There are so, so many ways to build a life. That’s what I thought when I read the profile of Jacqueline Suskin on Atelier Dore last week. She built her career as a writer by writing poems for people at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market. People tell her what’s on their heart and she writes a poem for them within two minutes. How cool is that??
Definitely click through to read the full article, but I just have to share this quote:
“I didn’t want to take that standard route of academic poetry, so I finished my BA and traveled around the Americas for about four years making money as a gardener and tutor. Most poets get their PhD and go on to teach at a university, but that world didn’t interest me. During my travels, I met artist Zach Houston in Oakland, CA. At the time, he was writing poetry with his typewriter at farmers’ markets and street fairs, having customers name a subject and pay whatever they wanted to in exchange for a poem. We became fast friends and he asked me if I wanted to try my hand at Poem Store. It seemed like a fun writing experiment to me–I had no clue that it would end up being my career. I’d just purchased a typewriter at the Rose Bowl flea market the week before. I ended up moving to Arcata, CA and started bringing Poem Store to the weekly farmers’ market on the plaza. After a few months, I became the resident town poet and after a few years of this work it was clear that I needed to bring the project to more people. That’s when I decided to move to Los Angeles. The Hollywood farmers’ market ushered me in and I’ve been writing poetry on-demand for nearly ten years now. It’s been an incredible experiment, my only source of income.”
I marvel at the fact that she knew she wanted to be a poet, but she found her own winding way down that road. She doesn’t detail what it was like for her in those four years where she wandered and gardened and tutored. Did she feel lost and that her dream to be a poet was ridiculous? Or, did she have a gentle knowing of her purpose, finding satisfaction in her life’s journey? Could she ever fathom that she’d sustain her writing dreams by going to the Farmers’ Market and writing spontaneous poems?
Sometimes I feel like I’m going nowhere if I’m not DOING THE THING professionally or with great renown. More and more these days, I am realizing that the actual fun of it all is the journey. Will I ever be as happy in my writing career as I am this night, sitting here at my computer clacking away about a lady who writes poems at the Farmers’ Market? It’s hard to imagine something better. I now realize that I am a writer because I write and that I can find the deepest, most gratifying happiness in this process by just showing up.
I missed this space while I was deep in my day job this past week or so. I love nothing more than sharing the things I love with you all. From the deepest part of me, I want to thank those of you who take the time to read along. When I log in and see that a few of you visited me here, it warms my heart. Thank you for showing up for me as I show up for you and for myself as a writer.
So, how are things going with you? Feeling like you want to rent a booth at the Farmers’ Market in your town? No? Just me?
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