Today, Constance Curry shares her art with the Binghamton community — but her creative passion began tucked away in a private diary in her adolescence.
Curry, a 34-year-old poet and Endicott resident, said she started writing poems in high school, but kept them away from others.
“I never let anyone hear them and I thought those were personal, so I never really told anyone,” Curry said. “I just wrote them.”
Her poems, typically about love and relationships, tended to focus on the darker side of rejection and pain. Later, she wrote one poem that stood out from the rest.
“My poems are inspired by pain and breakups and then when I had my daughter years ago, it was the only poem that was happy and joyful,” she said.
This was the first poem she shared publicly, after her grandmother asked her to perform at church in front of a guest poet. Although she still tends to shy from performing her poetry, Curry said she has recently immersed herself in the writing community.
Since she began opening up, Curry said she has connected with people on many different platforms, including her YouTube channel, True Blue 4 you, where she uploads poetry and vlogs on miscellaneous topics ranging from relationships to health and wellness.
“I’ve been opening up more,” Curry said. “I started off writing in a diary because they were personal to me, but now they aren’t as personal because they aren’t as relevant. I’m writing about stuff in my life and I noticed other people are dealing with the same stuff, so I’m more candid with it.”
While expressing herself through poetry, Curry has shared her art with others. She has written poems for boyfriends and even for friends to share with their loved ones, but said it is difficult to write on command.
“My poems are based on emotions,” Curry said. “I’m more emotionally driven and that’s what inspires me to write. I’m only able to write well when I’m attached.”
Lately, Curry has also been writing political poems handling controversial topics.
“Right now, with everything going on in the world — I feel like racism, segregation, discrimination — right now, that’s inspiring me and bringing light and artistic skill to these issues,” Curry said.
None of Curry’s poems have titles. She said she leaves it up to the readers.
“I don’t lead with a title,” Curry said. “If someone has one that should be attached to it, I would use it, but I haven’t found one. I know some poets can write a title and go off it, but I just write the poem without thinking about the title.”
Curry said the art of poetry and bringing people together helps fuel her passion for writing.
“I like the lyrical flow in general,” Curry said. “I like finding stuff I can relate to and connecting with others.”
Lately, being able to connect with people on all levels has helped Curry keep her writing relatable, serving as a reminder that nobody is alone.
“My favorite part about writing is hearing people’s responses to my poems and that they agree with me,” Curry said. “They are all emotion based, and to hear that I’m going through something that they’re going through and they share my views and passions. I like hearing that they feel what I’m feeling.”