Poet Interview: Katherine D'Astous
We are super proud to introduce you to the wonderful poet Katherine D’Astous . Katherine is a lover of iced coffees, cats, and writing. She is an advocate for mental illness, a hopeless romantic and a lover of aesthetically-pleasing Instagram pages. Katherine is 24 years old and has always had a passion for writing as she penned a few books and published them on Wattpad. She currently lives in Montreal, Canada and is about to graduate from Communications Studies at Concordia University. She hopes that her poetry inspires others with her style of short, black and white poems with its touches of yellow.
Make sure to bookmark Katherine’s page on Wattpad and follow her on instagram @kd.writings
See below for the full interview.
Where do you live and how does it influence your writing?
I live in Montreal, Canada. The historical culture and beautiful scenery attract my inspiration to write every day.
When did you first become passionate about poetry and what attracted you to it?
I became intrigued with poetry after reading Rupi Kaur’s “Milk and Honey”. Her categorized sections, illustrations, and short poems created vivid imagery in my mind. I read her book after my first heartbreak and related to her words. She inspired me to write my own poetry and I hope that others can relate to mine as well.
What inspires you to write?
Honestly, anything and everything. I love to write about my loved ones and experiences I have gone through in life. From mental illness to love stories, I love writing it all down and publishing it for the world to enjoy.
Do you publish your Poetry on other channels but Instagram?
Right now, I am focusing my poetry on my Instagram platform. I’m also writing a television series while finishing my last semester at University. After I finish my studies, I want to create a website to publish more of my writings.
Who is your favorite Instapoet and why?
That’s a difficult question to answer – given I have so many friends in the community. One of the Instapoets that I draw inspiration from is @k.tolnoe for her simplistic aesthetic of short poems and illustrations. Another person that I admire is @poetscafe for their community-based posts. They have posted several of mine in my beginning-stages of becoming an Instapoet and their encouragement helped me continue to publish my writings.
Can you tell us a little about your writing process? How do you come up with poems and how do you edit them?
I like using a word-association where I pick one word and write a poem about it. Sometimes I have my followers to give me a word and I'll write a post about it. Another way for me to draw inspiration is to find “writing prompts” on Instagram where other poets will give their followers a word to write about, and if they like it, they will post it on their profile.
To edit my photos, I use “Font Book” on my Mac laptop to format how I want the text to look like (I use the font “Lustria”). I then go on Google Images and find images that are not copyrighted. Finally, I use an online Photoshop and put it all together.
Do you support yourself through writing financially, or do you have a day job and what is it?
Currently, I do not support myself financially with my writing. I work part-time as a waitress at a micro-brewery.
How many hours a day do you spend writing and what helps you to get into the writing mood?
I try to write at least 20 minutes a day. I always carry around my poetry notebook, which makes it easy when inspiration hits. To get in the mood of writing, I like to have music playing in the background.
And what’s the best moment you’ve had with your poetry so far?
This happened recently, but one of my poems gathered a look of attention with the likes, comments, shares, and saves. I felt really happy that I have all this support from the writing community. I thought to myself, "Wow my writing is really making a difference." I'm really proud of that post.
How do you respond to the writer’s block or not knowing what to write?
I had writers block for years until I started this Instagram account. This page helped me push myself to get out of my writer's block to relive my passion. Another thing I use is a “Writers Block” book that my friend bought me for Christmas. It’s a book that’s purpose is to help kickstart my imagination to create more writings.
What are you working on next?
My next step is to finish my scripts for my television series. I also want to publish a poetry book and start my website. A lot of exciting things are happening!
Where would you like to see yourself in three years' time.
I would love to be perusing a job in the writing community. Whether its writing full-time for a television series or writing in a marketing company – I know that writing will always be in my life.
What is your strategy you to grow your audience?
I’ve learned that it helps to be close to the writers in the Instagram community. I am in different group chats where we help support one another. It’s really encouraging to have the love of so many writers that are also pursuing their passion.
What advice would you give young poets just starting out?
Write! I wrote a ton in my notebook, so when I started posting, I had lots of material to fall back on. Another piece of advice is to find other writers in the community and get to know them. Their friendships can help you and its nice to have someone to talk to that’s also in the same boat as you.
Do you think poetry has a greater purpose?
I do think poetry has a greater purpose. It’s a way to speak to the soul and to be relatable in a couple of sentences. It’s thoughtful with its choices of words and always creates an impact.