We’re looking forward to introducing you to S M Vande Kamp. Check out our conversation below.
S M , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
Well, both walking and wandering are important. I guess I’m walking a path now because I’m currently studying to receive my MA in Creative Writing, Poetry in Bath, England. This focus is a marked path with a guide and it’s been so helpful. I feel as if I’ve reached the next level with my work. But all the wandering that has led me here has been important too. Wandering is more about that slowness, intuition, feeling, and close observation — and these skills are key to being good a writer and artist.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Yes! I’m a multi-genre writer and poet (and marketing professional).
I’ve publish across genres and this includes quite a few individual poems, a story story named Loss Is A Desert, a diary of poetic vignettes titled “Enclave” (exploring gentrification in my neighborhood in Los Angeles), a work booklet called “Poetry Is For Everyone”, and am currently working on a narrative book of poetry set in Ancient Greece.
My ethos is that poetry IS for everyone. Culturally, we’ve been told that poetry must be beautiful or epic and it is reserved for sensitive people or academics, but what if we look at it different? Poetry is a process where human emotions are explored, confronted, and concentrated on the page. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen, or your computer. It’s accessible. It’s a practice for all of humanity.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
Hm. What is a formative, powerful memory really? A strange and sudden formation within us? When I was seven years old, I saw the ocean for the first time. It was a family trip to Florida. This memory is a top-tier memory — one I return to.
On this night, the sky was dark and purple. It was about to storm and the waves were piling higher. I ran into the ocean. The surf rose above me, smashed me down into the sand beneath. My mouth filled with salt water. I was washed back to the shore. Elated, I ran back in again and again. Eyes blinking with sea, sky dark, I felt exulted, gripped in the tow of the ocean. I was out in the roiling waves for nearly an hour. What does that say about me? The way I fit into the natural world? My relationship with chaos?
After some time, my parents realized they should put a life-jacket on me. Looking back, I’m glad they didn’t stop me completely. My parents have reinforced the memory, recounting it through the years. They always remark on my ferocity. So this piece of identity melded itself to me.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of doing things imperfectly. Perfectionism, in a way, is a fear of failure, but it is even more debilitating, because every action is focused on “what is right,” not what feels the most intuitive or brings the most pleasure or creates joy and progress. This obligation to life can suck the delight right out of living and pull you away from the right path. When I started doing things messy and centering my joy is when I really started “cooking with gas.” We only have the one life – why not live it with abandon?
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
This is a hot take. And it’s that the concept of free will is overrated. Throughout my life, I’ve heard this discussed again and again. The question of, when you make a decision, is it really you making the decision?”
I must caveat that, of course, “agency” is one of the most important things for someone to live well, but with free will people are discussing something different. They are discussing if we can really trust ourselves to be independent of outside influence or fate. But this is ridiculous! We are not little gods living in bubbles. The influences around us — culture, history, family, friendship — they all shape us and mould us. What is that meme of the worn Garfield stuffy, “To be loved is to be changed?” The concept of free will reeks of Western individualism and, in my opinion, is overrated.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
My mind, my leaping mind. My heart, my curled up heart. As a poet, the practice is one that connects heart and mind. It is all so internal. It feels like putting on goggles to snorkle and dipping your head inside yourself and, suddenly, surprise, you encounter a massive kelp forest. It’s not all beauty though — there is fear and hurt, sharks teeth and blood in the water. But all that and the ability to write, with a twig in dirt or in one’s mind — it remains, even when all else could go away.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sarahmarievandekamp.com
- Instagram: @sarahmarievandekamp
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahvandekamp/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/sarahmarievandekamp
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