Borrowing from the popupar pro football sports apparel ad, when did you first know that you had the gift? Whatever gift that might be...

For Emcees, when did you first pick up the mic and think to yourself, "Holy shit! I got talent! I could wreck it all night if i wanted to!"

For poets, when did you pick up a pen and realize that you could string together profound and melodic words and phrases?

When did you first know that you had talent?



"To be a poet is a condition, not a profession."
- Robert Frost

My crappy blog: http://www.livejournal.com/users/eyes_of_mine/

Blind Eye Turning: My book
http://www.lulu.com/content/187759

My other crappy blog:
http://inevitabletruth.blogspot.com/

I was in 8th grade, and in science class I sat between two girls who relentlessly picked on me. I had a crush on one of them, so I was willing to take most of it in stride... but after a particularly hurtful hazing situation, I got fed up.

I wrote a caustic, mean-spirited note to the girl I had a crush on, stating my displeasure at being the object of her ridicule. It was 2 pages long, written on both sides. I delivered the note near the end of the school day, and watched for her reaction. I don't recall what I wrote, but I wanted to hurt her as badly as she hurt me.

But I never expected to actually succeed, which I did. She was devastated. She ran to the bathroom, sobbing. I felt about knee-high to an earthworm after that, but to my amazement, when she returned, she wrote me a heartfelt apology note, handed it to me in front of everyone, looked me square in the eye and apologized verbally.

That's when I first knew that my words carried weight.



"To be a poet is a condition, not a profession."
- Robert Frost

My crappy blog: http://www.livejournal.com/users/eyes_of_mine/

Blind Eye Turning: My book
http://www.lulu.com/content/187759

My other crappy blog:
http://inevitabletruth.blogspot.com/

I question my 'talent' every single time I pick up the pen.

But I first learned my words carry weight when I made a teacher cry with my poetry in 6th grade. We were preparing for a city wide literature contest and I wrote a few, and one long one. And she cried.

*edit* I won first place in the contest. :-)

For me it was recently believe it or not, maybe about two months after i got back from iraq, but i didnt give it real thought until about 3 months ago...im just realizing that i have something that the world will feel, not the whole world but just enough. i put everything this site taught me along with everything i picked up writing on my freetime and added in one pot. i just recently wrote two R&B songs and a Pop song hip hop songs, i just realized that im a artist not just some underground talent that wants to be heard...im still in the moment of realization understanding and learning...glad this question was asked...this will make for a good song.

peace!

"everyone like spectacular pass me the ordinary, da peanut butter and jelly to da lobster and shrimp, the o' oh thats him, to the mobsters and pimps" - ME, dammit!

http://www.soundclick.com/artist/5/youngsleep_music.htm

http://www.myspace.com/youngsleep

Drawing - 5th grade, I started drawing on notebooks and shit, people were always all up on my notebooks, even wanting to trade notebooks because mine had the drawing. Then when I started doing my book covers, folks were asking me to make some for them...got to the point where folks were paying me to do the book covers (paper that goes over the school books) for them. From there I went to Voltron lions, names, on up to painting jeans. Yep, I painted jeans for folks. All this led to me getting my BFA in fine arts.

Poetry, probably freshman year or so. I had so many emotions going on and I didnt know how to express them. i think i heard someone say that writing helped them or something...so I picked up a pen. I ended with my first poem. I think it got published too, I lost all the paperwork on that.

I believe I have a gift that others appreciate, but in recent years I've trolled the lake of doubt more than a few times.

I don't really have a method to writing. I've learned lots of techniques, which have been useful, but I seldom pull them out and look at the rule book. I believe that good writing is effective communication.

I started writing because I wanted to read stories that interested me. When I write, I don't see pictures, as some do. I feel emotions, and I try to translate what I feel into pictures, if that makes sense.

I believe that words have the power to heal, to change minds, to inspire, or conversely, to injure, to ex-communicate, and to depress.

When I write, and I am really in the zone, the words don't really come from me, they come through me. That's when I acknowledge that my gift is not of my own, really.

Quit trolling that lake. I'll vouch for audiences everywhere- you're talented.

"When I write, I don't see pictures, as some do. I feel emotions, and I try to translate what I
feel into pictures, if that makes sense."

