Brings art closer
LARTA.NL
Brings art closer
LARTA.NL
Brengt kunst dichterbij
LARTA.NL
When you contact the Passionate Artist to become a member, we ask you to write a piece, submit photos, etc. The Passionate Artist posts the work himself. You can send an email at any time of the month to adjust your advertisement, add events, etc.
We will adjust this for you as soon as possible, ideally the same day.
When you contact the Passionate Artist to become a member, we ask you to write a piece, submit photos, etc. The Passionate Artist posts the work himself. You can send an email at any time of the month to adjust your advertisement, add events, etc.
We will adjust this for you as soon as possible, ideally the same day.
INTERVIEWS
What moves an artist?
What is art for artists?
How did they start?
What tips do they want to give?
Home > Interviews >Interview with Sjaak Kroes: street poet
_pn.png)
Sjaak Kroes
Street poet
Who are you and what characterizes your work as a poet?
I am a sensitive man, interested in the world around him, and I enrich people with my creative urge to use words. I enjoy adventure and try to use my talents to serve others.
My work is characterized by the choice of beautiful images, often intertwined with nostalgia, 'the little things'. I use free verse, word play and letter rhyme. I find it a challenge to highlight recognizable elements in an innovative way.
_pn.png)
"My work is characterized by the choice of beautiful images, often intertwined with nostalgia,
'the little things'."
Take us to where your passion for poetry originated.
In high school, after reading books, I always wrote a poem for the book report, even if I wasn't asked to do so. At a later age I wrote poems for women, and I noticed that they liked it. See you on the moment I really wanted to make poetry my job, I already had a love for poems.
When did you decide to become a poet full-time?
I wanted to turn my life around, things weren't going the way I wanted. I felt I had talents to share. A friend of mine had seen a street poet in New York, and she said: If anyone can do that, it's you. And so I started with a table and two chairs in the streets of The Hague. I have now been a performance artist for over 5 years.
_pn.png)
"And so I started with a table and two chairs in the streets of The Hague. I have now been a performance artist for over 5 years."
If you hadn't become a poet, what would you have done?
If I had not become a poet, I would most likely have become a psychologist. Also a beautiful profession, Indirectly, I am now sometimes also a care provider.
As a street poet, you take to the streets every day to earn your living. How do you stay motivated? And do you get your energy from that?
I experience every day as a great adventure. I also miss it when I can't go to work. When I recently came home from my holiday to Switzerland, I immediately got to work. I landed at 2:30 PM, and at 4:00 PM I was in the dunes of The Hague sharing my poetry. It's nice to meet people and serve them. No day is the same in a different way. At the end of the season I'll be through it, then I'll really be ready for other things.
_pn.png)
What is the dark side of being a street poet?
How people treat you is not always nice. Sometimes people look down on what you do. My saying goes: 'It's okay to look down on me, as long as you don't overlook me. By saying that I'm also making myself a bit small. It is a fantastic profession, and fortunately many people are also very positive. I also find it difficult that you have to be creative every day to earn your money, that sometimes puts a lot of pressure, and the silence and boredom are not always easy. Sometimes there is simply no one who is interested.
What poem you have written is particularly dear to you that you would like to share with us?
The poem I want to share is a poem I wrote 5 years ago for the radio program: 'Bird of Paradise'. During the broadcast I found out that they had not used the poem, I decided to memorize it and share it with the people on the street.
The bird of paradise
Mystical representations of demigods fade away
at the statue of the bird of paradise
They lead a popular uprising, and wear Romario shirts
Banners bundle waves, which are invariably cut off in winter
They are on stage, but disappear just as easily
in the crowd, to reappear on the terrace
They live by puns, but they do not reflect
And they leave paradises, because a new world awaits
where undiscussed ideals still await revelation
_p.png)
What is the most special place you have been with your bike?
The most wonderful place where I write my poetry, I still find it at the top of a beach exit in the dunes. The sea in the background, the cheerful people, and the marram grasses that embrace you. Awesome.
What encounter that is dear to you would you like to share with us?
When I first started, I was allowed to write a poem for a lady, who turned out to be the sister of an Oscar winner in the United States. The poem was addressed to him (Edward Field), so I am still proud of that. It is interesting how you meet special people by practicing your passion.
"The most wonderful place where I write my poetry, I still find it at the top of a beach exit in the dunes. The sea in the background, the cheerful people, and the marram grasses that embrace you. Awesome."
Waar zie je jezelf over 5 jaar/ heb je wilde dromen?
In 5 years I hope to be part of a TV or radio program, do major projects abroad, maybe even marry people! Above all, I hope to still enjoy my word craft by then.
_pn.png)
What is art to you?
Art is the most beautiful addition to life. It is one's own creation that adds something to the basic principles of life itself. They say about football that it is the most important sideshow in life. Perhaps art is the second most important thing in life. Art enriches you, renews you. Art is the most beautiful product of imagination. The most important? Love above all.
"Art enriches you, renews you. Art is the most beautiful product of imagination."
What would you like to tell other artists?
Give everything you have every day, and make sure your talent is also appreciated. Both in an intrinsic way and also in an extrinsic way. The system we live in runs on money. Make sure that your art is also valued in a monetary way, so that you can continue to create and artists are seen as full-fledged members of society.
