes and subject matter in your work. If you typically write about nonfiction topics, consider writing a short story or poetry. If you usually paint realistic animals, try painting people or still-life paintings instead. If you usually draw geometric forms in your work, try experimenting with realism or surrealism instead. If you typically write comedy, consider painting something with a more political message behind it. If you typically draw geometric or abstract sketches, try drawing something inspired by another work you like such as a Swan Lake ballet performance or a video game character. Experiment with various themes and messages and see how art with similar concepts is translated across different mediums.

Experimenting with Techniques

A myriad of techniques can be used across many different art styles and mediums. Creatively mixing and matching techniques with different styles, mediums, and themes, can result in interesting, unique, and engaging art. It also strengthens your skills and creativity as an artist —having to try new things, troubleshoot, and make creative decisions to reach your desired outcome.

In her blog post, Rebecca of the Rebecca Art Tutor blog explains how she instructed students on a variety of techniques and required they use them to illustrate a textured object in a new and interesting way, leaving the creative decisions up to the students. She said, “We had learnt layering paint, dry-brush, different types of brush strokes, scratching into, lifting off, splatter, dots, impasto and more. We then did an exercise where we had to select a textured object (wood, fur, feathers etc.) and represent it with a painting technique….Although still slightly confused by the idea that …[the student] had the answer to ‘how to do fur’... [and] started representing fur with the fan brush in a very effective way…. I had taught the general techniques but allowed the learner to make the connection of how these techniques could be used.” (Rebecca 2022)

This is a fantastic example of how experimentation can result in effective use of techniques to produce interesting and unique outcomes.

Experimenting with Size

If you’re an artist who typically paints large-scale works such as signs, murals, and backdrops, consider downsizing to practice your hand at details. Both large and small scale art has it’s upsides; small scale art focuses more on details and large scale art focuses more on the big picture. Experiment with size and shape in your work and you’ll find you prefer one over the other and its freeing to focus on other aspects of an art piece from time to time.

Artist looking through her canvases depicting many different themes, styles, and subjects. Photo is a still from a video by Antoni Shkraba.

Experimenting with Mediums

If you’re a sketch artist, try working with watercolor, ink pens, markers, colored pencils, or crayons. If you’re a sculptor, try creating sculptures from mixed media such as plastic, wood, metal, paper, paper mache, yarn, or stone. If you’re a novel writer, try experimenting with poetry, nonfiction, or screenwriting. If you’re a digital artist, try your hand at video editing or animation. The examples are endless, but the advice is the same: experiment across different mediums to see what you enjoy using and to strengthen your skills as an artist.

Kralowec said that by experimenting, we can learn what kind of space we work best in, learn what kind of daily practice, pace, or goal-structure we thrive in, learn about the rules and how to effectively break them, and we can stumble on new genres, approaches or styles: the creation of something truly new.

In my sophomore year of college, I did an art capstone class, where the final project was to produce a large fine art piece that could be sold in a gallery. One crucial step of this project process was to produce a test piece prior to working with our fine art materials and larger-scale canvases. The pieces I submitted for the final grade were 2ft (L) x 2ft (W) (test piece) and 3 x 2ft (L) x 4ft (W) (final project triptych). I was working with ink and wood and it was essential that I do a test piece to ensure my materials worked well together. After all, the test piece came out better than the actual final project, in my personal opinion. But I learned a valuable lesson in art through that project; art has a mind of its own and all the planning in the world can still result in the unexpected. Experimentation frees us from the turmoil we feel when our creative visions do not turn out quite like we’d planned.

Experimentation and innovation in art is an important skill to build for any creator. Artists should not box themselves into any one style or medium and instead look for new ways to breathe life and intrigue into their work. They will become a stronger, more diverse, artist for it. Writers should do the same. Writers should challenge themselves by working across different storytelling mediums, genres, and styles whilst retaining their own unique voice between the lines.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post about experimentation in art. This advice can be applied to any creative skill and is encouraged for artists of all genres, mediums, and walks of life. If you already do experiment in your work, let me know in the comments below!

Bibliography:

1. Comoy, Matthieu. “Art studio with wall graffiti.” Unsplash photo, July 26, 2017.

2. Dom J “Horse and figure paintings.” Pexels photo, October 5, 2017.

3. bodobe “Paint supplies” Pixabay photo, September 2, 2015 (Thumbnail).

4. emzdrawings. “Style Challenge.” Deviantart post, Jul 24, 2019.

5. erinleedani. “Art Style Challenge.” Instagram post, accessed November 7, 2022.

6. Kralowec, Kathleen. “Why Artists Must Experiment” Medium article, June 12, 2019.

7. Massey, Vandy. “Should Artists Experiment?” Vandy Massey Studio blog post, August 5, 2020.

8. Mcseal. “Style Challenge.” Medibang.com, ArtStreet post, 2019.

9. p0kky. “draw different styles.” Deviantart post, June 21, 2019.

10. Rebecca “The Importance of Experimenting in Art” Rebecca Art Tutor blog post, accessed November 7, 2022.

11. Shkraba, Antoni. “Woman looking at paintings. “Pexels photo, June 2, 2020.

12. XenoPurple. “Hijabi.” Deviantart post, October 25, 2015.

13. Yulaukira. “Art Style Challenge.” Medibang.com, ArtStreet post, 2021.

—Payton

Hi readers and writerly friends! 

Welcome back to the blog and if you’re new, thanks for stopping by! 

Today, I’ll be showing you how to write a poem or song from a bunch of common words. By unlocking our subconscious and letting go of predictability and perfection, we can create unique and interesting lyrics. 

“Why words? Because I believe all words have their own music and along with that music, I believe words contain worlds of words and meanings that are more often than not, locked beneath the surface.Poetry is what happens when words are opened up and those worlds within are made visible, and the music behind the words is heard.” (Tweedy 2020, 65)

I first heard this concept from Logan from vib3.machine on TikTok who explained using Jeff Tweedy’s ladder method from his book How To Write One Song. It’s called the Ladder Method because of the way you write out the words and link them together on paper. 

Keep the words simple

I’m not talking about expanding your vocabulary. I mean, that’s always a nice thing to do in the name of self-improvement, but fancy, multisyllabic words aren’t going to make a lyric better.They’re very often the thing that breaks the spell being cast by the melody being cast when I listen to music….In fact, I would say that most of my favorite songwriters consciously stick to common, simple, and precise language, but they don’t use it in a common and simple way within a song or melody. (Tweedy 2020, 68-9)

He gives John Prime as an example of someone who uses concise, simple, language effectively, that he “didn’t use a log of big words or flowery language and when he did, he always stayed true to the song and what needed to be said over any desire to make himself sound smart or poetic.” (Tweedy 2020, 69)

Word Ladder - Verbs and Nouns

The 6 Steps For Songwriting Using The Word Ladder

• Step 1: Come up with a label or word for a specific job

• Step 2: List out 10 Verbs to describe the label or job

• Step 3: List out 10 nouns you currently see in the space around you

• Step 4: Connect the two sets of words in a way is unexpected

• Step 5: Write a poem with these connections

• Step 6: Rearrange and edit the lines to your liking

Jeff Tweedy’s Word Ladder

Step 1: Come up with a label or word for a specific job.

Tweedy picked “physician” for his example. He listed out ten verbs to describe a physician and then listed out ten nouns from objects within his line of vision.

Step 2: List out 10 Verbs to describe the label or job

1. Examine

2. Thump 

3. Prescribe

4. Listen

5. Write

6. Scan

7. Touch

8. Wait

9. Charge

10. Heal

Step 3: List out 10 nouns you currently see in the space around you

1. Cushion

2. Guitar

3. Wall

4. Turntable

5. Sunlight

6. Window

7. Carpet

8. Drum

9. Microphone

10. Lightbulb

Jeff Tweedy’s word ladder. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Step 4: Connect the two sets of words in a way is unexpected. 

