The Visionaries Poetry Collection: Olivia Bailey
This is the third piece of the Visionaries Poetry Collection, curated by Shakilya Lawrence for National Poetry Month. This series centers on the poet, their work, and background, highlighting the messages they want to spread with their projects.
“What inspires me is how I’m feeling at the moment. Usually, I’ll get an itch to write or create with nothing in mind and I just let it flow.”
Olivia is a multimedia artist specializing in poetry, photography, and painting. When it comes to creating, Olivia truly remains unrestricted, allowing her feelings to be the guide in her artistic process. She's always been “creatively inclined,” so usually, upon starting, everything falls into place while she’s working. Having structure in how she creates isn’t as important as letting her concepts and ideas come organically.
Art has always been an important facet of her life as she was first introduced to it through drawing with her mother at a young age. Writing came into the fold when she was in the 5th grade. Olivia's first experience in writing poetry came when her teacher asked the class to write a poem for a school competition, which she ended up winning.
Her art is emotive, expressive, and unfiltered. In reading her poetry, you can tell Olivia is completely open with her sentiments. Her passionate and heartfelt words shine through her work as she questions, releases, and expresses herself. She likes to “focus on the issues [she] internalizes or the many issues [she] observes in society.” The inspiration comes from existing, from experiencing and witnessing life as it happens around her.
“[My poetry] is raw with no real style or genre — just painting pictures with my words is all. And the same can be said about my artwork.”
As a multimedia artist, there tends to be an overlap between the influences of her art forms. As Olivia continues to develop as an artist, she recognizes “[her] art is more synchronized.” Her painting and photography serve as the visual representation of some of her poetry and vice versa. They go hand-in-hand with another as outlets to process and understand life as well as work through her emotions.
Art is more than just the lens through which Olivia experiences life. It has taken on a much deeper and personal meaning to her. As Olivia states, “It's been my savior many times; art has served as my friend and my therapy, and honestly, I can’t get away from it.” The level of intimacy she's gained in her art as she’s gotten older — at times — has made her hesitant about sharing her work with the world. She views art as a “reflection of the soul itself and being soulfully naked always made [her] feels at odds” with the idea. Nevertheless, its profound influence has helped Olivia on so many levels through personal, emotional, and spiritual growth.
Though her art has been a place of refuge, she's battled with her relationship with it throughout the years. Coming from a more pragmatic upbringing, art was more criticized than praised in her household. This criticism led her to become more practical out of fear that she wouldn’t be successful as an artist and made her self-conscious about her gifts. Ultimately, it took a toll on her mental health. However, now she feels differently as she stands proudly in her art.
“I no longer feel the need to separate myself from my art because I am my art...it is my one and only true love. ”
Below you'll find three pieces of Olivia's work — a compilation of her spiritual journey, the healing process, and her path towards self-love and acceptance as a Black woman — alongside descriptions that offer further insight into her pieces and guide you through the compilation.
Waters
Holes feel like echoes
Always seen but never felt
A sweet vibration
Fleeting, but solid, fluid like water
I was the water
I carry my space over borders and seas
I return to none
Only the unknown floats
Truth wanders deep in caves
Sirens weep, they have no lovers
No treasures can be found here
They search me unbeknownst
Transparency is what they seek
Clarity can only meet them at the shore
My spirit is a buoy
Shifting with no anchor
Soul surfer
Soul searcher
In need of myself
In finding what’s lost
I know nothing
Only the waves crashing
Could be proof I’m still here.
An element such as water could never be fully explored; we as human beings never stop evolving. In getting to know myself, I have accepted that a wise man knows nothing. Waters is about my spiritual journey. Often, I sought a grand revelation that would make me feel secure. A security that would make me feel rooted and free to live without uncertainty. Yet on my own journey, as layers unfolded, I realized that in getting to my roots, I would have to get through soil. That soil being my trauma, pain, my demons, my fears, and everything embedded in my ego. This journey has pushed me deep into myself, and my will for self-transformation has become a huge part of my life.
This next poem is called Rooted, which is about growing.
Rooted
My ancestors show no abandonment
My evils have arrived
Advise me
My vines run deep
They curl and twist within the earth
I bleed
Uprooted, I look for the dirt
Where is my sanctuary
No protection
Just these vines
No one left to blame
These wounds are self-inflicted
Is this suicide or rebirth
Born again
Surviving slaughter
I form new ends
These fruits I bear
Are only mine for the taking
These juices wage a hefty price
I will not be consumed
I feed
New pleasures of unholy
The interest of the cursed
Yes, these are mamas’ ways
No apples on these trees
Heavy freedom
These liberated branches move along
A song so sweet
Growing strong
Golden sap from my tree
My leaves become the sky.
Emotional damage is the hardest wound to heal, but pain is a beacon, not an end. By accepting pain, one can also accept growth; every life is started with the pain of a mother. My healing process has been long and gruesome, yet blissful and sweet. Between the tears of joy and the tears of sadness, I’ve learned to see the beauty in all things — a balance I was missing. My next poem is called Reflections, the path taken after renewal.
Reflections
The moonlight shines above
Black silver, I’m gleaming
A wisher’s well
looking
I’m seeing myself
There is beauty here
My blackness is my pride
My kinky hair a shining shroud
These amber diamonds are my eyes
Burning life ablaze
Looking again
There is humor here
True happiness shines within
Envy from the sun’s rays
There is talent here
These habits make me whole
A dreamer comes to fame
A painter of new roads
Loving
Without control
Willing
Without a purpose
Trusting
Without a reason
Forgiveness
Acceptance
Respect
She is right here in front of you.
Talk to her nicely
Treat her kind
Feed her prayer
She is new to this
Just as you are
How could you be afraid
She is god.
In remembering to be gentle with myself, to be patient, and sincere, the cup of love has overflowed. The hardest, most riveting thing to do as a human being is to love yourself in totality. As a black woman, the road to that love is twice as long and hard, but despite it all, we must persevere. Be the change you wish to see and the woman you want to be, no lover owes you that….owe it to yourself.
The future looks bright for Olivia as she continues to blossom and develop in her artistry. She has some exciting plans for her creative direction in the future. There's been an emphasis on writing for her lately, and currently, she's juggling about three different projects. Olivia's been focusing on writing about community issues, working on a movie script, getting a poetry book started. No dates have been solidified currently, but she is making progress towards their completion, so stay tuned!
Originally from the Bronx, NY, but as a military brat, I moved to several different places going up. I've always had art in my life and started drawing with my mother, who went to NYU for fashion, when I was about 3 or 4 years old. I started writing at about age 11, short stories came after poetry, and now working on my first book and my first script. Art started as more of a dream, but now it's truly becoming a reality. I have been a freelance photographer, artist, and writer in the Triangle area openly for about a year, and I'm currently pursuing my art full time!
If you’re interested in keeping up with Olivia and her work, follow her IG: @eyesofeves!