The stereotypical artist is thought to go against the grain in the many aspects of her life. Perhaps she?s a vegetarian, wears clothes picked specifically to deny pop culture?s edicts, experiments with different drugs in the search for enlighten-ment, wears dread locks, refuses to shave any of her body hair, is a member of one or more politi-cal activist groups, shops at thrift stores, is considered anti-social by most, listens to obscure music, and lives only but to produce her art. Some or all may sound familiar, even realistic, but the word ?artis-tic? is sometimes synonymous with ?alternative,? and often conjures a bogus conception of the artistic lifestyle.
I had the privilege to interview English and Philosophy major Paris Landry, a writer, philosopher, and self proclaimed artist, in the Poets and Writers office. This articulate young woman represents an intelli-gent, educated, and thoughtful spe-cies of artist that belies some of the common misconceptions. A writer, philosopher, musician, and theater enthusiast, Landry is an exemplary figure in the world of art. Passionate about her pursuits and more than willing to extend herself to another artist, she is both a resource and an inspiration to other artists.
Landry let me peek into her world through a fifty minute long stream of consciousness. Landry calls any activity art, as long as the artist had found the ?creativity and passion? in the activity. ?The only reason I would consider myself an artist is because I really don?t want a nine-to-five job…I suppose that if you were to say that an artist is a left brained thinker…you could definitely slide me over into that category.?
Writing is the passion she se-lected, but when asked which genre she prefers, essays, poetry, or fiction, she laughed and said, ?I rant…I write in my head, thinking that eventually I will deliver it to an audience.? She said that essays come ?most naturally,? but she can write poetry, articles, and even fic-tion. She has different reasons for using each, and sometimes writes the same message in more than one genre. Poetry strikes her as the most concise way to convey a point. ?It?s almost like you didn?t read it, you just became aware of the idea.?
A quote from Cynthia Hunting-ton, who got the adage from Grace Paley, ?any story told twice, is fic-tion,? defines Landry?s style of fic-tion. Though she uses her own life experiences, she changes certain details to reach as many readers as possible. ?It gives you a lot of freedom be-cause it doesn?t have to be ex-actly the way it happened. If it would be more power-ful for me to change a detail about what happened, I want to be able to do that.?
When she writes an es-say, Landry taps into ?the philosophical and expansive think-ing? part of her nature. Although, I often consider myself a thinker, or philosopher, first, and a writer second, Landry had a different view. ?I question all the time how valuable my thoughts are if nobody hears them…I try to be a writer more than a thinker because I worry that eventually I will regress to just a thinker and no one will ever know what I think about.?
Although she considers herself a writer foremost, she doesn?t con-sider herself terribly prolific. ?I go through bouts of writing…that?s not good.? She?d like her writing to be more like a ?commodity;? available on demand, which is not as easy as most people assume. ?Nine times out of ten, it?s torture. You have all these amazing ideas in your head that you want to write down…but as soon as you get in front of your computer, nothing comes out.?
In terms of the impact she would like her work to have on her readers, she cites the ability of writers like Grace Paley and Cynthia Hunting-ton to pull personal reactions from her. ?If I could move someone just by reading something I wrote, the way these writers have affected me, that would be amazing.? Just as her writing styles vary, so do the messages she tries to portray. Sometimes she?s trying to convey life lessons, ideas that have oc-curred to her, but sometimes it?s quite simply, ?these are the ways I?ve found happiness.? She?s also interested in politics and the way humans treat each other. ?I?m not just interested in it, I?m appalled by it. I would not be able to live with myself if I wasn?t in the smallest way, actively trying to change it.?
Landry has a realistic and percep-tive sense of the forces that influ-ence her writing. She draws most of her influences from people she interacts with everyday, like ?the professors and the other writers —-I talk to on campus.? Though she doesn?t think that her writing style is completely original since we?re all ?only working with one set of letters,? she has a sense of independence coupled with a desire to improve her work through the constructive criticism of others. ?I don?t try to emulate anything I?ve read, necessarily, but anytime you sit in your workshop classes you get feedback from people? and regardless of their background or major, she tries to incorporate those ideas. ?If one person fails to understand something that I?ve written, then I?ve failed as a writer.?
She?s aware that there?s no style of writ-ing that will impact every single person who reads it, however. ?I wouldn?t say I?m striving for that sort of perfection, but I think that in too many cases, readers are lost when the writer tries to stroke her own ego.? Paris is a ?self deprecating? artist with simple goals and says that she needs to be told when she?s done something well. ?If any person feels that they?ve been affected by my writing that immediately becomes a piece I?m proud of.?
Another pursuit Landry can be proud of is her involvement in three staged readings in the Smith Recital Hall in the Silver Cultural Arts Center, presented by Poets and Writers, one of which she directed. Though she pursued theater in high school, she isn?t involved in any campus theater clubs because the presidency of Poets and Writers is almost a full time job. She also plays the euphonium and was in the Plymouth State symphonic band until just recently. ?I got out of that last year and it killed me. Even the minute expression of my music is necessary.? Her writing was her first choice, but as for music, she didn?t feel she could ?write it off completely.?
Landry?s active in a number of campus clubs. As well as being the president of Poets and Writers, she is the Editor of Centripetal, Poets and Writers? literary magazine, both of which she loves because they allow her to work with other writers everyday. She freelances for The Clock, occasionally as-sists Plymouth Players, works on the organization to elect Howard Dean, and is a ?member in proxy of A.W.A.R.E,? the women?s organi-zation on campus. ?I like interaction with them because they make me feel like I?m getting something done in the world right now.?
She?s a very busy and involved student who loves the school she feels has given her so much. Origi-nally her safety school, Landry fell in love with Plymouth and now praises the school for its small class sizes, excellent teachers, and the accessibility of its extracurricu-lar activities. As a double major in English and Philosophy, Landry is an advocate for the applicability of philosophy in everyday life, and the role it plays in University level education. To be attending a col-lege of any sort, she believes that one?s prime motivation must be to learn and appropriate knowledge for oneself.
Though constantly on the move and sometimes difficult to track down, any effort expended in or-der to speak with Landry would be well spent, as she has a wealth of ideas, skills, and club resources at her disposal. Working as closely as possible with each of the clubs she touches, Landry can be found at many different campus events, such as Biederman Open Mic?s, Cult Movie Nights, theater perfor-mances, or in The Clock or Poets and Writers