'Stay Brave' with Suze Bienaimee
‘Stay Brave’ is an interview series by woman-identifying creatives for woman-identifying creatives to inspire bravery in the creative life. [Created and curated by Leah Umansky]
How do you interpret the phrase, "Stay Brave?"
I interpret it with a deep breath, big gulp and a huge push forward to create and definitely be open to experiment, learn, and laugh.
As a woman-identifying writer, what are the ways that you “stay brave” in your life?
I try to keep doing the work, creating. There will always be “issues” that detour best intentions, but to keep creating no matter what has been important to me. This is not to say I have constantly created every minute because, as in nature, there may be winter, no flowers, fallow fields, but this is an important time of regeneration. I try to honor the times of regeneration with rest and inspiration. I trust I will be creating again and I am.
Who is someone in your life who models “staying brave” for you?
There are role models in the news and throughout history. I find the stories of triumph over adversity inspiring. I certainly admire all women artists and poets who are just coming to light after centuries in the shadows or the living artists and poets, after decades of neglect. Also, I like to find people near me, fellow artists, poets, alchemists. We are the ones creating today.
What writers, artists, and/or musicians do you look to to foster a sense of “bravery?”
I feel strongly that writers, artists, and/or musicians don’t have a monopoly on creativity and staying brave. I admire the unsung heroes who are getting though the day, be it in the grocery story, gas station, subway, schools, doctor’s office; they are the brave moms, dads, single parents, children, marginalized minorities, people. These are the people who inspire me the most with a sense of “bravery.” “Staying Brave” is everyone we come in contact with. I especially like people who understand gratitude and daily gestures of kindness, be it as simple as a smile or a thank you.
What’s a piece of advice you would pass on to your younger self about “staying brave?” What’s something you know now, that you didn’t know in the past?
Hum-m-m-m-m advice to my younger self: it’s not going to be easy. In fact, it is going to be very hard. Get out now or stay the course. If you have something to share and to say, do it and don’t give up. Do the work. The rewards are in the process, the work. This has proven true.
Can you remember a time in your life where you realized your own bravery? How did you use it to propel you forward?
When I get up in the morning and get to work on my art and poetry. Then I realize bravery is a step-by-step process and I am moving forward.
What do you do when you aren’t feeling brave? What inspires you or motivates you?
Bravery sometimes feels elusive to me. Sometimes, I feel if I take a deep breath or two and push forward, I can do this. This feels like bravery. However, pushing forward is a constant process and the self-talk has to be positive or action would stop and I would never meet my “future” and I would remain stuck in the past. My mantra is “Work! Create!” and ignore whatever chatter society or my own brain is engaging in. Being a meditator for a few decades helps to restore me.
In what ways would you like to be more brave in your creative life?
I could do without the sinking feeling I have when I recognize there are going to be many barriers to the goal. However, again the work carries the day one step at a time.
What is your proudest moment of bravery?
My proudest moments of bravery are seeing my artwork in major collections around the world and being nominated for a poetry Pushcart Prize. These were major validations of my work.
What are you currently working on?
I have a poem inspiring a painting. The poem is titled “Paintings Without Words: Except the Titles” It is a large painting made up of many small canvases of various sizes. I will create a handmade artist book in an edition of six and an exhibit of the work. I estimate it is at least a two-year project.
Thank you to Suze Bienaimee!
Suze Bienaimee is a New York City-based, multi- and mixed-media artist and poet whose artwork can be seen in public and private collections in New York City, across the United States and abroad. For example, 125 High Street Collection, Boston Massachusetts, USA; Altria Collection, New York City, USA; Tobu Collection, Sapporo, Japan. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize, her poetry and art are in her limited-edition artist book: PEACE: Carry Dust, Fire, Incandescence, (Spectrum Contemporary, 2019) by Suze Bienaimee. This edition of thirty-six has original art on each cover, a tipped-in print inside as well as eighteen original poems. Also, forthcoming her bookplate will be in Grolier Bookplates Past and Present, (Grolier Club, 2023, artist book edition and trade copy.) @StudioSeeds_Inspire on IG
Leah Umansky is the author of three books of poems, most recently the forthcoming OF TYRANT, (The Word Works in 2024.) She is currently working on a memoir DELICATE MACHINE, an exploration of womanhood, hope, and heart in the face of grief and a global pandemic. She earned her MFA in Poetry at Sarah Lawrence College and has curated and hosted The COUPLET Reading Series in NYC since 2011. Her creative work can be found in such places as The New York Times, POETRY, The Bennington Review, The Academy of American Poets' Poem-A-Day and others. She can be found at www.leahumansky.com or @leah.umansky on IG.