Hollywood Dream / I Believe in Bugs
Andi T.
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My first creative work, “Hollywood Dream,” is an ekphrasis poem based on the painting “The Lovers” by René Magritte. When I first saw the painting of the two lovers sharing a kiss with faces draped in cloth, I immediately thought of unrequited love and the utopian undertones of the American dream. I decided to combine these two and write a poem about the idealistic love portrayed in the movies during the Golden Age of Hollywood from the perspective of a narrator who longs for adventure and companionship. While the poem may have a pessimistic tone, it is truly meant to capture the inspirational nature of film and convey the message that dreams are meant to be chased, not simply accepted as unattainable.
My second poem, “I Believe in Bugs,” was originally an English class project that I adapted over time. The project entailed brainstorming my personal beliefs then writing them down in a particular predetermined format. I used this poem to focus mainly on my beliefs about the power of love, kindness, and creativity and apply them to examples in the real world, from an allusion to Olivia Rodrigo to a statement about harming flies. I tried to connect these beliefs to my personal goal of pursuing a creative career in the future and to the greater human experiences of feeling overwhelming emotion, living life to its fullest extent, and finding the passions that make our lives worth living.
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My driving force has always been creating stories through any vehicle I could unlock. It fills my life with passion and eagerness that has motivated me to connect with others through art. As a storyteller, I see life through a visionary lens and constantly ask myself how things could be.