1. Examine→ Lightbulb

2. Thump→ Microphone

3. Prescribe→ Cushion

4. Listen→ Window

5. Write→ Sunlight

6. Scan→ Carpet

7. Touch→ Turntable

8. Wait→ Drum

9. Charge→ Wall

10. Heal→ Guitar

Step 5: Write a poem with these connections.

“Now take a pencil and draw lines to connect nouns and verbs that don’t normally work together. I like to use this exercise, not so much to generate a set of lyrics but to remind myself of how much fun I can have with words when I’m not concerning myself with meaning or judging my poetic abilities.” (Tweedy 2020, 73)

Jeff Tweedy’s first draft:

the drum is waiting 

by the window listening 

where the sunlight writes 

on the cushions

prescribed

thump the microphone

the guitar is healing 

how the turntable is touched

charging in the wall 

while one lightbulb examines 

and scans the carpet (Tweedy 2020, 73-4)

I find it almost always works when I’m finding a need to break out of my normal, well-worn paths of language. (Tweedy 2020, 74)

Below is Tweedy’s revision of the poem. He says, you don’t have to use every one of the verbs and nouns or put any restrictions on your writing at this point. The goal of this exercise is to warm up your creative muscles. 

Tweedy’s revised poem:

The drum is waiting by the windowsill

Where the sunlight writes its will on the rug

My guitar is healed by the amp charging the wall

And that's not all, I’m always in love (Tweedy 2020, 74)

“That’s still a little awkward, but it's enough to jumpstart my brain to where words and language have my full attention again.” (Tweedy 2020, 75)

Logan’s (Vib3.machine) use of the Word Ladder

Step 1: Come up with a label or word for a specific job.

The word Logan picked for his example was “astronaut.” He listed out ten verbs to describe an astronaut and then ten nouns from objects in his room.

Step 2: List out 10 Verbs to describe the label or job.

1. Explore

2. Discover

3. Float

4. Wait

5. Voyage

6. Travel

7. Learn

8. Fly

9. Land

10. Journey

Step 3: List out 10 nouns you currently see in the space around you. 

1. Basket

2. Letters

3. Books

4. Art

5. Kitchen

6. Camera

7. Floor

8. Watch

9. Fan

10. Bike

Step 4: Connect the two sets of words in a way is unexpected.  In his captions, Logan said, “Having your subconscious constantly finding creative unique phrases while you aren’t actively TRYING is super powerful. It’s a habit [I’]m [trying] to develop.” (00:45-1:00)

Logan’s word ladder. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Logan connected his verbs and nouns like this:

1. Explore → Basket

2. Discover→ Kitchen

3. Float→ Floor

4. Wait→ Fan

5. Voyage→ Books

6. Travel→ Letters

7. Learn→ Bike

8. Fly→ Watch

9. Land→ Art

10. Journey→ Camera

Step 5: Write a poem with these connections. Don’t worry if it still doesn’t make sense. Right now, we’re just writing; we’ll edit it soon!

Logan says in regard to lyric writing, to make it as conversational as possible because it’s more relatable. (Logan 2022, 1:30-1:45)

Here was the poem he came up with from those connections:

I explored your basket 

And discovered us in the kitchen

We floated on the floor 

And waited next to the fan

You voyaged through this book 

And traveled every letter

So I can learn to bike 

And fly through this watch

You landed in my art 

And the camera we journeyed (Logan 2022, 2:36-2:50)

He said, “I know this sounds like nonsense, but we just wrote something without thinking about it.”  (Logan 2022, 2:30-2:35)

Step 6: Rearrange and edit the lines to your liking. For full-length songs and longer poems, continue the process with each stanza. Consider sticking with a common theme, for your first 10 words each time you start the process within one poem or song,  but change the words you use for this process with each stanza. Try to avoid unintentional repetition. For poems, see if you can create a rhyme scheme with the words and themes present and make use of the elements of poetry. 

I wrote a poem using the Word Ladder

I was substituting for a high school drama teacher when I tried this exercise so, you might notice a theme.

Step 1: Come up with a label or word for a specific job

I picked “Actress”

Step 2: List out 10 Verbs to describe the label or job

1. Perform

2. Practice

3. Dance

4. Project

5. Articulate

6. Memorize

7. Act

8. Pantomime

9. Smile

10. Transform

Step 3: List out 10 nouns you currently see in the space around you

1. Podium

2. Mirror

3. Pen

4. Curtain

5. Piano

6. Spotlights

7. Screen

8. Tape

9. Carpet

10. Garbage

My word ladder. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Step 4: Connect the two sets of words in a way is unexpected

1. Perform→ Spotlights

2. Practice→ Tape

3. Dance→ Carpet

4. Project→ Podium

5. Articulate→ Piano

6. Memorize→ Spotlights

7. Act→ Garbage

8. Pantomime→ Mirror

9. Smile→ Curtain

10. Transform→ Screen

Step 5: Write a poem with these connections

The performance begins with the spotlights 

The practice tape is peeling up as I 

Dance across the carpet

My teacher projects from the podium and 

The piano’s keys articulate a melody

I’ve memorized my position beneath the spotlights

Inside, I hope my acting isn’t total garbage

My classmate pantomimes in the mirror

I plaster on a smile as the curtain opens

We transform from stage to screen

Step 6: Rearrange and edit the lines to your liking

The performance begins with the spotlights 

The practice tape is peeling up from the stage

Dancing on the painted wood is nothing like the carpet in our classroom.

For a breath, I think back to rehearsal —the director projecting ques from the podium

The pianos keys articulate the melody of the opening coda

I’ve memorized my lines a million times beneath these spotlights

And still, I hope that my acting isn’t total garbage

The other actors pantomime one another like reflections in mirrors

I plaster on a smile as the curtain opens

We transform from students on a stage to actors on a screen

Here is my final poem:

ACTRESS

The performance begins with the spotlights 

The practice tape is peeling up from the stage

Dancing on the painted wood is nothing like the carpet in our classroom.

For a breath, I think back to rehearsal —the director projecting cues from the podium

The pianos keys articulate the melody of the opening coda

I’ve memorized my lines a million times beneath these spotlights

And still, I hope that my acting isn’t total garbage

The other actors pantomime one another like reflections in mirrors

I plaster on a smile as the curtain opens

We transform from drama students in a classroom to actors on a stage

As you can see this process is easy, effective, and creatively freeing. It takes the pressure of your shoulders to create something perfect, especially with the first draft. Having this skill is a great resource for writers both new and seasoned because it gets the words out of our heads and onto the paper and it gives us something to work with. You can edit a bad page but you can’t edit a blank page.

Exercise 4: Word ladder variation using adjectives

“Don’t let adjectives make you think you’re being poetic. An “impatient red fiery orb loomed in the whiskey-blurred, cottony-blue sky is rarely going to hit me anywhere near as hard as “I was drunk in the day.”...Of course, it’s strange how adding words to paint a clearer, more specific image often muddies the image you’re trying to expose. The problem is when they are used to spice up a vague verb or noun instead of replacing that with precise language….”I was extremely frightened by the very large man behind the counter” versus “I was petrified by the colossus working the register.”” (Tweedy 2020, 86)

1. Step 1: Come up with a location

2. Step 2: List out 10 adjectives to describe that location

3. Step 3: List out 10 nouns in your line of vision or that pop into your head (and aren’t related to the location you picked) 

4. Step 4: Connect the two sets of words in a way is unexpected

5. Step 5: Write a poem with these connections

6. Step 6: Rearrange and edit the lines to your liking

Step 1: Come up with a location

Tweedy selected “outer space” for his location.

