Story of Devout Maxima

So, what the hell is this “Devout Maxima” thing?

I’m glad you asked, Eli!

Remember back to your last English or creative writing class when you had to write poetry? You either dreaded the situation or jumped at the opportunity—I was the ladder. Writing poetry is like painting a painting. The same goes for understanding it. There are many happy accidents and sometimes, you have no idea what the f*$k is going on. While I loathe the dissection of poetry written 100 years ago by some old, sad geezer, there is something worthwhile about it. With time, I leaned into the notion that not everything is to be understood at the time of you reading it. And that thesauraus.com and rhymzone.com have a very special place in my heart and should be safeguarded for the rest of time.

There I was, in the last full quarter of my senior year at the University of Denver, in an Intro to creative writing class, scattered with timid freshman still finding their feet, let alone their seats.

Poetry class is hardcore, man. I knew about my peers’ traumas and self-discoveries before I knew their names. Adding to my discomfort was the overhead of rekindling my relationship with writing poetry which was something I regularly did in my last relationship.

My love for writing the written word had disappeared as I felt like I was writing for nobody, not even myself.

Before creative writing class, you would find me in my studio painting. At the time, I was working on a collection of paintings bringing to light the seemingly forgotten identities and bodies I aligned with while going through puberty.

Scarred | 24 x 36 inches | Oil and oil stick on canvas | 2022

I was born with an extra X chromosome, also known as XXY.

Very long story short, I was taking supplemental testosterone to balance my level to something that was typical of an average boy my age. To say that I had an identity crisis as a child is a severe understatement. I often alienated myself, asking questions like “What am I?” and then never finding out. In case you are wondering, I am happy with who I am now, and how I present myself to the world. But it was in the crossover of thoughts between painting in my studio and poetry class that I had a question permeate to the forefront of my cerebellum. No longer was I asking myself “What am I?” but rather, “How can I be the rawest version of myself?”

From there, Devout Maxima was formed.

To be devout is to be devoted. To be committed to an idea that guides you in experiences and throughout life. Maxima, a Latin word quite literally meaning the greatest possible amount.

Devout Maxima is my commitment to working on myself, understanding myself, and learning how I can best serve the ideas and traits that make up who I am, unapologetically. This became the title of my final poetry packet, and it was just the beginning of a very intentional lifelong conceptual exploration of the self.

I continued with Devout Maxima in my studio practice and started to write a manifesto that will serve as a tool and reminder for the life experiences that lie ahead.

There are no shortcuts. –excerpt from The Devout Maxima Manifesto (title TBD)

This newsletter is another avenue for exploration. Another way to articulate an existence. Each brushstroke, drawing, essay, novel, blog post, newsletter, photo, and video we make, serves as a tracing of our time spent on Earth. MAXIMA is no different.

Your pal,

Eli

P.S. Lookout for another newsletter later this week about contradictions in your artistic practice.