Alright, buckle up, cause I’m about to spill the beans on my little experiment with “tiktok poets.” It was a wild ride, let me tell ya.
So, it all started with me scrolling through TikTok, as you do, and noticing this trend of short, snappy poems set to music. I thought, “Hey, I can do that!” Famous last words, right?
First things first: brainstorming. I spent a solid hour just jotting down ideas – anything that popped into my head. Love, loss, cats, coffee, the sheer existential dread of doing laundry – you name it, I wrote it down. My goal was to find something relatable but also with a little bit of a twist. I didn’t want to be just another basic-bro poet.
Next up: writing the actual poems. This was way harder than I thought. Trying to condense a thought, a feeling, into just a few lines that also sounded good when read aloud? Brutal! I went through like ten different versions of one poem about forgetting my reusable grocery bags at home. Seriously, it was a saga.
Then came the fun part (or so I thought): recording the audio. I grabbed my phone, found a quiet spot in my apartment (the bathroom, naturally), and started recording. My voice sounded AWFUL. Way too nasal, way too monotone. I tried different inflections, different speeds, different everything. After about 50 takes, I finally had something that was…tolerable.
- Pro-tip: Record in small chunks. Trying to nail the whole poem in one go is a recipe for frustration.
Okay, audio done. Now for the visuals. TikTok is all about the visuals, right? So I spent another hour rummaging through stock footage sites, trying to find something that matched the vibe of my poems. I ended up using a bunch of moody nature shots and some artsy close-ups of coffee beans. Because, you know, relatable.
Editing it all together: This is where things got really interesting. I used a free video editing app on my phone (CapCut, I think?). It was surprisingly easy to use, even for a tech-challenged soul like myself. I synced the audio with the visuals, added some text overlays, and threw in a few cheesy transitions for good measure.
Finally, posting the damn thing. I wrote a catchy caption, added some relevant hashtags (#poetry, #tiktokpoetry, #spokenword, #coffee), and hit “post.” Then I held my breath and waited.
The results? Let’s just say I’m not quitting my day job anytime soon. One video got like, 12 views. Another one got a comment from my mom. But you know what? I actually had fun doing it. It was a creative challenge, and I learned a lot about poetry, audio recording, and video editing. Plus, I now have a newfound appreciation for those TikTok poets who make it look so easy.
So, would I do it again? Maybe. But next time, I’m definitely investing in a better microphone and a writing coach. And maybe a therapist to deal with the emotional trauma of hearing my own voice on repeat.
Key Takeaways:
- Poetry is hard, even short-form poetry.
- Good audio is essential. Invest in a decent mic.
- TikTok is a fickle beast. Don’t expect to go viral overnight.
- Have fun! If you’re not enjoying the process, what’s the point?
That’s my “tiktok poets” journey in a nutshell. Hope you found it mildly amusing, or at least mildly informative. Now go forth and create some art (or just scroll through TikTok. No judgement here).