Step 2: List out 10 adjectives to describe that location

1. Circular

2. Distant

3. Ancient

4. Haloed

5. Cold

6. Vast

7. Bright

8. Frozen

9. Silent

10. Infinite

Step 3: List out 10 nouns in your line of vision or that pop into your head (and aren’t related to the location you picked)

1. Ladder

2. Kiss

3. Daughter

4. Hand

5. Pool

6. Summer

7. Lawn

8. Friend

9. Blaze

10. Window

Jeff Tweedy’s word ladder variation. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Step 4: Connect the two sets of words in a way is unexpected

1. Circular→ Summer

2. Distant→ Hand

3. Ancient→ Blaze

4. Haloed→ Daughter

5. Cold→ Kiss

6. Vast→ Pool

7. Bright→ Window

8. Frozen→ Ladder

9. Silent→ Lawn

10. Infinite→ Friend

Step 5: Write a poem with these connections

Tweedy’s poem came out as:

there is a distant hand

on a frozen ladder

climbing through 

a bright window

a vast pool waiting

beside a silent lawn

where a daughter haloed

lives a circular summer

one cold kiss

from an infinite friend

away from an ancient blaze (Tweedy 2020, 87)

“It’s not a perfect poem, but it took me only about fifteen minutes to complete, and I really do enjoy some of the imagery that emerged. I actually found a few bits of language that I’ve been looking for to complete a song I’ve been working on.” (Tweedy 2020, 87)

Exercise 2: Steal words from a book writing exercise

This is the second writing exercise in Tweedy’s book. It’s a bit more free-form than the first exercise and can be helpful for getting you used to working with lyric fragments. (Tweedy 2020, 77)

• Step 1: If you have a melody, keep it at the forefront of your mind as you read

• Step 2: Skim over a page and see what words jump out at you

• Step 3: Highlight the words that strike you   

• Step 4: Keep going until you have a collection of words that sound right with your melody

• Step 5: Use an anchor word if one strikes you and pair other melodic words you find with it

Tweedy explains that this process helps put his ego securely in the backseat and forces him to surrender to a process that puts language/words in front of his creative path and he feels free to find them as though they’ve come from somewhere else. He feels more free to react with surprise and passion or cold indifference than he is able to when his intellect begins treating his lyrical ideas like precious jewels. (Tweedy 2020, 78)

He recommends using anchor words if any jump out at you and to find words that go well together sonically. He uses “catastrophe” as an anchor word and uses it to create the following lines:

wouldn’t you call it a catastrophe

when you realize you’d rather be

anywhere but where you are

and far from the one you want to see?” (Tweedy 2020, 79)

Tweedy advises “overdoing it” in terms of coming up with lyrics you like. “Coming up with more than you need is almost never going to make a song worse. Sometimes every good line doesn’t make it into the song you’re working on. But that doesn’t mean you have to throw those lines away. I go back and look at the pages of lyrics I’ve written with this process…and find things I love, even ones I never used, frequently. It helps for there to be some length of time between when they were written and revisited, especially for it to be long enough for the initial melody to have faded. At this point you’re not committing yourself to anything. You’re just creating building blocks. (Tweedy 2020, 79-80)

Exercise 3: Cut-up techniques

“Grab something you’ve been working on and write it all down on a legal pad. Or if you have access to a printer, print it out double-spaced… The easiest cutting strategy is line by line, but word by word or phrase by phrase can provide equally interesting results. Once you’ve cut up your text, you can either put the strips in a hat or turn them over and pull each line/word/phrase randomly. Then scan your chosen poem construction for unexpected surprises.” (Tweedy 2020, 81) 

Tweedy says he almost always finds “at least one newly formed phrase or word relationship” that “moves” him or makes him “smile.” (Tweedy 2020, 81)

“Another way to use your cut-up strips is to forget about trying to make random associations and just use them as moveable modules of language. It’s always fascinating to me how much more alive lines I’ve written become when I’m able to have a simple tactile experience reorganizing the order and syntax of the lines and phrases.” (Tweedy 2020, 81-2)

Tweedy provides a comparison of the initial order and finalized order of a set of lyrics from his song, “An Empty Corner”

Version 1:

In an empty corner of a dream

My sleep could not complete

Left on a copy machine

Eight tiny lines of cocaine (Tweedy 2020, 82)

Version 2:

Eight tiny lines of cocaine

Left on a copy machine

In an empty corner of a dream

My sleep could not complete (Tweedy 2020, 83)

“[The second] version is so much more powerful and better overall that I can’t believe I ever tried to sing these lyrics in any other order…Take the time to play with your words. Allow yourself the joy of getting to know them without being precious about directing everything they are trying to say.” (Tweedy 2020, 83)

Exercise 5: Have a conversation 

In Chapter 12 of Tweedy’s book, he advises trying another liberating writing exercise. He says to record yourself and someone else having a conversation to see what lyrics can emerge from common conversational language. He shows two examples of this exercise in action and it’s actually brilliant. For the sake of brevity, I’m only including the steps for this exercise but I highly recommend you try it.

• Step 1: Record a conversation or rewrite it as accurately to life as possible

• Step 2: Take the important and surprising snippets from the conversation 

• Step 3: Arrange those snippets to amplify or give them new meaning

• Step 4: Read it aloud

• Step 5: Rearrange and edit as necessary

Other poem and song writing exercises in the book

Some other exercises Tweedy recommends in his book include playing with rhymes (in an unexpected and new way) and pretending to be someone else and channeling their essence when writing songs or poems, which takes the pressure to be vulnerable and perfect off the writer’s shoulders. He also recommends songwriters collect pieces of music, either in the form of mumbled songs, hummed tunes, instrumentals you play yourself or digitally, or music from other artist’s songs and advises songwriters to learn other people’s songs like the back of your hand, so you can take them apart and create something new with those parts. 

Additionally, he advises writers to “steal” elements of songs such as themes, lyric fragments, chord progressions, and melodies from existing songs and make them your own. He strongly advises writers to loosen their judgment and allow the creativity to flow freely. 

He explains writer’s block as he sees it and provides four conflicting tips for combatting the “stuck” feeling that comes with being creatively blocked: “1) start in the wrong place, 2) start in the right place, 3) put it away, and 4) don’t put it away.” (Tweedy 2020, 144-49) By all of this, he means rearrange song parts until they sound like a good fit for that part of the song, work on fragments or start from the end if the beginning is stumping you, walk away from the piece if its just not working and “keep punching” until you push through to the lyrics you’re looking for. 

That’s it for my guide, on writing a song or poem using writing exercises from Jeff Tweedy’s book, How To Write One Song. I hope you enjoyed it and that this process inspired you to try this in your own writing. If you do try this method, post your work in the comments below so I can see how it helped you! Make sure to check out Jeff Tweedy’s book and Vib3.machine’s TikTok for more information on songwriting! Thanks for reading!

Bibliography:

• Hayes, Payton. “How To Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy.” Thumbnail Image, November 6, 2022.

• Hayes, Payton. “Jeff Tweedy’s word ladder.” Image, November 6, 2022.

• Hayes, Payton. “Logan’s word ladder.” Image, November 6, 2022.

• Hayes, Payton. “My word ladder.” Image, November 6, 2022.

• Hayes, Payton. “Jeff Tweedy’s word ladder variation.” Image, November 6, 2022.

• Logan, Vib3.machine. “Word Ladder” Tiktok.com. 2022.

• Tweedy, Jeff. How To Write One Song. New York: Dutton, Penguin Random House LLC, 2020. (65, 68, 69, 73-83, 244-49)

Related topics:

• 20 Poetry Projects Writing Exercise by Jim Simmerman

• Screenwriting For Novelists - How Different Mediums Can Improve Your Writing

• Experimentation Is Critical For Creators’ Growth —In Both Art and Writing

Recent blog posts:

—Payton

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This week in Artsy Things, I wanted to republish an article I wrote for the 6420 Magazine. They’ve redone their website again so I figured I’d try and post all my writing here! This article was supposed to be second in a three part series, but was adjusted to fit all the core information into one brief article for the magazine. You can learn more from the articles linked at the end of this blog post!

