Celebrating art and women, in all their beauty.
It all started with an idea sparked by a conversation I had with a fellow creative. The appreciation of art personified. For me, that meant clothing. The material we wear to cover ourselves becoming our nakedness and vulnerability as artists. Ethereal Wear was birthed as a tool to elevate and celebrate art, in all its forms.
That was my vision. However, behind it stood so many great artists that we are yet to discover. People with an impassioned gift. Others with ideas and perspectives which from the abstract world. An ethereal experience. For the first collaboration, I embarked on a journey upon meeting Tumisho Mphela and was captivated by how innocent and determined she was to spread awareness on mental health and bullying, amongst many other social ills, with her poetry. I saw how she never limits herself but expands to learn and adapt.
I had the opportunity to speak to her about poetry, the collaboration and the importance of Women's month.
The conversation
Who is Poetic.President?
Poetic President is the artistic alter ego of Tumisho Mphela. Unlike my name which highlights 'poetry', I like to consider myself a writer as a whole because I do not only write poetry but other short pieces of writing too. I am a young and talented creative who sees the world beyond what is just on the surface, especially in an optimistic manner.
Tell us more about your journey through poetry?
Well, poetry, reading and writing have always been a part of me. I never thought I would say this, but it really started from a young age. I remember I liked to read more than to watch TV and I was always interested in learning. Where I learnt to read? I don't know but it happened! Fast forward, my mother entered me into speech festivals from the onset of primary school all the way until Grade 7 because she really was just that supportive kind of mother. Anyway, amidst this, I was reading and cramming poems upon poems because I loved how people could describe the world in different perspectives with the simple use of words! Then in Grade 8, a friend challenged me to write a poem. "Stop learning others' and write your own," he said. I got approval from my then English teacher, a very inspirational lady, and I just shot off from there. Writing and performing for people and at events.
What was it about poetry that you felt so connected to?
I love language. The fact that it's so broad and vast - it's like imagination, if I may say. Furthermore, I love art! From drawing and painting to music and so many other forms. So I found poetry in the middle of that. In fact, poetry is it's own language. What I especially love about it and what really connected me to it is the fact that you can write absolutely what you want and no one can tell you anything. I love the free flowing idea of it and how there are different genres of poetry just as it is with music.
What do you wish you could achieve through your poetry?
I don't ask for much. But one thing I wish I could achieve is to honour the voice that other people might not have. I write on account of other people's experiences which therefore enables me to verbally express what they have experienced. Not only that, I also just really wish to be heard for my talent. If you're reading this and want to teach my poetry in schools or read it at a club, GO DO IT - just give me credit.
You wrote "The Closest Thing to Perfect, I Believe", tell us what inspired it?
Women! The poem was inspired by how beautiful women are. Literally. That is all I can say. Women are just so pulchritudinous and are so strong. As far as the title goes, I do not mean to restrict, undermine or belittle women to being something that they were not created to be by holding them to a standard of perfection, but I truly feel that they are who and what we need in this life. We are literally so amazing, beyond that.
Do you believe poetry to be an effective tool to advocate for social rights and women empowerment?
Don't get me wrong, I love poetry. I really do. But I believe that it can only do so much. It is only a medium of advocacy for social rights and women empowerment but I do not think that it is enough to completely change the narrative. Is it effective? To some extent, yes. To only make those who listen sympathize and perhaps change their mind.
What does Women’s month mean to you?
Women's month is truly a commemoration for me. It reminds me of all those women who fought the good but yet difficult fight on behalf of ALL women. It really reminds me that women are brilliant beings! They are so brave. It does not just make me feel that we should treat women with care, but it is more than that! This month, for me, is not just about cherishing the existence of women, it is about remembering how they literally started from the bottom and have made it all the way here merely by THEMSELVES for THEMSELVES!
What do you want people to understand about you and your work?
I want people to understand that we can really see the world from different viewpoints and not just in one way or the way that we were taught in educational institutions. Moreover, I want people to understand, just by reading, that we all have an opinion and that we should always be subject to it - we do not all have to think in the way that we were taught, we should form our own opinions.
Who inspires you?
This is a good question. Literally anyone. Anyone who has the courage to wake up everyday and be themselves! They have no motive of idolizing someone else or conforming to any trends. Literally anyone who has the confidence and courage to say, "Today, I choose me and I'm going to be me because that's who I am," and then be it! That's bad***
On the collaboration.
When did you first hear about Ethereal Wear?
I first heard about Ethereal Wear at a KFC this year. My friends and I decided to get coffee upon a cancelled lecture just to be warm, and then a girl named Tsholofelo, the founder actually, told us about it. I immediately checked out the page and reposted The Creation of Adam - a piece from their collection. That is where I first heard about it.
What inspired you to be a part of this collaboration?
I love to see young people with dreams win. Furthermore, I liked the content that Ethereal Wear produced and when I got the opportunity to be a part of it, I had absolutely no doubt about being in the collaboration. I was truly inspired by their previous releases and I mean, imagine your own art on clothing! That sounded good to me.
What do you hope this collaboration achieves?
Aside from growing myself as an artist, I would really like Ethereal Wear to gain more recognition for it's unique taste and it's drive to promote art, music and poetry through clothing. Niw it is not only self-promoting, but I also have the platform of introducing my 'followers' to the brand through my poetry. Specifically in this collaboration, I would also like people to appreciate women as that is what it is about.
Tell us about your collaborative process, how has the process been for you?
Tough, haha. It was really great hearing about the idea. Tsholofelo really knew what she was doing and what she wanted so I definitely felt the pressure of bringing her dream to life despite her saying that this collaboration is 'ours'. And then push came to shove and it was time to start working and I was like "wait, this girl is serious." I usually work with people who aren't serious. So I then knew that I had to up my game. I got hit with writer's block the night before my deadline, but I manged to write something. During the next week, I changed the poem because I was still unsure but i eventually came up with "The Closest Thing to Perfect, I Believe" And above all that pressure, it feels beyond amazing to be doing this collab and I would not change any second that I have spent my time preparing for this, for anything. I am super grateful that I have been presented with this opportunity and I really pray that God continues to bless us in the process and even after that.
Poetic President is the first of so many brilliant creatives that Ethereal Wear wants to uplift and celebrate. However, being the first artist has really highlighted through her the joys of this journey. To nurture the beauty of art. I am happy to have been a part of this journey, though it is only just beginning. In so many ways.
Comments