We were lucky to catch up with Erykah Massey recently and have shared our conversation below.
Erykah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
My style of writing is directly correlated to my feelings and how I experience life. When I write, I intend to include every detail of the experience through all six senses. I want to take the reader on an adventure and allow them the opportunity to imagine through the imagery I provide. I learned to be a better writer by learning to be a great storyteller. I allow myself to get lost in the senses of it all. Time, being a key element in learning your craft is important to take note of. It helps you find pivots for growth based on how much time you spend with your craft and how often you take risk. Creating in its self is risky, in my opinion. But, it’s supposed to be. Try new things, experiment, explore, fail, get back up again, and execute. Seeking validation, desiring approval, and insecurities are stitched into the fabric of being creative. We all want to create something that others will love just as much as we do. There will always be others who are following a different blueprint than you and the process will constantly ask you to stay the course and follow yours.
Erykah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, as a child I was widely known for my artistic expression and stage presence. Whether it be for singing or reciting poetry, being in the spotlight was a place that frequently spoke to me and where I felt the most comfortable. From kindergarten to sixth grade I participated in many spoken word competitions and every year I’d compete with those in my class for the opportunity to compete with others in my grade. I knew that I was a strong public speaker and I deeply enjoyed stepping into the emotions of the poems I’d selected. However, at the core, I was a bit competitive and kind of a sore loser. So, you can imagine my devastation after years of proudly winning first place in every competition, for the first time ever, my sixth grade year I placed second. I suppose at the time my ego was bigger than my passion because the experience caused me to dissociate from the poetry world altogether and I stopped connecting with myself through its Art. Music for me was another medium I often got lost in and my voice was the source of my confidence. After taking what I considered an embarrassing loss, I turned to choir and talent shows to rebuild my spirit. Fast forwarding to 2020, I was laid off from my job and the free time and disconnection from the world allowed me to reconnect with myself and so I started to write. I’d been told by many of my old teachers that I was a strong writer, but I never thought about taking it seriously. As I started to write more, I noticed how easy it was for me to express myself and how therapeutic it felt to use word play to release all my pent up emotions; as I never really learned how to regulate them healthily. A few years of writing, sharing my poetry with those close to me, and deep contemplation went by before I finally decided that my work needed to be shared with the world and from that I birthed Elm Street Poetry. The rawness of the literature is what separates me from others. I write about the seen and unseen, the loud and the quiet. Bad experiences, uncomfortable feelings; and the many pivots of life. All things we need to learn to appropriately address and accept. My intention is to always tug on the heart strings of the reader. I want to get them to really connect with how they feel. Elm Street Poetry is like the streetlight in a dark alley. A light for the lost, a sense of direction, and for some its hidden instructions. May the blog guide them Home – wherever that may be. I’m very proud of how much I have grown through the blog. When I created it, I had a vision of cultivating a space where I could release and express myself freely, but it quickly evolved into something more that I felt others could also benefit from. When I leave the world, I want people to know who I was and how I contributed to the world of literature. I love to read and its always a pleasure to indulge in timeless literary works; authors who have passed on and merged with the earth whose artistry lives on through their work.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The goal is to raise your awareness to your own voice, your own sound. I want more people to invest in who they are. Never forget how important being yourself is and how your value contributes to society. I trust that my work will find its way to who it’s for. Currently, I am in the process of writing my first poetry book so it makes me feel good when I can connect with others through my writing. When I first started writing poetry, I wasn’t comfortable sharing it. I struggled with believing in myself and being vulnerable with my community. I wasn’t sure if people would understand me as I grew up feeling constantly misunderstood. Poetry was the only way I knew how to truly express myself. The poems told stories of experiences I’d had that I was interested in sharing, but didn’t have the words for and it became a form of therapy for me. They were journal entries of my life and I wrote love letters to pieces of myself in them.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect would have to be the impact. We all cater to a specific audience. People who tap in with who you are. They just get you. I enjoy the feeling of connecting with others. The exchange of casual banter. I love getting messages about the blog and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many poets, creatives, and other artists in the DFW area. There is something unique about everyone, something that makes each of us special in our own way. I express much gratitude for all the doors that have opened up for me because I’ve been rewarded in moments when I wasn’t looking to be. The key is to be yourself and the rest will follow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elmstreetpoetry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erykah.lauryn/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/erykah_lauryn
Image Credits
Behind the lens: IG: @Photogra.leah