In part one of this series, we looked at the research and development the Fall 2019 Mural class conducted in preparation of the new humanities mural. They visited with Randy Marks from OKC’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, Pablo Barrera from Oklahoma Contemporary, and the heads of the Arts Division from OCU to see what the process was like getting a mural up in public spaces, what Oklahoma Contemporary was doing to make public art more accessible, and what new courses and features OCU’s art division had to offer art majors transferring from Rose State College.

The start of an art-covered campus at Rose State

Even though the process for getting a mural up at Rose State was different than the process for public art, they still had to render out their ideas, budget their supplies, and put together a presentation for the Humanities Building Interior Mural Committee on the Rose State College campus. They narrowed down their ideas down to two mural concepts, one done by Fine Arts major, Ashley Gilliland and one done by myself. The committee chose Ashley's design due to time constraints and planned for my mural to be done next semester.

Once all of the prep work was complete, the mural was set to begin. They started sketching the design out on the wall and in days, had the first layers of paint up. Over the past few months, they've been working on it, each Tuesday and Friday, and they made considerable progress for only working two days out of each week of the semester. They just finished the mural and sealed it on Tuesday, December 10th, 2019, so it's officially finished.

Suzanne Thomas described her thoughts on the mural class, how it differed from previous years’ classes, and her thoughts on the mural:

“This mural class was more about the process and procedures that an artist must go through before they create artwork. Especially artwork that is meant to be viewed in public. I think a lot of art students have this idea that art is just about their personal expression, but public art, i.e., like murals, are about the reflecting the values within the community at large. This class was different in that there was more research that had to be done, more collaboration among the students, and Humanities faculty. I am really proud of the mural and their work!” said Thomas.

No Limitations

No Limitations mural in the Humanities building at Rose State College

Humanities Brain Mural Planned for Spring Semester

When the mural class rendered out their concepts for the first painting, at least three of five students came up with a left brain versus right brain type of design. They said this happened with zero communication or collaboration on their part and thought it was a good sign that they were on the same page. However, due to the fall semester moving so quickly, the students of the mural class, Suzanne Thomas and the Humanities Building Interior Mural Committee agreed it made more sense to do Gilliland’s mural in the fall semester and save my mural for the spring semester.

The Humanities Building Interior Mural Committee was torn between the two mural concepts and voted to have both done since they couldn’t pick one over the other. The second design is planned for the spring semester. I will be completing the mural as an honors credit project for my painting class, with the help of volunteer high school students from Midwest City High School. We’re still getting all our ducks in a row but so far, Humanities Dean, Toni Castillo’s approval we have a few students who have volunteered to work on the mural, and Suzanne Thomas’ has agreed to mentor me on the project.

Since I will be spearheading the project, it is my job to organize all the logistics from reaching out to the high school to recruit students, obtaining liability waivers, and getting everything approved between both schools. This project is exciting because it benefits all three parties—the MCHS students who will be receiving recognition for their volunteer work on the project, Rose State College which is using this as a recruitment opportunity for the Fine Arts Department, and myself who will of course receive recognition for the concept as well as an opportunity to participate in a leadership program.

Toni Castillo, Dean of Humanities provided her thoughts on both of the murals and her plan for breathing new life into the Humanities building:

“The mural project is a perfect opportunity for the Humanities Division Art Program to showcase the exceptional talents of Rose State students. I am particularly gratified that the project is completely student driven—their vision, their presentation, their implementation—so that eventually that entire upstairs corridor of our building will be a legacy of their values left for all who come here. Professor Suzanne Thomas, who has headed the project, has shown particularly strong leadership in the way she has structured the class and worked with dedicated Honors Program students to complete the project, as those students have in turn reached out to involve area high school students. The project in that corridor will be ongoing for several years until we finally have a true venue for experiential art here at Rose.” said Castillo

Spring Humanities mural completed in the summer of 2020 due to COVID-19 Pandemic

Unfortunately due to the pandemic, I had to push my mural back until the summer where I was one of the only people allowed in the building. Since then, I have completed it and was awarded honor’s credit for it’s completion. It was an incredible opportunity I will be gracious to Rose State College and Suzanne Thomas for forever. Below is a slideshow of the completed mural.

Humanities

“Humanities” mural in the upstairs back hallway of the Humanities building at Rose State College

Further reading

Exploring Oklahoma Murals Where Public Art Is More Than Paint

Exploring Oklahoma Murals Where Public Art Is More Than Paint

Is there an official opening date? Will there be a special opening ceremony or event for the public?

Oklahoma Contemporary - New Home

Artist VARA Waiver

General VARA Waiver for Works of Visual Art

COVID-19 Delays Oklahoma Contemporary’s New Location Opening Ceremony

New Light—Oklahoma Contemporary’s Plan to Re-Open

Making Space With Oklahoma Contemporary Interview With Pablo Barrera

Making Space With Oklahoma Contemporary: Interview With Pablo Barrera

Thank you for reading my article about murals at Rose State College and fine arts in the OKC area! If you’re in the area and interested in art, I highly encourage you to check out Oklahoma Contemporary and get involved with the art community here in Oklahoma!

—Payton

Hi readers and writerly friends!

Suzanne Thomas’ Fall 2019 Special Topics In Art: Mural Students paint the finishing touches on the first Humanities hallway mural. Photo by Ken Beachler at Rose State College.

This week in Artsy Things, I wanted to republish an article I wrote for the 6420 Magazine. They’ve redone their website again so I figured I’d try and post all my writing here! This article was supposed to be first in a three part series, but was condensed, so the full versions will be here.

In Suzanne Thomas’ Fall 2019 Special Topics In Art: Mural class, students learned all the ins and outs of getting a mural up in public space when they met with the Randy Marks from the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. The same day, they met with Pablo Barrera, Oklahoma Contemporary’s inaugural Curatorial fellow and the Division heads of the Fine Studio Arts at Oklahoma City University. After learning about the public art process and different opportunities for art in Oklahoma, the students began preparing for the mural they’d be painting in the upstairs, back hallway of the Rose State College Humanities building.

OKC Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs

     When the mural class met with Randy Marks from the OKC Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, they learned that the process for getting not only murals, but other forms of public art installed is a much more extensive process than slapping paint up on a wall. First, one must go through the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs to get their artwork approved, if it’s going to be on public property or on the external surface of a building (Indoor murals are at the discretion of the shopkeeper).

     The mural artist must build a presentation which includes the stages of execution, mockups, expected start and finish date, location, and a budget for the project if it will require public funding from the city. The presentation must be formally presented in front of the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee and approved. Once approved, the artist will begin preparing for the mural process; this includes gathering materials, preparing the workspace, and getting the necessary paperwork and waivers in order.

     It’s important that muralists get a VARA Rights Waiver. Anyone who commissions a mural or other work on the interior or exterior of a building, they should ask the artist to sign a waiver of VARA rights before the work has begun and have this reviewed by an attorney and ensure that the waiver is transferrable to future owners of the property.

When the mural class met with the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, they learned the importance of VARA waivers because on January 23, 2017, Bob Palmer’s 2-year old mural, on 46th and Western (along the crown heights area) was painted over by Alotta Action Advertising, a new company who had just moved into the building.  This mural was a legacy piece by one of Oklahoma’s most acclaimed artists, and the idea that it has been covered up has a lot of artists upset at the lack of respect for the internationally renowned artist.

The mural class also learned about Kent Twitchell, the Los Angeles artist who settled his lawsuit against the U.S. government and 11 other defendants, for $1.1 million, for painting over his six-story mural—“Ed Ruscha Monument,” that was painted on the side of a federal government-owned downtown building.

Once all of this has been done and the artist gets the green light, work can commence on the project—and that’s when the paint finally goes up on the wall.

