I was particularly interested in the Ekphrastic writing style. The style has various things you could do to give you inspiration for a poet. The hardest feeling in the world is wanting to write while you have nothing to write about. Yes inspiration is a great thing…when it happens. The likeliness of being inspired constantly is very slim. In all honesty, it just doesn’t happen that way. It takes a spark of something, but what that spark is is different for each poet, and someone’s muse may not be the same for other people. But regardless when the muse does come and visit each one of us, it is one of the best feelings in the world. But the Ekphrastic writing is the inspiration, which is the great thing. It helps you get a starting ground for somewhere to write. This inspiration “inspires” more inspiration. Yes what you start to write may not be good or up to your own standards of expert writing, but you can take your preliminary work and turn it into something that you can eventually say you like. I particularly enjoyed the writing assignment of picking a picture and writing about it. We were given the ability to decide the “who, what, when, where, and why” of the picture. It gave our mind’s the opportunity to expand on what we saw, and make a story of it. Also, I enjoyed reading the 1st person styled Ekphrastic poem, Not My Best Side, by U.A. Fanthorpe, because you got a clear visual of the painting being described. You get the illustration through the 1st person almost-like-a-soliloquy dialogues of each of the main figures in the painting. But you also get more than that. You get a personal touch to the voices of the character. The poet gave a different, more eclectic spin on the situation. Instead of the Princess wanting to be rescued, she looked at it as a prospect of what would be in her best interest. The question of leaving the only thing she knew for something that might not be good for her future frightened her. I believe if one is looking for inspiration, this method of writing for either poetry or anything else is beneficial for all to try at some point or another.
*Donya Botkan*
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Ekphrastic Writing
ReplyDeleteI chose a piece of artwork out of the postcards that was all in black, pencil or pen. The piece was nameless. In this dark valley there was a giant naked “being” helping two little clothed “beings” either up or down from/to the landscape. I was thinking to myself when I was trying to diagnose the image that this “being” resembled “Godlike” characteristics but I had no explanation for the two smaller “beings.” This is when I decided to take on the view of the mountains in the background. I described the scene using the thoughts and mood of the mountains. I read the informative Ekphrastic writing sheet we were given in class and it inspired me to take an ironic view to the description of the piece.
To me irony is the most entertaining tool in life. I use a lot of irony when I write lyrics and compose music. The entertaining factor I like to keep is that the audience doesn’t know what will come next or is shocked by what does come. Well, I don’t know if shocked is the right word, maybe “enthused to hear more.” Irony and details go hand in hand. I think of by favorite director Wes Anderson and his films like “The Royal Tenebaums” or “The Life Aquatic.” When you first watch them you don’t necessary “love them.” But after watching them again and again I find myself noticing little details that fill in the plot with ironic twists. I’m sure you can account for a time when you found a movie, poem, or song you especially like because it has a subject matter that you love to reiterate.
I tried to keep this Ekphrastic work as ironic as possible when I chose to speak on behalf of the landscape. The other reason I chose to speak from the point of view of the landscape is because of “Not My Best Side” by U.A. Fanthorpe. I enjoyed how there were three different points of view to the one event. I guess if I had to redo my piece I should have taken the view of each of the three “beings.” Gee, I’m learning more and more as I’m pushing out this blog. Well I’m off to edit.
Cheers!
Jay Woodward