How Do You Become a Poet? (Or, introducing myself in a smooth way)

  Hi! I’m Jane Zambrano, 19 years old, from Venezuela. I’m a poet, aspiring anthropologist and art enthusiast.  

   It startled everyone, when I was child, that I didn't want to be a doctor, or a veterinarian (though God knows I'd love to be a doggo doctor), or a lawyer, or an actress, or etcetera. Sometimes I thought I was a cool kid, too creative and too much of an underdog; but sometimes I just figured I was too lazy. At least, too lazy to sit behind a desk with any other mindset than that of putting my deepest thoughts into words. My mom noticed this interest I had at a very early age, and kept gifting me notebooks and journals with little locks and pictures of Disney princesses. Of course, the life of a child lacks depth and substance (either that, or I was a shockingly boring girl), so my entries consisted mainly of tales about going to the supermarket and having quarrels with my closest friends over silly things (except for that one time I bit my friend Ilusión in the arm).  

However, somewhere down the line I realized maybe I could take my hobby a few steps further.   I gathered some attention from my literature teachers in high school; I can particularly remember one story I wrote for class, about a Caribbean boy who enjoyed freedom and loneliness, until the day his father (a Cacique: a tribe leader) was killed by European invaders. My teacher didn’t believe I’d written the story, and actually considered calling my parents to discuss the subject. Nonetheless, I’m one of those people, the damned who never settle with pretty much anything: and I got bored of writing stories. Sure, it’s fun, it’s more accessible. I read the Big Ones: Orwell, Yeats, Mishima, Burroughs and Dostoyevsky were the ones I thought of as classics, and they were my favorite writers. I can’t possibly express the simultaneous joy and sorrow I experienced while reading Confessions of a Mask (I will always defend Yukio Mishima, whose prose I consider essentially perfect, from his detractors). It was one of two books that made me want to write, that made me the writer I am. But the time came when I faced the fact that I liked writing, and I had some talent at it, yet what I was writing didn’t feel right.     
 

 It seemed clear to me that everyone expected me to study Literature in college. Needless to say: that did not happen. My interest in anthropology first started with the fantastic, almost surreal stories about Ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh, the lost cultures, all that was kept secret to most people. I started studying anthropology at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV, by its initials in Spanish), the most important university of my country. Anthropology is fascinating, enigmatic and very hard to define, but its main goal is to study those who are different, that cultural otherness. Of course, I've never left my life's passion behind. And whenever I'm not studying or procrastinating busy, I love to go around on walks, visit art museums and get inspired.

 What is Poetry?, would be a nice question. People rarely ask though. I usually define myself as a poet, rather than a writer. Hello, I’m Jane, and I’m a poet, until I burn it out and start thinking it’s too pretentious; then I start with Hello, I’m Jane, I like to write, which is more mysterious, but also more clarifying, in a way. Sometimes I stay quiet about it, but people tend to notice it anyhow. You know you’re talking to a musician even if they never tell you they’re one. I think artists never need to say a thing, their only need and duty is to create, and anything beyond that is optional. But, of course, that’s an idealistic thought, and idealism belongs in the parallel universe where life is perfect and dogs don’t die from eating chocolate (I like dogs).    
 

 With all of this on my mind, I wrote my first poem book, named Kháos. It was received very positively by fellow poets, editorials, professors and my own social circle (filled with people that are way too assholish honest to lie). I will talk about Kháos on future posts, as it’s a book that makes me incredibly proud. I continue to write constantly, but I actually prefer reading poetry, so I’ll definitely support other writers on Steemit (I think artists should always look out for each other). This is pretty much a neat introduction to my awkward awesome self. I’ll be posting my own work as well, so follow, comment and get in touch with me whenever you wish!