Making Space with OKC Contemporary

     After their meeting with Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, the class stopped by the newly constructed Oklahoma Contemporary building to check out the building-in-progress the murals adoring the fences around the construction site, and to chat with Pablo Barrera, the Director of Oklahoma Contemporary. He told them Oklahoma Contemporary’s new building would be open in March 2020 (the opening has since been postponed due to the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic), that the building’s exterior was made to reflect Oklahoma’s picturesque sunsets and sunrises. He also showed us the murals that they’ve set up along the construction site, called Making Space.

Fine Studio Art Division at OCU

     When the students finished their visit with Oklahoma Contemporary, they visited briefly with some of the art Bryan Cardinale-Powell, Associate Professor and Chair of Visual Art and Film, and Jeff Price, Professor of Game Design and Animation  at Oklahoma City University. They learned about their extensive art programs, saw their high-tech graphic design studio, and some of their projects for upcoming courses—notably their motion capture room which was under construction during the visit. It was neat to see a full-blown art studio with every tool one could imagine for bringing artwork to life. Beyond that, students saw they even had their own little art museum and exhibit hall. The area was bigger than Rose State College’s fine studio arts area but smaller than the Fred Jones Museum at the OU campus in Norman.

New Humanities Mural at RSC Coming in Spring 2020

      After the class met with the different local art communities, they decided to get to work on their own mural. You can read more about their process and experience in part 2 of this series, “Breathing new life into Humanities at Rose State College” which will be featured in the Spring issue of the 6420 Magazine from the 15th Street News, at Rose State College, as well as here. The next part in this series, also covers Dean of Humanities, Toni Castillo’s vision for breathing new life into the RSC Humanities building by covering all the hallways in murals.

Further reading

Breathing new life into Humanities at Rose State College

Breathing New Life Into Humanities at Rose State College

Is there an official opening date? Will there be a special opening ceremony or event for the public?

Oklahoma Contemporary - New Home

Artist VARA Waiver

General VARA Waiver for Works of Visual Art

COVID-19 Delays Oklahoma Contemporary’s New Location Opening Ceremony

New Light—Oklahoma Contemporary’s Plan to Re-Open

Making Space With Oklahoma Contemporary Interview With Pablo Barrera

Making Space With Oklahoma Contemporary: Interview With Pablo Barrera

Ken Beachler Photography with Rose State

Ken Beachler

Thanks for reading my article about murals and fine arts in the OKC area! If you’re in the area and interested in art, I highly encourage you to check out Oklahoma Contemporary and get involved with the art community here in Oklahoma!

Check out more posts in Artsy Things!

Thumbnail photo by Payton Hayes.

— Payton

I went to Art School.

In Oklahoma.

And it was nothing like going to RISD, Parsons, or The Art Institute of Chicago, or any of the other top art schools in America.

I finished high school with a very picturesque idea in mind of what art school would be like when I finally headed off to college. I had watched videos from YouTubers like Tiffany Weng, CatCreature, May Gao, and Cup of Jasmien which not only excited me about art school, but it intimidated me as well. I wondered if I had what it took to make it in to any one of the top art schools in the country. I never really found out. I went to art school in Oklahoma. Specifically, I studied Fine Studio Art from Midwest City’s own, Rose State College, and it was nothing like I’d imagined.

I had imagined bustling hallways lined with student art, a student art gallery, rigorous classes, brutal critiques, and an almost palpable competitiveness that just wasn’t there. The art classes at Rose State College weren’t particularly hard, but the school, teachers, and students have a commitment to excellence that you would find just as well, at the larger art schools in the country. Just because I attended an art program at a smaller, community college doesn’t mean I haven’t gained a greater understanding of the arts, a substantial appreciation for the artistic process, and wider knowledge of mediums, principles, elements, and techniques. Community college is just as great as the prestigious art schools, and here’s why:

First Still Life of Painting I with Suzanne Thomas (SP 2020) in the Painting Room of the Communications Center at Rose State College

The Classes

Student Art Gallery Hall at OCU

Rose State College prides itself on having the golden 20-to-1 ratio, meaning unlike the larger schools in the state, there are fewer students to each teacher. This allows for more meaningful connections, wider possibility for discussion, and provides a space where students can really work one-on-one with their professors to achieve the education they are seeking. However, what the school is lacking is the vastness of a larger school, and perhaps this is a good thing. Rose State College has visibly been making strides to grow the campus and the student body from the new and improved Learning Resources Center and student housing built in 2016 and the new student center which began construction in 2018 and is set to be completed in late 2020.

Empty Student Art Gallery Hall at OCU

Unlike the well-known art schools in the country, Rose State College is not strictly an art school, and in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Rose State College, is similar to OSU, OCU, and OU in that they are schools that offer a wide variety of majors. RISD and the Art Institute of Chicago focus primarily on majors within the field of art from digital art, to fine studio art, to textiles and more. The closest art design degree that Rose State College offers is in Fine Studio Arts which includes several survey art courses, several painting and drawing classes, a ceramics class and more. Alternatively, students can study animation and digital art under the Multimedia Digital Design degree. While these are exciting and essential classes for any art major, they are somewhat baseline when compared to schools like RISD. With that being said, Rose State is a 2-year school and not yet a 4-year school, so aspiring art majors, keep that in mind.

The Atmosphere

Painting I with Suzanne Thomas (SP 2020) Student paintings leaned against the wall in the painting room in the Communications Center at Rose State College. Photo by Payton Hayes.

As mentioned, the school is relatively small, compared to the other, much larger schools in the state and the other art schools in the country. However, the atmosphere was much more laid back and provided a space for connection and open discussion. The classrooms were not particularly outstanding, but they served their purpose well. The painting room, for example could seat up to 20 at most, but since there typically aren’t many art majors attending RSC the classrooms never felt cramped. In several art classes, the work is primarily student-driven and advised by the professors. Professors would often outline a general idea and basic requirements for each assignment, but the students had a lot of freedom to execute their visions. Music was often put on in the background and the laid-back vibe of the classroom encouraged students to converse and walk around the room to observe the techniques of other artists in real-time. Some classes had semi-formal critiques, where students would hang their work on a wall, and one-by-one observe and critique each other on the strengths and weaknesses of the work.

Key Differences

Of course, there are always trade-offs when comparing the bigger art schools to the smaller, non-art schools—the latter offers smaller, more connected classes, provides a space for greater, more meaningful discussion, and allows students to form more tight-knit bonds with each other, while the former offers greater diversity and challenges students to rise to higher standards. Which school is best for you will depend on what you want to get out of your art degree.

Second Still Life of Painting I with Suzanne Thomas (SP 2020) in the Painting Room of the Communications Center at Rose State College. Photo by Payton Hayes.

What did an art degree at RSC do for me?

Studying art at Rose State College taught me all the basics—everything I needed to know about different art mediums and techniques, all the different elements and principles of art, and of course, how to identify artist, style, and time period when looking at a piece. However, I also learned some valuable skills in addition to the basics. I learned skills in time management, craftsmanship, and presentation. I also learned how to be expressive and let go of expectations in art—this mindset shift has greatly improved my own craft as well as increased the joy and love I have for observing and creating art. It’s very much like Bob Ross says—happy accidents.

Paint used on the Humanities mural in the upstairs back hallway of the RSC Humanities building. Photo by Payton Hayes.

By attending Rose State, I was also able to participate in a few unique and incredible opportunities, such as getting to paint two different murals in their Humanities building, helping organize and put on a student-led art exhibition, and getting a closer look into how public art is created in the greater OKC area. I have made valuable connections with other art opportunities and mentors across the state, such as Pablo Barrera from Oklahoma Contemporary, Randy Marks from the OKC Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. I feel confident that I could hold a candle to the students graduating from the top art schools in the country because of what I’ve learned and where studying art in Oklahoma has taken me. 

