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Hello! Please, tell me about yourself! You may start wherever you’d like.
I’m Jan Richard Baraceros, a 17-year-old student from the Philippines, and currently practicing to be a great filmmaker someday. I don’t know if this helps but one thing about me is that I’m a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) which, I guess, helps me a lot as a creative individual. Of course, it has several drawbacks that affect my day-to-day life such as anxiety and, well, being highly sensitive, but I think being able to focus on the little things and having a very big appreciation for them balances everything out.
Why do you enjoy doing poetry? How does it impact you as a writer?
I first discovered poetry through a school assignment way back in 10th grade and ever since then, I’ve been enjoying poetry as a sort of escapism from the world. I know it sounds silly but when I’m writing a poem, I feel like I’m just a tiny leaf lost in a whirlpool of thoughts, and I feel safe in that. I’m in command of the domain and I place myself on the dirt.
How does expressing your creativity through the written works make you feel?
It’s like every blank page I write on is someone willing to listen and understand my thoughts and feelings. They’re like a stranger that you’re not afraid to talk to about the deepest and sickest parts of yourself because you know that they can’t possibly hold any judgment towards you, or so you think.
When did you realize that you enjoy doing poetry?
I think it was in my 6th poem that I realized, “Wow, I have a knack for this.” I mean, that was the first time that the words really just flew in smoothly. I didn’t have to search for rhymes or synonyms or anything. And of course, that just happens to be the first love poem I wrote.
Tell me a story where you’ve created the first piece that you were so proud of.
It was actually when I wrote the first poem I’ve ever created. I think I’ve told this story before but it’s for a school assignment where we each have to present something that involves creativity and art, and I wrote this poem about the constant cycle of gray days. I was pretty proud of that back then because I was the only one who made a poem while everyone drew or painted and in that instance, I just knew I had what it takes to go on this journey.
Since you were a part of The Creativity Camp, let us know how this experience enhanced your abilities as a poet.
It was very fun! I mean aside from the time difference, the tasks and just the overall experience were nothing like I expected. Before the camp started, I was going through a week-long writer’s block but then after the camp ended, suddenly I wrote like 8 poems in a span of four weeks. It was also during the summer camp that I created one of the pieces that I’m most proud of throughout my whole poetic journey.
Tell me a story behind any of the poems you’ve submitted or shared with the Creativity Camp.
The poem I was talking about earlier was the one I wrote for our first weekly prompt. It’s called “creator, destroyer.” It explores the melancholic nostalgia of the speaker who faced tremendous loss when he ventured out in life as an individual. It’s actually one of my biggest fears, especially growing up in an Asian household. Here, we live collectively. We have a collective mindset. And as a creative individual, the thought of venturing out alone and eventually failing alone terrifies me. Nevertheless, I keep on going. I know I can make it. I’ll make myself make it.
Is there anyone who gives inspiration to your work?
Several singer-songwriters and artistic figures have shaped me and my overall philosophy so much; Sylvia Plath, Weyes Blood, Angel Olsen, Salvador Dali, Okay Kaya, FKA Twigs, Lorde. They all guided me throughout this whole thing. But the one that really impacted me the most was Lady Gaga. She’s like my artistic awakening. That woman is a force of nature, honestly. She continues to inspire me everyday even in the smallest ways. I just love her so much and how much she’s done to make this world a better place.
What do you do when you have writer’s block? How do you overcome it?
I just take some time off. It’s that simple. Sometimes it takes a walk around the room, sometimes it takes months. If I can’t write something, I’ll try again tomorrow. I think the way to overcome writer’s block is to simply not give up. The cycle will always repeat itself again and again until the other side breaks, and I never break.
Do you have a future dream job related to the hobby you do? If not, what would you like to be when you’re older?
I really strive to be a great filmmaker someday and to make something that marks my place in history. After that, I don’t care so much anymore. Maybe just a simple cottage on the forest floor. Warm cups of coffee, the still-cold smell of mornings, sitting alone with a cat or two— totally away from the world. Maybe someone to sing and dance with me.
What advice would you give to young creatives trying to craft their work ethic?
Embrace the chaos. Embrace the pain. I know it shouldn’t be like this, but it is. I’m not saying that you’ll find yourself in the middle of that battlefield because you won’t. We are nothing but stardust in the beginning. It’s like you have to slowly build up who you really are, and that battlefield just happens to have all the resources you need. And when someone tells you that you can’t do this or that you’re too soft for this or that you’re too weird for people to actually take a look at your work, blow them a kiss, and wish them good luck as you walk away. It’s the only way it’s fun!
Interviewed and cover page by Brianna Paulino