How My Mother’s Love For Poetry Shaped Me And My Business Venture, Promising Poetry!

We all have that one greeting card with words from our special someone that we hold closely. There’s that one song with lyrics that remind us of a person, keeping them and the memories alive. We save chat conversations as screenshots, holding onto the words that made us feel a certain way, even after we let the person go.

Words have the power to bond relationships and bridge gaps. They help us navigate through silence, loneliness, and distance. They speak the truth and push us to reflect in silence. Despite their significance, we often overlook them in our fast-paced lives.

I did not begin as a writer or poet of any sort – I wanted to become a Maths professor!

It was only after I became a writer and poet that I truly understood the power of words. I started taking them seriously enough to build a business around them.

I never had a background in literature, nor did I grow up reading Agatha Christie or Enid Blyton. Becoming a writer and starting a business around it was never something I had considered. I studied Mathematics and had always envisioned a career as a Math Professor. However, life had other plans for me. After completing my post-graduation, I got married and became a mother at a young age. To maintain a work-life balance, I began working as a subject matter expert and tutoring engineering students part-time.

Just as I was considering making tutoring my full-time job, my autoimmune disorder (ITP), which was diagnosed during my pregnancy, started showing new symptoms and demanded attention. Even teaching a one-hour class left me feeling fatigued and with bruised legs. It was clear that I needed to rest. I tried working part-time with fewer hours and tutoring from home but to no avail. There came a point where I experienced brain fog as a side effect of medication, and the very subject that once came naturally to me started feeling foreign. I developed a phobia of the subject and had to stop teaching altogether.

How I learnt about and understood the power of words, especially poetry

The thought of not being able to use my knowledge and skill set was terrifying. It didn’t sit well with me, so I was constantly wondering what to do next. However, as they say, “Adversity brings out the best in man.” Women too.

While it was a period of inactivity, it was also a time of growth and learning. I discovered solace in words – in books, in conversations, and in poetry. I began journaling and discussing my autoimmune condition on social media and other platforms. The response I received was both overwhelming and encouraging, prompting me to put myself out there and try my hand at writing. But what I had not realized until then was that I had inherited my mother’s genes of creativity, patience, and perseverance.

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My mother’s love for reading and her impressive knowledge across various subjects have always left me in awe. As a tradition, she gifts me a book on my birthday, and her birthday wishes always come with a personalized poem that’s thoughtful and evocative. Her influence on me has been profound, and she even shared her personal diary of poems with me when I was mature enough to understand and appreciate them. Through her poems, I learned to see the beauty in husband and wife relationships and developed a deeper appreciation for poetry as a means of expression.

And that’s how I thought of Promising Poetry as a source of income

Following her example, I began writing poems to wish anyone and everyone. However, it was not until I faced this health setback that I began to see poetry as a potential source of income. And once I realized this, there was no looking back, and the first steps towards Promising Poetry were taken.

I began by customizing poems for birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and invitations for those in my circle. As they saw the potential of personalised poems for evoking deeper emotions, my relatives and friends started placing orders to gift to their own circles. With each order, my expertise grew, and my craft improved. I had customised gifts with verse significant to the relationship, their story.

Word of mouth spread, and I began receiving steady orders.

Created by the author using Canva

After two years of this, I decided to create my own business, Promising Poetry, and take it online with a website.

This move expanded my services to include customizing poetry, ghostwriting, book formatting, editing, and translating poetry. None of this would have been possible without the creative genes and the support of my mother, who is my personal editor for Tamil poems and my first reader and critic for all my writings, both in English and Tamil. I will proudly and surely say that my Amma is my ‘Promising Poetry’.

Editor’s Note:  Join us this Mother’s Day by using the hashtag #LegacyOfStrength and sharing your story, of how your mother (or mother in law!) has influenced your career in a similar field or how you have made an impact as a woman in business, inspired by her strength and resilience. Perhaps your mother started a business inspired by you or vice versa? Whatever your story is, we want to celebrate the powerful bond between mothers and daughters and the legacy of strength that you share.. Let’s inspire and uplift each other as we honour the incredible women who have shaped our lives.

Read all the #LegacyOfStrength stories here.

Image source: Promising Poetry website.

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