Tanicia Pratt shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Tanicia, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I wake up at about 7am, pulling my journal from beneath my pillow. I start to write my Morning Pages (ref. Julia Cameron) to clear my head of any swirling thoughts before I start my day. I pray, make up my bed, aan stretch before getting ready to leave the house for a workout.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! My name is Tanicia Pratt aan I’m an eclectic poet from The Bahamas. I started my practice in Spoken Word, going to local open mics to perform and build my confidence on stage. My work now is pretty dynamic. I love to feel the movement aan breath of poetry – on aan off the page – seeing it take lives of its own through books, film, music aan performance.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I no longer believe that you are meant to only be (or do) one thing your whole life. Growing up on a small island, I was influenced to believe that you should choose a profession of liquid value to society, having that be your identity. I don’t think that’s true anymore. I believe that you can have many roles, many professions, many talents – aan the identity you choose is one connected to your soul’s purpose.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
The first time I stopped hiding my pain is when I started performing. In high school, I would always write poetry in journals, or online, never using my voice. But when I touched that mic for the first time, I felt electric. There is deep power aan healing in sharing your voice.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Of course. I don’t believe in making ‘brands’ out of humans… perhaps, style but people are too complex to ever be branded. So, I don’t see the point in creating a version of myself untethered from my reality. Especially as poets, we more than anyone, should be connected to our humanity.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Wow, this is a good one. I would stop social media aan read all the books I can. I would bathe every night under moonlight aan find all reasons to kiss my lover. I would move to the beachside aan write as much as I can, aan wonder “Why have I never created with such vigor before?”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://taniciapratt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nefernici/
- Facebook: @nefernici
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@taniciapratt
- Other: BLUE: A Book of Poetry: https://bookshop.org/p/books/blue-a-book-of-poetry-tanicia-pratt/18372940
Image Credits
Image 1: Roger Duvalier
Image 3&4: The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas
