Discovering Your Identity In Poetry
Knowing your identity, as a poet or a professional of any kind, will help you in the long run. It will give you insight to what projects or opportunities fit who you are and what your goals are, and it will help others know what to expect from you. But how do you find your identity?
Start with the definition.
identity: noun
a. the distinguishing character or personality of an individual
(This is a partial definition from Merriam-Webster.)
Then consult a pro.
And that’s what we’ve done. Let’s hear from a professional poet, writer, performer, businessman who has formed his brand around his identity: Papi Picasso.
Let poetry be therapeutic
When asked what he could teach about based off his own experience in the poetry industry, Papi Picasso said this:
“It would be about identity narratives. It would be about making sure that your art reflects your life and how to constructively use that conduit of poetry as a funnel to express yourself and analyze yourself and almost be critical. Let it be therapeutic. Poetry revolves around experiences and lessons, no matter what topic I decide to write about.”
He said it. Let poetry be therapeutic. Open yourself up to introspection and discover what it is that makes you who you are and to decipher lessons you’ve learned through your experiences. That can help you uncover your identity.
It doesn’t have to be only personal experiences. You can explore your personal reaction to societal experiences as well.
For example, Papi said, “When Ahmaud Arbery died, I wrote a poem called, ‘Run, Black Boy.’ And that’s one of those poems that fell out. It was important for me to address that as a father to a black son. So if I perform that poem, it’s because I want people to understand the level of social engagement that should be constantly going on. There’s never a day off on that poem.”
Lean into controlled transparency
What makes Papi stand out from other poets? He says it’s his ability to be transparent without being weak.
He says, “I don’t hold back. When I give you my story, I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I don’t give you my shirt. I maintain my privacy on my own terms. My take on fatherhood is the foremost part of what my poetry discusses. My takes on manhood and the redefinition of manhood are the forefront of my discussions. My sharing on going through depression and what my mental health did to me at a point in my life is how I took control of the narrative and understood where the accountability was.”
“I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I don’t give you my shirt.”
As poets, lots of us pride ourselves on our vulnerability and authenticity — which is fantastic. But there’s a line between vulnerability and oversharing. That line will depend on the person and their experiences, of course. Note how he said he “took control of the narrative” and that he “wears [his] heart on [his] sleeve, but [he won’t] give you [his] shirt.”
How valuable is that? You can lean into your transparency and vulnerability while still being in control of how much you share, how you share it, and how it relates to your identity.
Answer the business questions
Being in the poetry industry, you cannot avoid business speak. It comes with the territory. Answering some business questions will not only help you lay a foundation for you to get started with, but it will also help you understand who you are and what you’re aiming for.
Papi says, “In business in general, whether it be from my bachelor’s to my master’s in nonprofit association management or an MBA, you have to understand the business behind the things. You have to have strategic partnerships. I think poets limit themselves because they only know how to get a little bag for hosting and doing hand-to-hand sales. I’m sure you can make money off that. Cool.”
Here are some questions from Papi for you to consider:
Are you doing bulk orders?
Have you created a brand that is recognizable?
What’s your mission statement?
Where are your fundamental values?
When you apply for grants, will the City want to invest in you based on what your brand looks like or do you just have an IG in which you share your poetry? There’s a very big difference.
Do you have the infrastructure set up?
Do you stand with drop-ship versus fulfilling your own?
Are you an Amazon author or an independent author where you control the entire product line?
Do you understand what your return on investment is?
He goes on to say, “You’ve got to understand all of these things in order to successfully promote who and what you want. That being said, when I started sharing my poetry, I intentionally and purposefully understood that I didn’t want to be a regular open mic poet. I did that to earn my stripes, to understand crowd interaction, to let people know I’m here. … When I came in with that level of purpose, I started the brand and got the Papi Picasso logo.”
The business side of things means making sure what you’re promoting fits your identity, which is your personal brand. Consistency in branding goes a long way in audiences recognizing who you are and what they can expect from you. And when audiences see a consistent brand, they’re more likely to support that brand — whether financially or otherwise.
Final thoughts from Papi Picasso
Let poetry be therapeutic, lean into controlled transparency, and answer the business questions. Those are only three main tips Papi Picasso left for us in this episode of Poet Life Podcast. He shared many other nuggets of golden information and inspiration for you.
For now, we’ll leave you with a couple final thoughts from Papi:
“We own this culture. This culture moves every brand forward. It interfaces with it.”
“I’ll argue that poetry doesn’t fit anywhere. Everywhere fits within poetry. Poets by virtue, walk around with that energy because we know the minute we were approached or confronted with anything that requires a response, our response is going to cut harder, sharper, and deeper than anybody else’s.”
Be sure to listen to or watch the full episode. You won’t regret it.
Opting not to pander to an audience by providing simple poetry for shock value, and speaking down to the audience, instead he had them LISTEN UP. Addressing issues such as discrimination, gender inequality, the digital divide, gentrification, divorce, co-parenting, fatherhood and repeatedly virtues of manhood he has established as a bedrock for poetry in Atlanta, growing internationally.post-divorce Mario relocated to Atlanta to provide his children a better quality of life. Learn all about Papi Picasso at papipicassopoetry.com
