Take an Art Break with Poetry
There are so many different ways to take an art break. We truly enjoy sharing inspiration with you, our dear readers, art advocates, friends, everyone. We are so grateful to be connected to the wonderful Chaya Silberstein, author of The Brooklyn Siren, who created these wonderful prompts to use poetry as a way to take an art break. Thanks Chaya!
Here’s a highlight of Chaya providing a poetry art break during Art Break Day!
5 Prompts to Take an Art Break (With Poetry)
1. Discover a new poet. Go to your local bookstore or library and peruse the poetry section until the first unfamiliar book jumps out at you. You don’t even have to buy or borrow the book, but spend a few minutes reading at least one poem. Allow the words to wash over you and enjoy the sensation. If you’re short of time you can visit a poetry website or google “obscure poets” and read one of their poems online for a similar experience.
2. Bask in the pleasure of hearing a poet read their own work. You can do this with any poet, but I recommend looking up old-school deceased poets, who used to record on BBC, hint Dylan Thomas. You can listen to such recordings on Youtube, Amazon Music, Audible, Apple Music, Spotify, depending where you have a subscription. Revel in the listening experience.
3. “I am that, that is me, that and I are one” – This is one of my favorites. Choose an animate or inanimate object and feel yourself one with it. For example, “I am the mountain, the mountain is me, the mountain and I are one.” Say it with feeling, allowing the sensation to bubble through you, and then write a poem stream of consciousness until you’re done. It can be two lines, or two hundred. It doesn’t matter as long as you have fun.
4. Write a letter to a part of yourself or emotion. For example, “Dear Sadness, I’m sorry you’ve been so morose lately, but I like your hat…” you get the idea. If you’re daring, perhaps you might write a second letter where the recipient answers back. It can be a traditional letter, a poem, or even a telegraph.
5. Write a thank you speech. Imagine you are standing on stage being honored for your greatest achievement. What is this achievement and what would you say in your speech? Who would you thank and what would you be thankful for? Allow your imagination to carry you to the stars and beyond. There’s nothing too “small” or big. It’s your vision after all. Bask in the afterglow.
