victravstruth

[victravstruth]

Victoria Travica: a writer's biography

Dear reader,

Hi there.

my name is Victoria Travica, but you can call me Vic Trav for short. I am a 17 year old writer who exposes the truths learned throughout my life. Many of these truths are not easy pills to swallow - they are THE HARD TRUTHS. We can only learn them through human experience; I think there is something beautiful about that.

I like to think of my work as a reflection of how I see the world. My truest feelings come through in my various pieces of writing and art; they are entirely fuelled by the things I have experienced and the emotions that have come along with it. I am always on the lookout for new inspiration, and when I find it, I seize it.

I have enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember - I've written casually for years, which has served as an outlet for my thoughts when I need it. Poetry and creative writing are some of my favourites. However, this past semester in the Writer's Craft class has taught me how to broaden my writing horizons and try new things. The techniques I've learned have enabled me to try my hand at different kinds of writing and see what I like. Yet another example of how our experiences teach us valuable things.

THE HARD TRUTHS is a safe space meant to serve as a comfort to any who visit my blog. It is okay to acknowledge all of the experiences that make us who we are.

I hope you will enjoy scrolling through what I have to share.

All my love,

Vic Trav

#biography #writing

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reflective blog entry: inspiration strikes where you least expect it

A lot of my inspiration for writing pieces has struck in the most unlikely of places.

For example, work.

Where I work, there are many windows looking outside. Oftentimes, we use these windows to post important information and posters. Bored at work one shift, I made a discovery: whenever it was really cold outside, the frigid glass would make any papers on the window curl up around their edges. It was almost as if they were recoiling from the cold like a human would. They looked like they had emotions; sadness, despair.

I found myself feeling bad...FOR A PIECE OF PAPER!

In this moment, I had an idea for a poem. I practically ran to my phone to document it.

Unfortunately, there have been times in our lives where many of us have been the paper on the window. These experiences, however, teach us a lot about ourselves. They teach us that we are strong enough to withstand them. No matter how much the paper crumples, wrinkles, rips, or fades, it comes out of the other side a little worn, but okay. We are made individually stronger by what we go through.

And that is how the paper on the window was born; I took an interesting phenomenon and turned it into a metaphor for being faced with painful experiences in life.

Funny enough, this was not the only time inspiration has struck me at work. But that's another poem for another time. Sometimes the most mundane parts of life can serve as a muse for the hungry writer. For instance, the personification of a simple piece of paper. There are emotional meanings to be found everywhere, you just have to look around.

#poetry #reflection #writing #inspiration

[victravstruth]

reflective blog entry: lifting my mask for the class

I recently wrote a slam poetry piece for my Writer's Craft class titled my mask. It was my first time writing this kind of poetry, but I definitely knew what direction I wanted to go in. I often use humour as a means of communicating many different things - it's just the type of person I am. And for such a performance piece, I really wanted to feed off the energy of the audience by making them laugh. The special thing about my mask is that it discusses a serious topic, but it was written to be comedic. At first glance, it appears as something that was not meant to be taken seriously. However, this was entirely purposeful. I firmly believe that comedy always runs deeper than how it appears, as I have commented on before in my blog. It is a great vessel with which to deliver important messages. By engaging people with laughter and comments, many of them heard my message about how humans put on fronts for other humans.

I felt that the words came to me very easily when writing this piece. It was almost like they were already there waiting to be released. Once I got into a flow, the poem took shape seemingly on its own - and so did the comedic aspects. Performing the poem was a very fun experience, as everyone's energy was exactly where I intended for it to be. Due to the nature of the performance, I wanted the reaction to be "Is she being serious? Oh, yeah. She kind of is". I personally think that something is instantly more engaging if it can be entertaining.

My poem, which was a parody of sorts, was a commentary on how people mimic what they see by putting on metaphorical masks to please others - the irony here is that I was doing just that. We show people what we think they want to see in hopes of being accepted. In turn, people feign personalities they believe we want to see. All of us hide behind our masks, trying time and time again to perfect the image we project to the world. But is this the way it is supposed to be?

