You Get What You Give (First, You Gotta Give)
disconnect 006/237: Life = The sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual
[29 September 2024]
-----------------------
A couple of weeks ago, on my way to a Berlin Art Week event in Mitte, I realized while I was on the S-Bahn that it started one hour later than I had thought. So, I decided to spend some time at one of my absolute favorite places in Berlin, Dussmann.
As I walked towards the large bookstore on Friedrichstrasse, I passed by a man on the sidewalk near the entrance. He had a sign in front of him that said you could give him any topic, and he would write a poem about it on the spot.
I remembered seeing him there before, but I had never really paid attention to him. This time, I did. Why? If you have been following the Soda Sundays for a while, you may remember that a while ago, I went to play pinball in an arcade on the outskirts of Berlin all by myself and was frustrated about failing to achieve my goal of talking to strangers. This was the start of my weekly ‘I’m going out on an adventure by myself’ routine.
On that day, attending one of the events at Berlin Art Week was another one of those adventures, which is why I thought about my experience at the pinball arcade while I was browsing books. And, I came to the conclusion that the poet on the sidewalk was the perfect person/stranger to talk to.
You may consider it cheating because he’s taking the first step by putting up a sign and asking people to talk to him. However, I was curious to speak with him and even more curious to give him a topic and see what poem he would write. So, on my way out of Dussmann, I approached him and asked him to write a poem about ‘how beautiful it is to be alone’ (‘wie schön es ist, allein zu sein’).
He had some pieces of paper in different colors to write the poem on from which I could choose one, and told me he’d need about ten minutes to write the poem, so I decided to go on a walk in the meantime.
While I waited for the poet to do his creative work, I walked along some of Berlin’s seemingly never-ending construction sites, passing by cheerful people who had likely just finished their workday. I eventually reached the Spree, where the evening sun reflected in the water and a few people stood at the railing, taking in the beautiful scenery.
After walking around rather aimlessly for 15 minutes, admiring my surroundings on this beautiful, sunny late-summer evening, I arrived back in front of Dussmann. The poet was already there, holding the poem written on the blue piece of paper I had chosen.
‘Und möglich ist’s, dass der Gedankengang sich unterbricht. Und möglich ist’s, dass er von neu beginnt.’ // 'And it is possible that the train of thought interrupts itself. And it is possible that it starts over again.’
(Johannes Hupp)
After he read me the poem, we had a lovely, short conversation about his work as a poet and writer. Eventually, I mentioned that I am an artist myself, and that solitude plays a big role in my work, which is why I asked him to write a poem about this topic. And I thought that as a poet and writer, he might be interested in reading what I’m writing about. So, just before our conversation ended, I asked if I could add him to my mailing list. He agreed, and I had to leave for the event I had planned to attend on time. So, if you are reading this, thanks again for the interaction we had, it brightened my day.
Even though I enjoyed the Berlin Art Week event, the most impactful art I experienced that day was happening before the event took place. Without a doubt, life is the most interesting work of art that exists.
Enjoy your day or night!
glg Soda Paapi
‘The sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual’ (Merriam-Webster’s definition of life)
‘Skill acquired by experience, study, or observation’ (Merriam-Webster’s definition of art)
PS: Today, I’d like to share one of the songs with you which I produced before I recently switched my approach for working on my upcoming project 40 Nights in Toronto (I’ll tell you more about how and why I switched my approach in the next Soda Sundays episode). Here’s a snippet of Why Don’t You Start To Fall In Love With Where You Are Right Now:
[media unavailable]
If you have any feedback about my art and/or this newsletter, I’m curious to hear it!
You Get What You Give (First, You Gotta Give)
disconnect 006/237: Life = The sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual
[29 September 2024]
-----------------------
A couple of weeks ago, on my way to a Berlin Art Week event in Mitte, I realized while I was on the S-Bahn that it started one hour later than I had thought. So, I decided to spend some time at one of my absolute favorite places in Berlin, Dussmann.
As I walked towards the large bookstore on Friedrichstrasse, I passed by a man on the sidewalk near the entrance. He had a sign in front of him that said you could give him any topic, and he would write a poem about it on the spot.
I remembered seeing him there before, but I had never really paid attention to him. This time, I did. Why? If you have been following the Soda Sundays for a while, you may remember that a while ago, I went to play pinball in an arcade on the outskirts of Berlin all by myself and was frustrated about failing to achieve my goal of talking to strangers. This was the start of my weekly ‘I’m going out on an adventure by myself’ routine.
On that day, attending one of the events at Berlin Art Week was another one of those adventures, which is why I thought about my experience at the pinball arcade while I was browsing books. And, I came to the conclusion that the poet on the sidewalk was the perfect person/stranger to talk to.
You may consider it cheating because he’s taking the first step by putting up a sign and asking people to talk to him. However, I was curious to speak with him and even more curious to give him a topic and see what poem he would write. So, on my way out of Dussmann, I approached him and asked him to write a poem about ‘how beautiful it is to be alone’ (‘wie schön es ist, allein zu sein’).
He had some pieces of paper in different colors to write the poem on from which I could choose one, and told me he’d need about ten minutes to write the poem, so I decided to go on a walk in the meantime.
While I waited for the poet to do his creative work, I walked along some of Berlin’s seemingly never-ending construction sites, passing by cheerful people who had likely just finished their workday. I eventually reached the Spree, where the evening sun reflected in the water and a few people stood at the railing, taking in the beautiful scenery.
After walking around rather aimlessly for 15 minutes, admiring my surroundings on this beautiful, sunny late-summer evening, I arrived back in front of Dussmann. The poet was already there, holding the poem written on the blue piece of paper I had chosen.
‘Und möglich ist’s, dass der Gedankengang sich unterbricht. Und möglich ist’s, dass er von neu beginnt.’ // 'And it is possible that the train of thought interrupts itself. And it is possible that it starts over again.’
(Johannes Hupp)
After he read me the poem, we had a lovely, short conversation about his work as a poet and writer. Eventually, I mentioned that I am an artist myself, and that solitude plays a big role in my work, which is why I asked him to write a poem about this topic. And I thought that as a poet and writer, he might be interested in reading what I’m writing about. So, just before our conversation ended, I asked if I could add him to my mailing list. He agreed, and I had to leave for the event I had planned to attend on time. So, if you are reading this, thanks again for the interaction we had, it brightened my day.
Even though I enjoyed the Berlin Art Week event, the most impactful art I experienced that day was happening before the event took place. Without a doubt, life is the most interesting work of art that exists.
Enjoy your day or night!
glg Soda Paapi
‘The sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual’ (Merriam-Webster’s definition of life)
‘Skill acquired by experience, study, or observation’ (Merriam-Webster’s definition of art)
PS: Today, I’d like to share one of the songs with you which I produced before I recently switched my approach for working on my upcoming project 40 Nights in Toronto (I’ll tell you more about how and why I switched my approach in the next Soda Sundays episode). Here’s a snippet of Why Don’t You Start To Fall In Love With Where You Are Right Now:
[media unavailable]
If you have any feedback about my art and/or this newsletter, I’m curious to hear it!