I know some cats who don't imagine in pictures or imagery, only in dialog/words. I've always
found that wild. Is that your experience? If so, I wonder how it affects one's writing, to
imagine without truly visualizing things..


soul.

I'm not really a traditionally visual person, I suppose. I don't "think" in words most of the time either. I think I am more of a "feeling person". I credit this to all my writing teachers who said "Show, don't tell." Of course, this rule is subjective. There are times when it is better to tell, but most poetry is about showing.

If you say the word "sand", for instance:

I will feel
the grains of the sand,
the wetness or the dryness of it,
the way it moves, the way it tastes,
the way it touches other things,
the way it sticks,
the impression it leaves
the way the color of it makes me feel
the way the shape of it makes me feel
the way the word is "colored" --does it have double meanings or connotations? What do others associate with this word?
how does the word sound? If it was a musical note, what note would it be? Flat? Sharp? The harmony? The base? What is the music of the poem?
any analogy between the word and other things...

I'll have a flash of the image in my mind, and I may see something very vividly, but I don't attempt to be describe object in my mind, I attempt to describe the way that I feel about that object. I don't do it deliberately, really. It just is the way I think. The words and the images just start pulling from my mind, like they are coming from some otherworldly place, and they are ready for me to arrange.

as a very young girl, before i knew how to read or write i would make up songs and stories and hold my parents and siblings hostage for an audience. they never told me i was 'talented' and they never told me that my creativity was something out of the ordinary.

when i was about 8 or 9, i wrote a song for a play my group at the girl's club was putting on. the adults raved on and on about the song and asked me if i had more. i think that was my first hint that not every girl my age wrote songs, stories and poems.

when i was about 12 i joined up with a dance group headed by two sisters that were former dallas cowboy cheerleaders. by the time our first talent show rolled around, i was assisting them in the choreography. one show i entirely choreographed on my own and when performed, our group won first place.

i could never draw like my father or my brother, both of whom were very talented in that matter. but in my mid 20's i tired of writing so much and i purchased myself some painting supplies and started stroking canvas. i have never shown my paintings to anybody other than family and they seem to like them well enough. i still cant draw the likeness of anything but my paintings are my own intepretation of feelings, emotions and ideas.

i think i am an artist but i have never studied art formally and i dont make a living at it. but i think i have always felt i was an artist, talented or gifted will remain the opinion of those that witness my creations.

when i was cognicent enough to realize how profoundly amazing my mother is.. her talent, her voice, her soul...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
To change, we must face the dragon of our appetites with another dragon... the life-energy of our Soul...

Funny thing for me..

In sports, I actually had a moment in 8th grade where I realized that I was 6'1, 200 lbs (most guys in my grade were 80-100 lbs less than that, on average) and I was still outrunning cats in the 40 and popping 6 minute miles- which was in the top 3 every time we ran it. Unfortunately, bad circumstances ended my sporting career early..

But for art.. I've always felt.. odd. Like around the people I know in real life, there's only a few REALLY talented people.. So when I show a friend something, they generally act pretty impressed. But iv'e always chalked it up to they being my friend.. they can be harsh, but would they bash on something they knew I'd poured my soul into?

Actually, why I write here.. is in part for validation. Like, I have two different sets of pieces for the most part.. the shit I write in my notebook, and the shit I write for OKP. My drops on OKP are generally originally crafted in this little white box I'm writing in right now. I still pour myself into them, but I make myself express what I feel, and then leave it. Come back a while later and check on it.. but I'm guilty of hoping to get a large response every time I hit "post". S'why I have so much love for this place.. the first time I ever picked up a pen and a pad and tried to write hip hop.. All I got was love.

C Lo (known here as Newsic NoyC, aka Carlo) had a big part in that, always giving me encouragement and shit, but again- he knew me. I've always figured that people on OKP would give it to me straight.. Either telling me a verse was stupid or just not responding.

So, I guess even though it wasn't the point of the post- and I apologize, ChaoticThing - I never had that moment.. I have a miniature version every time somebody tells me my spots are hot.

n/m

I do it for the love of the art. Talent? Meh. I just write what I feel.

