Speed Poetry Challenge

Noodle’s Speed Poetry Challenge from Noodle on Vimeo.

WHAT IS IT?
Watch the video and find out. (Let it load if it’s runnin’ chunky)

HOW WILL YOU KNOW WHEN THE CHALLENGE IS OVER?
Success is achieved when I produce 5 new pieces.

WHAT IS THE FORMAT?
Each will be made using a different medium, preferably one that I am unfamiliar with so I learn something new.

WHEN IS THE FIRST DELIVERABLE DUE?
The first “inspired by” piece will be completed one month from the start of the challenge. (The first thing I’ve chosen to do is a bit ambitious, so I’ve given myself some wiggle room.)

WHERE CAN PEOPLE SEE THE RESULTS?
As I finish each “something else”, I’ll put it up right here, at the bottom of this page.

BY POSTING THIS VIDEO, I HAVE MADE MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE TO COMPLETE THIS CHALLENGE.

If you’d like to try make something inspired by this bad speed poem, go nuts. Just remember to share the results with me. Here is text of the poem:

“BATHROOM”
The jackhammer of the brain on the street
The synapse of the garbage deposit
The pink and grey matter of the doesn’t matter
They all point, lead, stretch, flex
to the same thing.

The stem of rootlessness at the core
The lobe of fat greed and pity knives
The hemisphere with equatorial belt
They all wave their thoughts, dreams, suicides
about the same thing.

The dream death of a spark of life
The motivational farewell note left on the counter
The idea charred at the tomb entrance
They all scream their demise, decay, distrust
about the same thing.

Boredom is the Fat Man and Little Boy
of creativity.

SPEED POETRY CHALLENGE RESULTS

PIECE 1:

“Bathroom” from Noodle on Vimeo.

Ambition is a torpedo fueled by a ticking clock and the red-lined limits of your ability. This is, and at the same time is not, the 1st deliverable for this challenge. I realized about a week ago that the project I was working on for the first piece would not be ready in time due to my ambition torpedo. And not be ready by a long shot (as a result, it’s now the last deliverable in this series. A thousand pardons and shameful forelock tugging as a back away).

But like any good cooking show, here is one I prepared earlier. It’s the understudy “Bathroom”. Of all the projects I have planned, this is the only one that uses the entire poem, and as a result the least derivative or “inspired by”. And anyone who’s ever sat through any of my presentations will recognize my style. But I’m digging how it takes a flat and lifeless piece of text and gives it a bit of a lift. The biggest challenge was sourcing images. I limited my flickr search to Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License images that could be “remixed” to cover myself for any cropping and changing levels. I’ve reprinted the poem with links to the photos on the words they were used for. Click through to see images in full glory.

“BATHROOM” image credit list.
The jack hammer of the brain on the street
The synapse of the garbage deposit
The pink and grey matter of the doesn’t matter
They all point, lead, stretch, flex
to the same thing.

The stem of root lessness at the core
The lobe of fat greed and pity knives
The hemisphere with equatorial belt
They all wave their thoughts, dreams, suicides
about the same thing.

The dream death of a spark of life
The motivational farewell note left on the counter
The idea charred at the tomb entrance
They all scream their demise, decay, distrust
about the same thing.

Boredom is the Fat Man and Little Boy
of creativity.

PIECE 2: MOTIVATIONAL FAREWELL POSTERS

motivational_posters

It’s time to see the second output of the Speed Poetry Challenge. As per usual, I left everything until the last minute and as a result, I didn’t end up producing as many as I thought I would.

For this round, rather than use the full text of the poem as I did in Take 1, I focused on the line “The motivational farewell note left on the counter”. And instead of notes, I did posters. I’ve tried to keep them at-first-glance-cheery-like, but I doubt a cheery poster would kill the pain of someone having buggered off on you. You’re welcome to try – pin one up and see what happens.

So, without any further ado, I give you my MOTIVATIONAL FAREWELL POSTERS. Perfect for all your uncomfortable farewell needs.

Click an image to see it large on flickr.

SITUATION: I AM RUNNING AWAY