Dada Style
Dada: Automatic Technique
Some things are a waste of time, such as admiring a
person who does not know you and probably never will. Stop looking for an idol
and become one. Idols can be overrated. Think about it. They are like mini-gods
who have power to a certain extent in the entertainment world. By the way, what
is up with the entertainment world? Lady Gaga; the queen of doing whatever,
whenever. Well, we know who not to call for fashion tips. But who am I to
judge? I love to eat pig feet and dream sickle snowballs concurrently. So, on
that note, I warn you. What I have said is an attempt to say what I mean and to
mean what I say. Lastly, you should know that I failed to do so.
Dada Dr. John. Dada Prytania. Dada revelation. Dada
po’boy. Dada Treme. Dada black and gold. Dada red beans. Dada chitterlings.
Dada laissez bons temps rouler. Dada un Krewe de Zulu. Dada Fat Tuesday. Dada
la Nouvelle-Orleans .
Writing without much direction is difficult; nonetheless,
it took me to do this technique to realize this. Now, I am grateful for
constraints and guidelines. I noticed that I get writers block when I can write
what I want and not be forced to be mindful of my piece flowing or it having some sort
of structure. Though this is backwards because there are people who would die to
be in this position, in self defense, I’m used to being told what to do. Thus, when I am given freedom, I reject it and start asking a million and one
questions. However, exercises such as
this can help me to break loose from that habit. For this piece, I simply typed
what came to mind. I’m still fixed on Mardi Gras so I utilized aspects of Mardi Gras while putting “Dada” in front the word. I’ve come to learn that experimental
writing is in fact deviating from normalcy and the only way to do so is if one
is pushed.
this technique seems really difficult. I'm not sure I could manage to write without thinking when I have to remind myself not to write what I'm thinking. I would end up writing the phrase write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking write without thinking
ReplyDeleteIt isn't an easy technique, but if you practice it--it can become easier to simply write what flows from your mind with little to no editing.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same boat when it comes to writing with no direction. I'm topic-dependent since my muse has taken an indefinite vacation. I love your last few sentences though.
ReplyDeleteThis automatic technique can make one feel vulnerable. But that seems to be a side effect as far as Dada is concerned, as it does not seem to be a writing process supremely interested in the psychological nature of the "writer". That being said, I like the section in which you use "Dada—" over and over, conveying a stream of phrases attached to that common prefix. I'd like to see this with more mistakes, you know, more grammatical mishaps and such, just to show the real process of creation vs. editing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good way of using automatic writing. I love your saying, "Stop looking for an idol and become one" did you make that up? I personally think it's an awesome quote. Anywho, I liked how you chose diffrent colors to section each paragraph off. That was creative. I loved the Dada added on to diffrent New Orleans cultures, "dada red beans" "dad zulu" that was a great idea.
ReplyDelete