I also write what I'm feeling at a given moment, but at some point, my feelings were put on display in front of another set of eyes, and those eyes were moved to tears, which kinda blew my 13-year-old mind.

Similarly, I'm looking for the first time you shared your writing with someone and received an emotional or critical response.



"To be a poet is a condition, not a profession."
- Robert Frost

My crappy blog: http://www.livejournal.com/users/eyes_of_mine/

Blind Eye Turning: My book
http://www.lulu.com/content/187759

My other crappy blog:
http://inevitabletruth.blogspot.com/

And my mother cried. Then she made me read it in front of other people. And they all grabbed their chest and said 'MMM'. I still felt weird about it though. I guess I was shy about my writing. Sensitive. ©Badu When you actually read or recite it in front of live people, that's when you know whether or not you have a skill you can work with.

I know you're a humble, grounded man who can't really conceive yourself as talented, but I'll say it, and I'm sure I'm not alone in my opinion. You are an extremely talented writer.

With that said, at what point did you begin to feel comfortable sharing your work with others? I want to know the first time you decided to share this part of yourself with the world. I want to hear about the first moment that you thought or felt like, "All shucks. You really liked that thing I wrote? Thanks!"



"To be a poet is a condition, not a profession."
- Robert Frost

My crappy blog: http://www.livejournal.com/users/eyes_of_mine/

Blind Eye Turning: My book
http://www.lulu.com/content/187759

My other crappy blog:
http://inevitabletruth.blogspot.com/

first of all THANKS! I think that moment would be the 1st time a post here got a warm reception. The first few I posted got totally ripped apart. But when I finally posted on that people liked... it was a good feeling.

Dammit! He stole my answer!

when i was 15 and won a contest at my high school for a poem that i wrote. although i picked up a pen and began writing poems and short stories 3 years prior, that particular year was it for me. knowing that people were "moved" by what i wrote enough to nominate its entry into a contest, then vote the piece into 2nd place, did it for me. i'm still searching for my satisfaction though. i'm satisfied with a lot that i write and work on, but i'm not entirely satisfied with my words. i can be better, and i'm moving towards that daily.

---------------------------------------
the book
http://www.lulu.com/content/132318
http://msmind.blogspot.com|this boring life

are you living to leave?
are you dying to stay?© The Jazzyfatnastees

la simplicite a son mieux...

i was always about music, started breakin when i was 5, but i always loved love songs. i think i came to the realization when i was 10 that i could really sing and a year latter found my writing ability... it's been a wrap ever since...yeah....u can call me a quintuple threat...smooches batches!

since God gave it to me
always--

ive always known

but, i was nine
when everyone else found out too

I got "paid" to write semi~humorous poetry for the fellas to give to their potential honeys -- :P

Paid ... Like in lunch money ... Or cassette tapes ... or whatever bartering tools were available -- (even tho I did write for nutthin' depending on the person) -- But I realized that if folks would pay for my writings, then I must not be toooooo bad -- *chuckles*

My drawings/paintings were taken more seriously -- And I realized I had a gift for art in High School also -- But my work was hella abstract, so everybody wasn't appreciating it back then.

My gifts are rough tho -- *Need Lots Of Sanding & Polish*

Damn, Photo! You were gettin comissions in high school! That's pretty dope! (I'm still tryin to bring back my 90's slang, similar to my older uncles still holding onto 60's and 70's gems like, "I'm hip!" and "Solid!" Yes, I'm a loser.)

As for your work being rough and you needing improvement... I understand how you feel. I suspect that we all feel that way to some extent. Show me a person who doesn't think they need to improve and I'll show you someone who probably enjoys the smell of their own farts.

Oh, and I've enjoyed just about everything you've shared with us. And welcome back. :)




"To be a poet is a condition, not a profession."
- Robert Frost

My crappy blog: http://www.livejournal.com/users/eyes_of_mine/

Blind Eye Turning: My book
http://www.lulu.com/content/187759

My other crappy blog:
http://inevitabletruth.blogspot.com/

>Show me a person who doesn't think they need to improve and I'll show you someone who probably enjoys the smell of their own farts.

My farts smell like roses -- Thank U Very Much! -- :P

>Oh, and I've enjoyed just about everything you've shared with us. And welcome back.

