Inga Pizāne is a poet for whom writing is not merely a profession, but also meditation and a path to herself. The poet has published three volumes of poems and admits that with each published book, the question arises – what to do next?
We know that you are a poet, and this, of course, means that your everyday life is closely linked to writing, but despite this, I would like to ask you – what does writing does mean in your life?
Writing means a great deal to me. It is not merely my profession, but also an existential path that I am deliberately taking. For me, writing means discovering myself – writing a diary is a way in which I look at what is going on in my head at a specific moment in time. In childhood, I was a very shy child and was unable to say everything out loud, so writing was my way of expressing my thoughts and ideas, because whereas not everything can be resolved by talking, it is possible to write everything down. My experience of writing started with writing a diary, and later I switched to writing at a professional level, combining writing daily notes with poetry.
In the modern digital age, a lot of people prefer writing in digital format. How do your poems come about – are they written down by hand in a notebook or on some digital device?
I write everything by hand and I am a person who always carries a notepad with me, it is very rare that I note something down on my phone, and […if I do, then…] I write these ideas or thoughts down on paper at the first opportunity. Writing by hand is personal contact with oneself, which is just like choosing a personal conversation with a person or writing on WhatsApp. Writing by hand, it is possible to arrive at something important by taking more time and being present. I like it if a notebook has white pages so that I do not feel restricted and so that I have complete freedom. I usually buy my notebooks on my travels, choosing them carefully, which I associate with some place or writer, but my friends know that I will always need somewhere to write down my thoughts, so I often receive notebooks as gifts.
Is it possible to get tired from writing?
It is not my goal to write as fast or as much as possible in order to be able to publish the next volume of poems, so I don’t get tired from writing. When I sense that I have accumulated enough poems, then a book is published, after which there is a pause and I ask myself the question – what next? One always wants to find a new current to avoid repeating oneself. Therefore the question arises – what will be next and can I say something new?
From where do you draw inspiration to find such new currents and say something new?
It is important for every writer and poet to live life, not just to be in books, and what is no less important is to live an interesting life, full of people, relationships and conversations. I am also inspired by going for walks, because during a walk the subjects in one’s head arrange themselves and images correlate with events. And, of course, books, cultural events and art created by other people help to give me another perspective of things.
Perhaps this question is slightly out of line, but these days you often hear the assertion that people increasingly read less – not only books, but also information on the Internet. Did you have any doubts about your choice of profession, knowing that these days there are fewer and fewer people who read books?
At the time when I chose this profession, I had no idea that it would be my profession. I was a teenager when I understood that I wanted to write, and back then I wanted to be honest with myself and not to renounce the things I enjoyed just because trends were changing. Fortunately, I live in a bubble in which people read and appreciate what books have to offer. And I am not inclined to agree with the assertion that youngsters are not interested in literature. I regularly visit schools, talk to youngsters and witness both interest in poetry and the potential to write. Reading has never been for everybody. Yes, it is possible that in future books will become more exclusive, but oftentimes people who read can achieve more – and I’m not just talking about vocabulary or knowledge, but people, who read also attain inner prosperity. Amidst the helter-skelter of everyday life, it is much more valuable to lose oneself among books as opposed to losing oneself on one’s phone.
In conclusion, what is your wish or advice to people who would like to write, but cannot get around to doing so because they are timid or afraid?
Writing is getting oneself in order, and it is not an elite pursuit. Writing is like meditation or therapy, because by writing down one’s mind, one attains greater clarity, and you understand what makes you anxious, depressed or happy. It is worthwhile for everybody to start writing to sort yourself out, because it helps you to notice both internal and external things – by jotting down your everyday observations and thoughts, you notice the things that repeat themselves in your notes, and can understand why you return to them all the time. Writing is looking in the mirror, and, if we can sort ourselves out, it will be easier for others to communicate with us.