I think, if you are dead set on attending RISD or Parsons, you should totally do that. But they aren’t the only schools to study art from in the country. Likewise, they are incredibly competitive and often hard to get into in the first place. If your heart is not set on attending one of these elite schools, consider attending a community college or art program in the Midwest because there is so much, they can offer that the bigger schools just cannot. Additionally, by attending the smaller art schools/programs, you’re supporting a growing art community—be it in Oklahoma or elsewhere.  

Student artwork hung in the glass case in the Rose State College Communication Center, Spring 2020. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Thanks for reading my reflection on attending a smaller (non-)art school in Midwest City, OK, as opposed to going to RISD or one of the bigger, better-known art schools in the country. I just wanted to shed some light on what it was like for me. Of course, I am sure my fellow students may have had slightly (or even vastly) different experiences at Rose State, but these were just my observations. If you liked this article or found it helpful in some way, please consider “liking” it or leaving a comment below!

Thumbnail photo created with Picsart by Payton Hayes.

—Payton

In light of the COVID-19 public health crisis, Oklahoma Contemporary has postponed the opening of our new arts center.

You can read more about their plans for a delayed opening celebration here.

Hi artsy and writerly friends! Today, I have a very special blog post/ article for you! I got the amazing opportunity to sit down and interview Pablo Barrera, Oklahoma Contemporary’s inaugural curatorial fellow. You can find out more about him here. This is just the interview I conducted with him—if you’d like to read the 6420 article, stay tuned until the end for further reading. In this interview, we discuss their first and second mural series—Making Space, what Oklahoma Contemporary is doing to pair mentoring artists with emerging artists, and how they are helping to shape public art in OKC by showcasing artist’s work along their construction fence line. 

Pablo Barrera, Oklahoma Contemporary’s curatorial fellow.

What is Oklahoma Contemporary’s purpose behind the murals decorating the construction area?  

Oklahoma Contemporary’s temporary showroom fashioned from four repurposed shipping containers. Photo taken by Payton Hayes.

Oklahoma Contemporary’s temporary showroom fashioned from four repurposed shipping containers. Photo taken by Payton Hayes.

Barrera: Making Space: Summer Mural Series was designed to support emerging artists through mentorship in order to expand the number of artists contributing to Oklahoma City’s visual culture. Making Space reflects a new version of Guerrilla Art Park, an annual exhibition of outdoor public art by Oklahoma artists, held in the summers of 2016, 2017 and 2018. The mural series shares Guerrilla Art Park's goals: to showcase local talent, give artists an opportunity to grow and develop their skills, and offer free public art to enrich downtown Oklahoma City. The mural series had two rotations of three murals in June and September 2019.

What inspired the project?

Barrera: This summer and fall, Oklahoma Contemporary’s former space at the State Fairgrounds was closed in preparation for the move into our new building site in winter. This meant that we would not be able to offer exhibitions or programming during those months. We saw an opportunity to continue our mission to provide the public with free access to art, as well as to support the local art scene, by exhibiting a series of murals along the construction fence of our new location. In this way, our new home was able to provide art experiences for OKC before its doors even open.

What was the artist selection process like? How did you find prospective artists?

Barrera: Each rotation of murals features work from established Oklahoma artists collaborating with up-and-coming artists. Preference was given to those from backgrounds/communities not widely represented in Oklahoma City public art. These murals serve as a mentorship project to introduce new artists to public mural creation. Artists were found through a combination of research, networks, and artist submissions, in which artists themselves introduced us to their portfolio.

How did you know which artists to put together for the project?

Barrera: Artists were selected based on their style: we wanted a range of mediums and techniques, but we also wanted to show styles side-by-side that complemented each other. We researched each artist’s color palette, preferred subject matter, and aesthetic, then we created a short-list of artists that could work well within the scale of the painting surface and share powerful messages. In choosing the mentors, we looked for artists that demonstrated or expressed enthusiasm about helping a new generation of mural artists to gain experience. Finally, we approached these selected artists to see who was available and felt strongly about participating in this project.

How long did each piece take to complete? 

Barrera: It depends on the experience of the artist, the medium, and the design. In the first rotation of murals this past June, Tank Ramirez and his mentee, Iliana Barrientos, finished their mural in a matter of hours during our Second Saturday Live Painting event. Tank is an experienced graffiti artist, so he could have probably finished it much faster, but as a mentor, he was making sure to give his mentee, Iliana, many tips and opportunities to develop her skills. Some murals took about a week or two because of family and work obligations. We try to accommodate the various life contexts that artists come from: supporting emerging artists means maintaining enough flexibility to work alongside their lived realities.

Were the artists required to sign VARA waivers? Did they know the artwork would be temporary?

Barrera: Yes, currently, Oklahoma City regulations for mural projects require a VARA waiver in order to obtain the necessary permits. All artists were made aware of this fact before formally agreeing to participate. One of the goals of the Mural Series is to help guide artists on how to better navigate the lengthy proposal process for murals in OKC. Our aim is to demystify the application for getting a mural design approved by the city. We worked with artists to generate drawings and proposal diagrams in accordance with the Arts Commission Mural handbook. We also presented to the Arts Commission on behalf of artists, and revised all materials for the Downtown Design Committee review and permit process. We also let artists know that the lengths we would display artwork are similar to the run-time for a gallery exhibition, which ensures that the contemporary art on display is fresh and more accurately reflecting the art world today. However, since the life of a mural usually doesn’t exist beyond the display period, we provide an online platform where the works can remain visible, and we take professional, high-resolution photographs that artists may use to sell prints. We defend the artists’ rights to owning their artistic ideas, and we do not use the images for commercial purposes. Our goal as an institution is to support artists and address challenges so that they can continue to make work and be recognized for their artistic contributions.

What is the title of each project and the thought process behind them? Please be specific. I know when we met with you, you told us all about the artwork, the meanings behind them, and elements present throughout each piece, so feel free to expand as much as you’d like. 

Barrera: The first rotation of murals were on display from June 8 – September 3rd. These murals were painted live during our Second Saturday event on June 8th:

Making Space #1

Rosa, 2019, by Checo "Tank" Ramirez and Iliana Barrientos, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part I. Photography by Brandon Seekins.

Rosa, 2019

Mentoring Artists: Checo “Tank” Ramirez 

Mentee: Iliana Barrientos

Rosa, 2019, by Checo "Tank" Ramirez and Iliana Barrientos, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part I. Photography by Brandon Seekins.

Rosa depicts a woman wearing vaguely traditional clothing, gazing over her shoulder, and surrounded by Monarch butterflies. Tank and Barrientos combine two art styles: the Graffiti “Piece” and the “National” style of Diego Rivera, to create a more “Chicanx” style of painting to celebrate Latinx communities’ contributions toward contemporary visual culture.

Checo “Tank” Ramirez has been painting for over 15 years until finally being discovered by local artist, Dusty Gilpin, who recognized Tank’s contributions to Oklahoma City’s burgeoning mural scene. Some of Tank’s public works can be found in 23rd and N. MacArthur Blvd or in Capitol Hill. You can also find his murals at The Mayan in Paseo, and you may have seen his murals commissioned by the Oklahoma City Thunder during the playoffs throughout April. Tank will also have an upcoming mural at Diamond Dawgs in Norman, OK. Tank thinks that the most meaningful aspect of Oklahoma Contemporary’s Summer Mural Series is the opportunity to mentor the next generation of artists. 

You can find Ramirez here. 

Iliana Barrientos is a mixed-media artist, whose paintings tend to use a mix of acrylics, inks, and colored pencils. Making Space: Summer Mural Series was her first big project with the city; previous work has been exhibited for Latino Heritage Month at the University of Oklahoma in 2018. Barrientos plans to continue learning about murals and taking on any projects that will require her acquired skills. As a young artist she feels like there's so much to learn, and is excited to take what she learns from artists more experienced than her so that one day she could do the same for any upcoming artist. 