Shouldn't we just be real; authentic?

#poetry #reflection #writing #comedic timing

[victravstruth]

the paper on the window (new poetry piece)

the paper on the window curled away from the cold glass,

just as one recoils from their painful thoughts.

paper on a window wrinkles and fades,

a spirit choked by its environment,

tortured by its only vessel,

taped to the scene with

no way out.

but what you must know is

the glass window wasn't always cold.

many warm days had bathed the paper in sunlight before,

and beauty was all she knew.

but the unknowing paper on the window was not prepared for

what winter would bring.

the fellow papers and posters, who were taped to the inside walls,

were unaffected by the change of season.

they watched the snow fall and said,

"don't you like the view?".

they made conversation about what happened outside,

and the paper on the ice-cold window would weakly chime in.

but she wished she was

anywhere else.

the paper on the window yearned for the days when she could

forget that winter existed.

she dreamed the door would open

and the wind would take her someplace

that was never cold.

but could she ever trust any sunlight again?

the truth is,

things that may seem clear often aren't.

is the temporarily beautiful view

worth the inevitably ugly sting?

is being stuck to the cold glass worth it?

poetry by Victoria Travica

#poetry #metaphor #hard truth #healing

[victravstruth]

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple." - Oscar Wilde

#hard truth #poetry #oscar wilde

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you cannot rely on another's hand. they will lose their grip.

let your own two hands fulfil you first.

art by Victoria Travica

#art #love #heartbreak #healing #poetry #self love #hard truth

[victravstruth]

one of life's greatest lessons: it's okay to not get something perfect on the first try.

sometimes you need to cross things out, rewrite, start again. whatever is necessary to keep going.

#poetry #writing #moving on

[victravstruth]

my mask (slam poetry piece)

this is my mask

do you like my mask?

I made it myself

okay, not entirely by myself but

I have been working on it my entire life

I really hope you like it though

because if you say that you do

I say

I’ve done something right

and that’s good, right?

I might even say I like you mask, too

and yes, I can see yours

you’re wearing it right now

all of you are

but what if I said: “let’s take it off”?

“let’s take a breather for a second”.

the truth is we would only pretend to

because there’s another one underneath 

just to be safe

but do you like my mask?

the shell that surrounds my soul, that’s what I’m talking about here

if you say you don’t like it, that’s okay

I’ll just have to throw this draft in the trash and try again

you say ‘people pleaser’

and I say: “that’s me!”

loudly and proudly

unless you didn’t want me to

oh, shit

but really just be honest

or don’t because I might get my feelings hurt

existential crisis alert

what box should I fit into today?

the answer: whatever will take the pain away

from being left out

god, the FOMO

that’s a no no

so humbly I ask

do you like my mask?

because I could really use some feedback

masks can hide the things we lack

or give people opportunities to stab us in the back

but who’s to blame?

them or the mask?

late night

come home

mask on

why though?

few times in my life have I ever seen a lowered mask

and that’s because it is not an easy task

to decide who to take it off for

because when they leave

the wound is more sore

you know what? I’m done rhyming!

there’s no control here

we’re just a bunch of souls bouncing around the walls of our carefully masked shells

who are we really?

I don’t know

but did you like my mask?

because I just let it go.

poetry by Victoria Travica

#slam poem #truth #writing #poetry

[victravstruth]

true colours (blackout poetry piece)

colours see truth most people don't

afraid of a discovery that will

suit every spectrum

at its beginnings

and ends.

poetry by Victoria Travica

#blackout poetry #truth #true colours #poetry #writing

[victravstruth]

"We all know that Art is not the truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand. The artist must know the manner whereby to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies..." - Pablo Picasso

#art #truths #lies #pablo picasso

[victravstruth]

photographed in paris, france.

#william shakespeare #poetry #paris #shakespeare and company

[victravstruth]

reading poetry over and over can offer new meanings each time.

art by Victoria Travica

#art #poetry #love #journal art

[victravstruth]

we grasp for the things we have lost - to find they were lost for a reason.

art by Victoria Travica

#truthoflife #art #healing #lifelessons #journal art