A few months ago, I stumbled onto blackout poetry. It’s not a new concept but I had completely forgotten it existed. And it sounded like fun! All I needed was text to work from.
I scoured our bookshelf and found a copy of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. I don’t know how I came to acquire this book but let me tell you - I disagree with it wholeheartedly.
Are there maybe some good nuggets in there? Probably. But I’m not about to wade through hundreds of pages of bullshit to pull them out. Especially not when the intro to the book says that not everybody can be extraordinary. I think they can and I think that attitude is defeatist and depressing and will honestly keep people from happiness. Clearly I’m not the target audience.
So I tore the book apart and started making some blackout poetry from it!
Below I have the images of the poetry, the way it’s “meant” to be read and viewed. But I also have it transcribed as text that I broke up into stanzas for accessibility purposes. And, if you find reading the blackout structure confusing, maybe the stanzas will help you, too!
Enjoy it however you prefer and I hope to post more of these soon because they’re really fun!
The Not-So-Subtle Art of Giving a Fuck
Generation superstar Happier to become adversity For a rich life. Honest things live wildly Working our delusional selves And world. Hard-fought wisdom Groundbreaking research Turn lemons into lemonade. Flawed and limited everybody can be extraordinary. Know our real source Embrace uncertainties We stop to find courage.
Try
An alcoholic, gambler, cheapskate On his worst days The last person to Expect any sort of help A writer rejected His work crude Piled up depression His life a letter and booze
Fame
"He he he" that tombstone reads Fame, success, a tried genius Shining, unflinching, failing doubt This is the real story A failure, a fuck He still showed up Hammered, abused in public Tried to find a better person, A better person, Better than the rest.
Thank you so much for reading In the Clouds! This is a personal outlet I created to nurture my own creativity and to connect with other artsy people out in the world.
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Oh and +100 points for your 💣 ass poetry!
They're are so many books on the designer or entrepreneur holy grail list that I just didn't enjoy or flat out don't fuck with so I'm glad someone else feels the same lol