When I hear people of my age group (30-40) talk negatively about the younger generation of today, saying things like “The younger people are self consumed because of social media, have no aspirations,and have a sense of entitlement,” I get angry and tell them to read my blog, particularly the stories covering the young artists of Hudson County.

The opposite is true. I think the youth of today has the tools they need to create and make a name for themselves without having to follow everyone else’s path. Some of these young artists are the hardest working people I know. They live to create, they create to live.

What were you doing when you were 20?

Exactly.

Meet Breanna, an extremely talented poet. She is only 20 years old, but writes like an old soul who’s been through many life experiences. When I first read some of her poems, I had goosebumps. Her words stab you like a sword, especially if you’ve had your heart broken.

Breanna does not live in Jersey City. Yes, this is a Jersey City blog, but this is my blog and I will do and write about whoever I want. I want to give these young people a voice and a platform to help them grow and motivate them to keep going. Breanna touched me on so many levels, so I invited her to come to ChicpeaJC HQ so she can tell us her story.

What’s your name?

Breanna.

And what do you do?

I write poetry.

How long have you been writing poetry?

About two, almost three years now.

How did you get into it?

It’s pretty cliché, but I felt my first heartbreak, and I didn’t know how to feel about it or if that’s what I was feeling. So I decided to write everything down. I don’t have the first poem I ever wrote, but what I did write meant something. It meant a lot. I thought, “I could continue doing this.”

Was it your first heartbreak? Like the first time you were ever in love?

Yeah.

I think, when the first love ends, it’s the hardest heartbreak. Do you want to talk more about it?

Yeah, why not? I’d like people to know more about me. I was with him toward the end of senior year, and he was my first boyfriend ever. It was pretty new and interesting, but I had a wall up. After graduation, I was supposed to go to Florida for college. We talked about it and then I told him we should just end things there and be friends. He said, “No, we can do it.” So I went with it, but we broke up before I left. Two days before I left, we started talking again, and he said he wanted to be with me and said it’d work. We got back together, and at this point, I appreciated him for accepting me for my insecurities, and I cared about him, but I didn’t really love him. When I got to Florida, we would FaceTime all the time. We’d talk until I fell asleep.

Young love!

Yes! And he would go out, and I’d tell him to not do anything stupid, and he’d tell me he wouldn’t. I had a breaking point in Florida when I called my mom and said I wanted to go back home, I couldn’t do this, so I came back. No one knew, but the reason I came back was because I missed him.

So you came back for him?

Yeah, and no one knew that. Three days into coming back, we were arguing, and we broke up. I was at a little party at the park, and he showed up. We started arguing at the party. My friend picked me up, I left, and they told me, “I’m tired of seeing this. While you were gone, he cheated on you.” I was heartbroken.

That’s awful. But that brought you to poetry.

Yeah. Even though it was bad, I would never say I regretted it or hate him for putting me through that because he opened up something in me that I didn’t know I was capable of.

What do you write mostly about?

When I first started and while I was still going through him and being with him, I was writing about love. I wrote about him and the stuff he put me through. Once we officially ended and he moved on, I started accepting that we were done, and that love is over. Now I write more about experiencing life and life through my eyes.

I love that. How old are you?

Twenty.

What are your plans for your poetry?

Right now, I’m trying to get my stuff out there. I’m incorporating my poetry and different styles of art to get it out there in different worlds of art. I eventually would like to write at least one book. Once I do that, I want to get more into becoming an author and writing for young women that are going through life with insecurities and struggling to accept themselves.

I love it. I saw you have a short film out. Want to talk about it?

It was supposed to come out earlier, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with it. I came up with this concept where I wanted to show my new life. A couple of months ago, I was in a dark space, and then I outgrew that. I felt better about myself, and the people who genuinely cared about me were coming into my life. I was capturing my moments, put it all together, and wrote a poem about how I see my life.

It’s exciting! What do you do other than poetry?

I work at a hair salon to help supply my dream. I’m at an age where I can still mess up and figure out what I want to do.

What is your favorite Jersey City hangout spot?

I like to hang out by the water, like the Newport waterfront. I hang out by the Colgate Clock. If not, I’m eating ice cream at Torico’s. I love that place. I also love walking through Grove Street.

Anything else you’d like people to know about you?

I’m trying to put more life into poetry. Many people feel it can only be done one way. My poetry and the way I project it is put out in a way where people feel like I’m telling a story. I want people to be captured by my voice and feel as though they’re in the story. Poetry can be used in different styles, and I want people to know that.

You should check out JC Slam. They meet once a month at Tea NJ, go up, and perform their work. 

I will!

 

Follow Breanna on Twitter and Instagram, and check out Breanna’s short film on Vimeo now:

Film Shit from breanna gutierrez on Vimeo.