who told you that you had to aim to make art beautiful?
to disappear an entire essence of your being.
to pretend your heart isn’t ugly some days.
bitter, envious, self-deprecating.
we create a world of lust for things that only exist in waves.
beauty only exists in waves.
and sometimes it’s not even real.
the darkness is necessary too.
your painful thoughts are just as powerful as your good ones.
who told you that you couldn’t be human.
you can.
create art that represents your entire being
not just the parts cut into sizes that they can swallow.
let them choke on your anger.
let them wince from the pain of your pain.
leave your heart on the page and only come back to pick it up if you want to.
don’t be afraid to leave paranoia on the canvas.
despair on the mic.
don’t box your complexities into something more presentable.
don’t twist your loneliness into something more poetic.
exist as your entire being.
throw your fear to the wolves.
reject the idea of mistakes in your art.
they don’t exist. but you do. let the world feel you.
while you let yourself feel the world.
you are an artist.
in your own imperfect way, you are art.
even on your most insecure days.
remember that.
Kyra Horton is a twenty-year old creator. Whether expressing herself through writing, performing, or painting, she strives to turn pain into beauty. Her identity as a young Black woman from Chicago shapes her work. She grew up being inspired by activism and solidarity in her community and the arts. Kyra is fearless in the avenues she seeks in order to create the emotions painted in her heart. The world is Kyra’s canvas, as well as her muse. Her primary medium of creativity is spoken word poetry. Kyra has performed at over 50 different events since beginning her poetry career 5 years ago. Kyra published her first poetry book called Cries of a Butterfly, wrote and produced her album of poetry called The Silencer, released an EP of poetry called Tears Of Gold, and published poetry for the Gate Newspaper and the nonprofit organization Sixty Inches From Center. She has led writing workshops as well as participated in journalism cohorts to cultivate her skills.