Steal Like an Artist and Add to it
Performance Art Piece
September 2019
When I decided to write a poem by drawing words out of a hat, I had no idea that Tristan Tzara had done the same thing in the 1920s. When Austin Kleon (a modern-day poet, author, and artist) began writing his blackout poems, he had no idea that Tom Phillips, William Burroughs, and others had done very similar things before him. This realization sparked his Ted Talk and book called "Steal Like an Artist." I was inspired by his thinking, and I decided to build upon his work. I researched poets who worked with elements of randomness like Kleon, Phillips, and Burroughs, and I added in some of my own favorite poets. I found lines I loved from all of their works, then I mixed them together. When I performed this piece, I told the audience I was going to write them each an original poem. I then randomly selected and glued four lines onto a piece of paper for each person. While the poems were completely random, audience members shared how much their poem applied to them. Scroll through this gallery to see the different photos and the t-shirt I created for this work.
To me this work speaks to the way ideas are created. We are all building on each other, whether we realize it or not. You can learn more about Austin Kleon and his work on his website, https://austinkleon.com.
See Beyond
Performance Art Piece
September 2019
I commandeered a table in the Wilkinson Student Center on campus and put up a sign offering free portrait drawings. When people came up to me, I picked and drew spirit animals for them based on what they had told me about themselves. They were all a little nervous when I was about to show them the portrait, but they all got way more excited to receive their spirit animal drawing.
One girl who told me she is studying nursing because she spent a lot of time in the hospital growing up. She loved the nurses so much that she decided to become one too. It was obvious she remembered that time with joy and love. I loved getting to know each of these people, and I am grateful they were brave enough to come talk to me. There is a lot more to us than our appearance, and I think that it is easy to forget that in today's world.
