“And treating poetry as a performing art emphasizes its ephemerality. A printed poem can be endlessly reprinted, photocopied, scanned, uploaded, cut and pasted - but a performance, even if somebody's there with a video camera, is one time only: the audience experiences something that won't exist when the performance is over, and which won't ever be reproduced in exactly the same form. I find that appealing.” IfsArtFormAudienceCuttingPerformancesCamerasVideoPerformingOne TimePrintedPerforming ArtsVideo Cameras Author:James Arthur
“If art doesn't require an audience, can an intimate conversation be a work of art? Can a thought be a work of art? Maybe. I don't know. These questions are completely hypothetical for me, because I love interacting with audiences. I want my poems to be heard.” IfsKnowsWantArtAudienceHeardConversationIntimateWorks Of ArtInteractingHypotheticalIntimate Conversation Author:James Arthur
“I don't think I'd ever get any better as a poet if I didn't push myself, very deliberately, to grow. My best poems surprise me, as they should, but I fight them at every turn, possibly just because I'm stubborn.” IfsThinkingShouldTurnsFightingGrowsPoetSurpriseStubbornSurprise MeBest Poem Author:James Arthur
“If poems very different from my own bring pleasure to a group of readers, who am I to say that the poems should have been written differently?” IfsShouldHas BeensDifferentMy OwnPleasureWrittenGroupsReaderShould HaveShould Have Been Author:James Arthur
“Start listening to what you say. Are your comments and ideas negative? You aren't going become positive if you always say negative things. Do you hear yourself say"I could never do that","I never have any luck","I never get things right". Wow - that's negative self-talk! Try saying"I am going to do that","I am so lucky""I always try to get things right". Can you hear how much better that sounds?” IfsTryingIdeasSelfSoundInspiringListeningLuckyNegativeLuckCommentWowSo LuckySelf Talk Author:James Arthur