From wheatpastes around town to daily postings on his art-based Instagram account (with 16,000-plus followers and counting), John Carroll’s project, Make Black-Out Poetry, is truly a self-made success. With little more than torn-out book pages, a Sharpie and a dollop of paint, Carroll finds and creates new messages within found text and turns them into to visually-pleasing and thought-provoking pieces of art.
Now, what started as a creative outlet born out of boredom and a heavy dose of post-breakup depression has turned into a beloved series that spurs hope, inspires change and celebrates love.
Here, Carroll talks to CommonCreativ about black-out poetry, the evolution of his work and what he’s got in store for this summer, 2015 and beyond.
CommonCreativ: I read a little on your blog about how Make Black-Out Poetry came about. Where’d you get the idea from?
John Carroll: I was managing a small company in Atlanta about three-and-a-half years ago and, like most people, had a good portion of free time on my hands. When I wasn’t busy, I would peruse the Internet looking for anything to pass the time. Someone had reposted a piece of black-out poetry that was created by Austin Kleon. With nothing better to do, I decided to give it a try. I had already been cutting up old book covers to make postcards to send to my friends and family when I was bored, so I decided to incorporate black-out poetry for the inside messages of the postcards.
I tried to find pages that had the recipients name to add to the effect. They ended up looking like ransom notes. My mom actually called to check on me after she received her first black-out postcard/ransom note that I sent her. Unfortunately, U.S. Postal Service workers started ripping out the messages while they were en route. From then on I started only doing the black-out poems.
CC: How did making the postcards help you deal with your feelings of depression?
JC: The postcards weren’t very dark in nature, because I was just trying to send messages, but once I just started making them for myself, they got gritty. I feel like making black-out poetry is rooted in your subconscious, and different words are going to pop out to different people based on where they are in life and what they’re going through. So being in a dark place, that’s what naturally came out. In terms of helping me deal with my issues at the time, it became an outlet for not only facing my demons, but also verbalizing how I honestly felt, but in a safe environment.
CC: Make Black-Out Poetry has a strong social media presence. Was that intentional? Has it changed how you make art now vs. when it was just you and friends/family members?
JC: Well, a few years had passed before I started the social media accounts and started posting anonymously. At that point, I was in a much better state of mind and was not just focusing on myself, but encouraging others to find peace through passion and creativity. Honestly, when I go back and read through the different black-out poems I realize that most of them actually still applied to me, but since they were words of hope, love, balance and encouragement, they were pretty universal in nature.
CC: What are some of your tips for other artists looking to use social media to bring their art to new audiences?
JC: Having an audience is definitely a great way to gauge your work and even let your audience grow with you, even if it’s just a few people. Consistency and sincerity are probably the biggest tips I can give in terms of growing an online presence. When I started my social media accounts, I challenged myself to create a black-out piece every single day for a year so that I could grow creatively. It also induced a side effect of keeping people coming back to see what I was going to say the next day. At that point, I realized that I couldn’t stop and didn’t really want. It had become an obligation. Like most obligations, it wasn’t always easy to live up to, but I fell in love with what I was doing and knew that it was affecting people positively, leaving a lasting impression and ultimately, helping me to grow as a person. With that in mind, it fueled the fire to finish what I had started.
CC: What’s one of your favorite pieces you’ve posted in the past year, and why?
JC: “Life disappears. Warn People.” has always been my favorite. I think it gets to the heart of what I’ve been trying to say. Not feeling like I had an artistic bone in my body, It was also one of the first pieces that I painted that I actually stepped back from and thought “Holy shit! I made that.” I still find myself going back to it and even critiquing the paint job on it (I wouldn’t mind repainting it). But like all of the other pieces, that’s where I was at the time and I appreciate the process.
CC: So what’s next for Make Black-Out Poetry?
JC: I have a few projects in the works right now. It’s looking like I’m going to be doing an art installation at the Decatur Book Festival with Mike Germon. Also, I have a few black-out poetry pieces in the Deer Bear Wolf debut issue that comes out May 13th with a launch party that night at Mammal Gallery. From there, I plan on releasing a Make Black-Out Poetry book in 2015. In the meantime, I plan on continuing the project indefinitely.
CC: Are there any other collabs you’d like to do, locally or otherwise? Do you have an ultimate goal you’d like to see the project reach?
JC: I think Mike Germon and I are going to do at least one more piece together. I’ve also worked with Ray Geier who does sQuishiepuss in the past and we have another collaboration lined up in the near future. I’m going up to Chicago in June and will be hanging out with Edward McCoy who’s another artist who makes black-out poetry. I’m sure we’ll put something together while I’m up there. I’m open to working with other artists, but it just needs to be the right fit.
CC: Lastly, what do you think about the current arts/creative scene in Atlanta?
JC: I think across the board, Atlanta is an amazing place for anyone involved the arts to live and work in. The talent and resources this city has to offer is absolutely incredible. But hands down, the love and passion that the people of Atlanta have for not only creativity, but each other, is what impresses me the most.