And itz good to be back! -- *Yep* -- ;) -- Thanks Chaotic -- The feeling is mutual on YOUR work too!

Seriously I wrote a dissertation on MLK at 6. They thought I was a prodigy...but I just liked writing. At 8 I won a state wide writing contest for one of my fictional short stories, and at 11 My first poem was published.

I stared rhyming after I said a poem to one of my friends that had a great distinctive cadence and he said "Yo You's a rapper" and I was like no I'm not cause I'm from Northern Cali and we don't have such a great reputation for such. LOL. But lo and behold...I Was!

Art was a more recent thing. I've always loved design and fashion and culture (Dad took me to the Louvre at 7). But when I got to college and realized I HAD to be an artist in order to be an interior designer I ran with it. I then taught art.

Funny how now, I go to the studio any MAYBE record 2 verses, been working on the same book for 3 years, and haven't sold any of my art recently...but hey I’m gifted right?

I think that there need to be more patrons, like 20's style. Someone who will allow you to focus entirely on your art for a few years with no strings attached.

I agree with you 100 percent. If i could spend my days scribbling whatver thought came into my head, sculpting them into something sensible, that would give me far greater satisfaction than splitting time between family time and chasing paper...

But i digress... good point.


"To be a poet is a condition, not a profession."
- Robert Frost

My crappy blog: http://www.livejournal.com/users/eyes_of_mine/

Blind Eye Turning: My book
http://www.lulu.com/content/187759

My other crappy blog:
http://inevitabletruth.blogspot.com/

They made me sing: on the playground, in assemblies, at banquets, on the kitchen counter
for babysitters and dinner guests when I was still too small to see over the table. I sang on
buses on drivers' requests, on basketball courts when the team was feeling down, late at
night at sleepovers. I've sang in bands, in front of choirs, in classrooms, and every year at
closing campfire for Mystic Lake camp from 2nd grade to 8th. When I was little it was always
the same songs: I Will Always Love You or Silver & Gold. I don't think there was a moment--
singing has simply always been.


And writing? My daddy said I could, so I did.

for me it was in high school
i had to do a speech on a book(District Six) and i didn't read the book
and wasn't prepared so i wrote a poem 15mins before the class

and got 100% for it
but i thought that was just luck
then i wrote about 5 poems when my granma passed away and they read them
in church and were printed on the programes

and even today i everytime i meet her friends they still say that those poems are so nice and is the nicest thing they've ever read...
i was 13 or 14yrs

that's when i knew i had something special

I didn't think I was a writer for a long time. I liked to read. The only reason I started to write is because I grew bored with what I read and wanted to make up my own stories. My mother bought me a little toy typewriter when I was small. I'd type away on that sucker, happy that I could make words!

I loved the idea of keeping a journal at about age seven, but rarely could I bring myself to write about me.

I had a teacher in the third grade who started us journaling. We'd write about a selected prompt, and then she'd write back. I remember very clearly finding that space at the beginning of the day a quiet, peaceful place. I was enamored with "hearing" back from my teacher.

I started reciting poems when I was about three. By eight or nine I was writing my own.

The first poetry contest I entered, I lost to a girl who wrote a poem about a dog who peed on the floor.

After that, I wrote but kept it to myself. I mean how good could I be when I was writing about racism, and lost out to urination? Still, I kept the faith. I created my own little anthology called "Tales from the Hood" (before the tv show). It was filled with ghettolicious fairytales and poems that I shared with my friends.

It wasn't until high school that I started doing performance pieces. I was the vice president on my school's BSU, and so I helped organize a Black History Program. I invited one of my mother's students to do a poem called "The Black Statue of Liberty" by Jessica Care Moore. After hearing her, I was in awe. I thought to myself, "I can do that. Maybe not as good, but I can do it."

I wrote my first spoken word poem later that year, and got a chance to try it out live at my school's poetry night. I did my things at coffee houses and in theater classes through college.I started writing on OKP in 2000, under another name.

Then I fell in love and stopped writing for about three years.

It wasn't until this year that I began branching out and combining my love of music and song with poetry. And blogging. Blogging has been a wonderful outlet.