We recently connected with Sean Petrie and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sean, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
I’m not sure there is an industry standard for what I do! I mean, there definitely is for traditional poets and authors, and I wear that hat sometimes. But the typewriter poetry aspect is this wonderfully novel activity that doesn’t really have established standards: someone comes up to my poetry table at an event (like a corporate conference, book festival, museum exhibit opening, etc.) and gives a topic for whatever they’d like a poem about. Then – boom! – I write them a poem, on the spot, on my typewriter, in about 2 minutest. There’s no time for overthinking or editing. If there’s a mistake, I may XX it out, may lean into it, may not even notice it. Then I hand over the physical copy to the person, like a gift. They often read it right then and there and react (“This made me cry, I’m going to frame this,” etc.). It’s this brief moment of connection that I’m not sure happens that intensely in any other art form. Or at least I’ve never experienced it! So what I love, I guess, is that there *aren’t* industry standards — the art form itself embraces not being uniform, being different every single time and for every single person, embraces vulnerability. And all without the aid of technology. I’ve never thought of typewriter poetry as a kind of rebellious art form, but in a sense it totally is.
Sean, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
About ten years ago, a good friend (we did improv together) asked me to be part of a one-time booth at a craft fair: she wanted to make up poems on the spot for the attendees. Another friend joined and brought her typewriters, to see if it might work to use those. And, in this amazing, organic, completely unplanned way, it more than worked. It skyrocketed. Folks asked if we did this at other events (“Sure, of course!”) and within a week our group, called Typewriter Rodeo, was born. Since then we’ve typed poems for guests at all sorts of events all over the country — the Smithsonian American History Museum in D.C., a corporate conference on the beach in Cabo, Mexico, Willie Nelson’s musical festival in Austin, Texas, and so many more. I’ve probably written 25,000 poems like that — on the spot, for individual guests, on my 1928 Remington portable typewriter. Which was definitely not something I’d ever planned to do! At the same time, I’ve also written several traditional poetry books, as well as fiction novels for kids, which I *have* always wanted to do. Along the way I’ve had a couple agents, but also have gotten many book deals on my own. And I think that kind of sums up my creative path — some of the well-worn trails, but also a lot of meandering and exploring. I’m lucky in that I get to wear a lot of fun, creative hats. I also get to teach workshops for kids and adults, and am putting together my own little “master class” of creative tips and tricks I’ve picked up over the years. It’s been such an unexpected, delightful journey!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
To me, perhaps the most rewarding part of being a creative is not knowing what comes next. Each poem, each story, is this cool journey where I get to explore. And, a lot of the time, get to discover ideas — and things about myself — that I never would have otherwise. I love that there’s this creative well that I get to dip into and find something new almost every time. And, just as rewarding, are the times when I’m able to share something — whether through a story or poem or just a turn of phrase — that resonates with someone else. That shows we all, deep down, have a lot of the same fears hopes and dreams. Art connects people, and I love being even the smallest part of that.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I’ve done typewriter poetry at all sorts of events, all over the country. Big corporate events in California. Small coffeehouses in Maine. Museums in Dallas, schools in Minnesota. Art festivals in Columbus, Ohio and Midland, Texas. Farmer’s markets in Montpelier, Vermont and West Seattle, Washington. Book festivals in NYC, D.C., Boston and Austin. Weddings all over the place. Pretty much any type of event, big city or small town. In all, I’ve written individual poems for at least 25,000 people. And what I’ve discovered is, not everyone loves poetry. But, everyone does seem to love a poem, written for them, on a topic they picked, right then and there on the spot. To me, it shows there’s really no such thing as a “non-creative.” And that everyone, no matter how “mundane” they think their lives or jobs or whatever, everyone appreciates art — everyone has something they’d like a poem about. At its most fundamental level, art makes people feel seen, feel understood. Which is perhaps what we all desire most of all, way more than a fast car or balanced budget. I think it is so important to remember that — that art, no matter it’s “monetary” value, has inherent value to everyone. A lot of us forget that (especially when deciding things like school programming and library budgets). I can’t even begin to count how many people you’d think are non-creatives, like an insurance underwriter at a corporate conference, or a retired lobsterman in Maine, people from all walks of life who will get a typewriter poem and say, “Wow, this is so freaking cool. I never ‘get’ poetry. But I get this.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.SeanPetrie.com
- Instagram: @seanjpetrie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGRPAL43yk_Er72u4bYIDGw
Image Credits
Texas Country Reporter