You can find Barrientos here. 

Same Source, 2019 (detail) by Jaiye Farrell, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part I. Photography by Brandon Seekins

 Same Source, 2019

By Jaiye Farrell 

Same Source, 2019 (detail) by Jaiye Farrell, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part I. Photography by Brandon Seekins

Same Source uses white lines on a black background to create a rhythm and circulation of marks. The black “void” immerses the viewer, and the white patterns act as moments where light touches this “void” to reveal forms. Same Source explores how in previous works, people from diverse backgrounds have mentioned seeing fragments of patterns that resemble motifs from their particular cultural heritage.

Jaiye Farrell is an Oklahoma-based artist that has cultivated his style of painting from abstract patterns that transcend societal and cultural divides and remember the communal roots of humanity. From his infatuation with archeology emerged a creative and ambitious talent: to craft signature designs that inspire self-reflection. Farrell has exhibited work at Art Hall under Inclusion in Art, as well as various live-painting events. He continues to develop and express his signature style throughout the city.

You can find Farrell here.

Resilience, 2019 (detail) by Amanda Zoey Weathers and William Walker Larason, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part I. Photography by Brandon Seekins

 Resilience, 2019

Mentoring Artist: Amanda Zoey Weathers

Mentee: William Walker Larason

Resilience, 2019 (detail) by Amanda Zoey Weathers and William Walker Larason, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part I. Photography by Brandon Seekins

For Resilience, Weathers and Larason painted flowers surrounding a face arranged in Weathers’ geometric, paint-by-numbers style. The larger composition is composed of separate fields of color that never intersect, carefully arranged to form features that feel harmonious and uplifting. Native foliage represents the locality of Oklahoma City.

Amanda Zoey Weathers has been cultivating her art form over the years in a variety of expressions. From painting to jewelry design to her recent works with paper and metal, she incorporates these interests into pieces that depict her personal experience and life philosophies. With a background in art and graphic design, in 2007 she began her full time artist career and launched an artist-made retail store and gallery in Oklahoma City’s Plaza District. For the past few years she has begun expanding her media to large-scale murals and public art projects in Downtown Oklahoma City.

You can find Weathers here.

William Walker Larason is an artist living in Oklahoma City, with an emphasis in working with the medium of gum wrapper foil. They also work in painting, printmaking, and photography. After completing a spotlight exhibition in Oklahoma Visual Art Coalition’s Momentum OKC in 2016, Larason began at Factory Obscura. Larason continues to work on their own personal art.

You can find Larason here.

Making Space #2

The second rotation of murals were painted live on Thursday, Sept. 5th, and will be coming down soon as we remove the construction fence:

Voodoo Fairy, 2019 by Kris "GERM" Ermey and Jonathan De Luna, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part II. Photography by Brandon Seekins

Voodoo Fairy, 2019

Mentoring artist: Kris “GERM” Ermey 

Mentee: Jonathan De Luna

Voodoo Fairy, 2019 by Kris "GERM" Ermey and Jonathan De Luna, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part II. Photography by Brandon Seekins

GERM and De Luna’s collaborative mural celebrates women of color entrepreneurs. GERM renders a Zimbabwe model/designer, Manaka Voodoo Fairy, in his gray monochrome portrait style. De Luna completely transforms a quote from renowned artist, Banksy, into a bold, colorful calligraphic pattern.

Kris “GERM” Ermey has been writing graffiti for over 20 years. Known for his clean, crisp lines and detailed illustrations, GERM’s skill and importance in the Oklahoma graffiti scene was recognized in fall of 2017 when he was one of ten featured artists in Oklahoma Contemporary’s exhibition, Not for Sale. His work has been featured in many events/showcases, from the outdoor graffiti exhibition, Made You Look, to the Oklahoma State Fair Mural Demo. He curated the showcase When Letters Collide (2018) and creates private and public commissions, with clients including the Linked Church. He is very involved in educating youth, partnering with both Youth Services of OKC and Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation, most recently helping to teach a 10-week hip-hop workshop for students at John Rex Elementary. 

You can find Ermey here.

Jonathan DeLuna has been developing his style for the past 12 years inspired by west coast artists. He works on large-scale murals and small panels, and has become known for his unique calligraphic style. DeLuna’s work has been featured in the Inclusion in Art exhibition at Art Hall (December 2018 to March 2019) and in Oklahoma Contemporary’s Dia de los Muertos exhibition during their Celebration of Latino Culture (2018). His work is part of several private collections. In addition to his artwork, Jonathan is inspired by his role as a father. His 3-year-old daughter is already painting, and carrying the family skills on to the next generation.

You can find DeLuna here.

Invisible No More, 2019 (detail) by J. NiCole Hatfield, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part II. Photography by Brandon Seekins

Invisible No More, 2019

J. NiCole Hatfield (Nahmi-A-Piah; Comanche/Kiowa)

Invisible No More, 2019 (detail) by J. NiCole Hatfield, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part II. Photography by Brandon Seekins

Hatfield’s mural raises awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (#MMIW), a movement to bring an end to violence against Indigenous women. Dancer, Kayla Marie (Kiowa/Comanche/Omaha), is painted in Hatfield’s signature colorful, expressionistic style. Four figures standing in a sun represent the four directions. A red handprint over the mouth has become a symbol of #MMIW, and handprints on the dresses are from an interactive painting session with the Oklahoma Contemporary Teen Council.

J. NiCole Hatfield (Nahmi-A-Piah) draws inspiration from archival images of her proud tribal women, painting them to acknowledge and honor their voice within a contemporary world. Her art frequently incorporates Indigenous language to teach it as well as keep it alive. J.NiCole uses her preferred medium of acrylic to translate bold colors to canvas; after attending the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, J. NiCole explored other mediums and was launched into a successful art market career, winning numerous awards and becoming part of many exhibitions, private collections, live-painting events, lectures, and workshops throughout the region. Born and raised in the Southern Plains of Oklahoma, J. NiCole, of the Penetukah band of Comanche’s and the Kiowa Nation, has a profound understanding of the unique paradox in which Native American artists find themselves, challenged with Art’s demand to “make new” while still honoring and appreciating the unchanging spirit in all things, as well as traditional tribal values.

You can find Hatfield here.

Blooming, 2019 (detail) by Brooke Rowlands and Shakurah Maynard, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part II. Photography by Brandon Seekins.

Blooming, 2019

Mentoring artist: Brooke Rowlands

Mentee: Shakurah Maynard

Blooming, 2019 (detail) by Brooke Rowlands and Shakurah Maynard, for Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part II. Photography by Brandon Seekins.

Rowlands and Maynard's collaborative mural uses blocks of intense color and delicate line drawings to create a whimsical painting. Rowlands is known for her flowers within fields of paint, but experiments with Maynard to contribute a different style for the jellyfish and vivid color combinations.

Brooke Rowlands comes from central New Jersey, and has been a proud resident of Oklahoma since 2002. Brooke is inspired by artist Franz Kline and illustrator Clare Leighton, experimenting with ideas/methods to develop a homogenous blend of both contemporary art and still life, often incorporating flowers, birds, trees and fish into abstract backgrounds. Color is a driving force behind Brooke’s art, whether it be acrylic painting or paper collage, and her strong contrast and sense of complimentary hues and patterns command attention toward their simple beauty. Her work has been featured nationally from Texas to Times Square including features in national television series like The Vampire Diaries and Houzz project with Actress Olivia Munn. 

You can find Rowlands here.

Shakurah Maynard is a fine artist and graphic designer. Born in the historic West End neighborhood in Atlanta, Shakurah is currently a student at Oklahoma City University School of Visual Arts. Her work is whimsical, colorful, and dynamic, interested in the ever-changing way we express identity on the internet. In 2017, she was selected to participate in Symbiotic, a collaborative show between working and student artists on the importance of art in communities, organized by the OVAC. Recently, she worked with local muralists to paint and distribute homes for the feral cat population in OKC. 

