Today we’d like to introduce you to Alejandro Rodriguez
Hi Alejandro, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story started as I was raised in Cypress,TX practically my whole childhood. After doing sports and not finding much of a passion or interest in them, I decided to follow my heart and dive into my artistic interests. Around age ten or eleven, I finally realized that sports and the “athletic atmosphere” just wasn’t for me. I knew I wanted to dive into some sort of art form, but I didn’t know which, let alone how to do it. Growing up in Cypress, I spent lots of time playing outside, exploring, and being in nature. My extended family has lived there basically their whole lives, so I was “raised by a village”. One day in the eight grade, I was sitting alone at a table in my art class. I had no friends, and unfortunately my quality of being shy was inhibiting my ability to make friendships. The period ended at 10am, and the time was 9:45. I all of a sudden got the most random idea in my head – “why not right a poem about how you feel right now?” I tried it, was intrigued by where my poem was going, and revised and revisited the poem while sitting alone at lunch. That poem is now one of many that is part of a manuscript/unpublished book I hope to one day publish in the future, “Proving You Are Worthy Of It All”. Between the manuscript and the first poem, I developed a love and obsession for poetry by writing a poem a day, which has become the most fulfilling part of my life. My poetry is my heart, and I lay it out for my readers to examine and understand. I find myself writing about a lot of experiences that I watch other people go through, because my heart wonders, “Why them? Why does this specific experience happen to them?” I have a wide array of poems, and I hope to share them with the world via social media and books. To grow my presence in Houston, I started building the courage to go to Open Mic’s last year, which has built a community around me. Also, I started posting on Social Media. I post on Instagram, Pinterest, Instagram Threads, developed my own website, and create my own content. I named my account “heart.of.a.human” across all these platforms because I feel like a well-rounded account cannot only be about poetry. If I pour out my heart into my poetry, the poetry should not be the only means to which I share what I convey in them. What I mean is, through making funny, mindful, or insightful reels that reflect the concepts and idea’s I struggle with or highlight in my writing, I am captivating my poems meanings through a different light. I feel like where I currently stand in my poetry journey is trying to simply grow my presence. I believe that more social media traction would help open even more doors for me. Even though I don’t have many friends, am not popular, and sometimes made fun of for taking a different road in life, I know that the reward could be greater than I can imagine. My birthday is on September 29th, 2007 and I can’t wait to continue sharing my work at Open Mic’s and on Social Media at 17!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There are some aspects of this road that have been smooth, and others that haven’t. Specifically, I have found my writing process, poems, and works to improve in terms of my craft. Also, the doors have naturally opened themselves up for me to attend different camps, workshops, and open mics to grow publicity. This road has been a bit of a challenge in terms of listening to the world around me and how it has reacted and “moved on” over time. There are kids who sometimes make fun of my social media presence, and tell me I will never be good enough. Ironically, I find that this makes me stand out even more. Also, this year in particular has been a very volatile one for me, in terms of my academic and personal life. Simply put, I have been physically moving around more than ever in my life, and there have been huge events in my life that I have had to undergo with very little anticipation. I moved houses, and have a relative from Cypress that raised me for part of my life unfortunately pass. This comes at a time where I am not only leaving all I’ve known as my “writers setting”, but in a time where I am losing someone who actually inspired me to write. I don’t have many people in my life that actually take my writing seriously, and I hope to change peoples perceptions about poetry – anyone can write. Anyone can create. If you have a heart, follow @heart.of.a.human. That’s the message I want more people to hear.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I write poetry. “A Poem A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” – a poem I hope to have in a bookstore eventually. I specialize in free verse poetry. I am known primarily as “the guy who posts poetry and funny reels on Instagram”. Also, some people call me “the heart.of.a.human”. I am most proud of my two manuscripts. I have no idea when those will be in the eyes of an editor, but I know somehow and sometime before I graduate college they will be. What sets me apart from others is the manner in which I convey my message and share my work. Lots of poets simply put their poems out online and get traction in that manner. I go to both Open Mic’s and I post my poetry and the thoughts and feelings behind them. Simply put, I give my poems context. I share my heart in its entirety, not just bits and pieces. Also, as a general rule, I honestly try to avoid cliché topics like heartbreak, love life, etc. It’s not because they are not valid and beautiful, but I feel like it’s not really “me” and it doesn’t set one apart from the crowd.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is my family. My family means everything to me. Honestly, this question has been put to the test for me in the last week as a family member of mine unexpectedly passed away. Simply put, I love my family and would do anything for them. They raised me in Cypress, TX. I want to raise those memories to heights nobody has ever seen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alexjrod0929.wixsite.com/alrodpiq-poetry
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heart.of.a.human/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/alrodpiq0929
Image Credits
Alejandro Rodriguez