You can find Maynard here.

Support for Making Space: Summer Mural Series provided by Downtown Oklahoma City Initiatives.

Is this a project you will continue with a spring series? Would OKC Contemporary be interested in continuing this project after construction has completed and the new location is official open in March? 

Barrera: In light of the success of the mural project and excitement from the artistic community, we have decided to continue the mentor/mentee pairing for a new rotation of murals throughout the year. We are in the process of setting up a mural wall near our new art studio buildings hopefully before the closing of the inaugural exhibitions, Bright Golden Haze and Shadow on the Glare. Oklahoma has a growing and thriving mural art scene, and we hope to support this exciting part of our city’s artistic landscape.

How likely is it that OKC Contemporary would collaborate with other construction projects to integrate more artwork throughout the OKC area?

Barrera: We will always help Oklahoma City celebrate and support art in all its forms, and we are happy to lend our experience and expertise in realizing such projects across our communities. Our Curatorial and Exhibitions Director, Jennifer Scanlan, is involved in the Oklahoma Public Art Network (OPAN), which helps both artists and organizations work through the public art process. (You can find more information on the OPAN website and Facebook page). Additionally, stay tuned for exciting information about projects connected to Oklahoma Contemporary that will bring art to many different spaces across the city!

What have you learned from this project? 

Barrera: I have seen that Oklahoma City and our neighboring towns have a wealth of artists waiting for an opportunity to showcase their artistic abilities. I have also come to admire Oklahoma City’s spirit of collaboration, and I have learned that we are ready for the types of conversations these underrepresented voices carry. We are giving artists a chance to share incredible perspectives, but we are also giving the city a chance to appreciate the complex, wonderful diversity that makes Oklahoma City’s visual culture so special. These artists are making OKC beautiful, both literally and as a community.

How can artists benefit from collaborating with each other?

Barrera: Every rotation of murals saw artists trading tips and networking for future collaborations. Emerging artists were able to witness the power of mentoring, and experienced artists were able to see their art as part of an inter-generational process. I imagine that if artists continue to harness this spirit of collaboration, the projects will become more ambitious and far-reaching. Also, on a practical level, mural arts becomes sustainable as more artists share their experiences. 

Do you have any closing comments for the article?

Barrera: In March, 2020, Oklahoma Contemporary will open its new downtown on 11th and Broadway. This is a rare moment in the history of the city, and we want everyone to be a part of this major achievement. You may find more information on our website here. As our mission statement says: “Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center encourages artistic expression in all its forms through education, exhibitions, and performance.” Our 30 year history of activates and exhibitions are too numerous to list, but you can read more about what we do here.

Further Reading:

• Part 1 Exploring Oklahoma Murals Where Public Art Is More Than Paint

• Part 2 Breathing New Life Into Humanities At Rose State College

• 6420 Magazine 

• Find Brandon Seekins Photography

• When did construction begin? 

• Is there an official opening date? Will there be a special opening ceremony or event for the public? 

• COVID-19 Delays Oklahoma Contemporary’s New Location Opening Ceremony

• What is the building’s purpose? 

• Artist VARA Waiver 

Thank you so much to Pablo Barrera for sitting down and chatting with me about Making Space and thank you to Oklahoma Contemporary for making Oklahoma City beautiful. 

And thank you for reading my article on Making Space. If you enjoyed it or found it useful in some way, please consider sharing it or leaving a comment below. I would love to get a discussion going down in the comments on public art in the OKC area. 

—Payton

Gaga performing “Dancing In Circles” at the start of the show. Photo by Guin Holland.

Hi creatives (and Monsters, of course!) This was an article I wrote for the 6420 back in 2017, following Gaga’s Joanne World Tour. I went to the concert with my sister and we had an absolute ball. Of course this article is completely biased because I am a HUGE fan of Gaga, but I tried to be as objective and level-headed as possible when looking back over my concert footage. This article did not make it into the magazine due to time-sensitivity and the nature of the article being more of a review than newsworthy. Regardless, I hope you enjoy my recap of the concert.

      Third to last, in the long lineup of world-wide shows for the Joanne World Tour, Oklahoma City welcomed Lady Gaga with open arms. Although the show started over an entire hour later than originally scheduled, Gaga did not disappoint. She opened the show with “Diamond Heart,” a stunning performance filled with rocking theatrics, killer vocals and fabulous costumes that could only scratch the surface of the night to come.

     The Joanne World Tour Concert featured throwbacks from “Pokerface,” to “Just Dance,” to “Bad Romance,” and many more. Fans danced, cried, screamed and sang their hearts out with Gaga, on December 9th at the concert which, like many others in the lineup, was sold out.

  Towards the middle of the concert, Gaga took a slight political turn by asking the audience who was and wasn’t part of the LGBTQ+ community.  She told concertgoers that they may have been dragged to her concert by someone and that they might lean over and whisper, “hey, Dad, I’m gay, this is Lady Gaga,” or “hey, Mom, I’m gay, this is Lady Gaga.”  This earned her a collective chuckle from the audience.

Lady Gaga performing "Come to Mama" at Joanne World Tour in Tacoma. Photo by Ronald Woan.

      She said that it was okay because “we’re all family here.” She began reciting the lyrics to “Come to Mama,” the 9th track on Joanne and fans chimed in, supporting her and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Before she jumped into the song, however, she paused and added, “to all of those here, who don’t believe in equality, I’ve got something to say. Come to Mama.”

     After the upbeat tune, Gaga took a moment to say a few kind words about the families suffering the rampaging fires devastating southern California. Following her speech, she sang and played the piano, treating fans to a special performance of “Edge of Glory.”  Fans cried and sang along as the star poured her heart out in song. “Put on your shades, ‘cause I’ll be dancing in the flames,” she sang, then paused. “Man, does that have a different meaning, tonight?” she said, referring to the California wildfires.

Lady Gage donned Jayce Green’s hand-painted jean jacket while onstage. Photo by Katie Pennington.

      Later on, fans tossed gifts onto the stage and the star shrugged on a fan-made, custom jean jacket with her face painted on the back and read a heartfelt fan letter before treating fans to a spectacular performance of “The Cure.”  She danced it out, belting even the highest notes of the song, whilst continuously moving to the music.

“Million Reasons” was one of the most emotional and heartfelt songs of the entire show, not only because fans knew as soon as the song came to a close, so did their time with the singer, but also because of the meaning behind the song, itself, and Gaga’s phenomenal piano playing and extraordinary vocals. Even at the end of a show, she was able to hit each and every single note in the song, seemingly effortlessly.

Lady Gaga is nothing short of an entertainer and she did just that -she entertained among many other things including speaking out on issues such as the status of the LGBTQ+ community and the amount of hatred in the world. She also spoke about loving each other and spread an overall positive message to fans and non-fans, alike. She flawlessly interwove old and new songs, costume changes, pyrotechnics, electronic, rock and western music and put on an incredible show that concert-goers will remember for the rest of their lives.

THANK YOU to everyone who allowed me to use your photos for this article. I know this concert was a pretty spiritual experience for everyone who could attend and it means everything that you not only capture some of the most iconic moments of the show, but that you’d let me use them to show others what a wonderful time we all had. I hope to see some of you at her next tour! #chromatica

Lady Gaga singing “Million Reasons” at the end of the Joanne World Tour concert in OKC. Photo by Jasmine Turner.

Didn’t get enough of Gaga? Well, good news for you, I have another article that made it into the 15th Street News, which you can read here. I covered Gaga’s Five Foot Two Netflix documentary, and you can read all about it here! If you enjoyed this article, please like and consider leaving a comment below!

—Payton