The Importance of Healing The Poet & The Audience
“I didn’t think I could do it so I wasn’t even going to try.” That’s how 13 of Nazareth says he felt before his poetry journey took off. Looking back, he says, “I like to think life proved me wrong.” And he is beyond correct that life proved him wrong because he has successfully built his life around poetry.
13 of Nazareth sat down with us at the Poet Life Podcast to share how poetry can be healing for the poet and the audience — and how his poetry career has grown because of this exploration.
Explore what poetry means to you
“Once I felt that feeling [of performing], I was just like I need to try this more. I need to explore it more deeply.”
It’s a story we hear a lot from professional poets: that once they’ve performed, they want to do it for the rest of their lives. And his second point is a crucial one: “I need to explore it more deeply.”
Take the time to analyze what poetry and performing means to you as an artist. What is your motivation? What about you is driving this poetic need? What are your goals? What’s your niche? This kind of introspection will teach you a lot about what the poet life means for you.
Read the room
Part of being able to help reach the audience listening to your work is to know your audience. Listen to the conversations happening around you, listen to the other poets and the reactions from the audience, hear the sounds and feel the energy. Then choose which of your poems fit the space and energy. It can be intimidating to change up your plan on the fly, because there’s uncertainty in improvising the set list.
13 of Nazareth explains it well:
“I have certain material floating around in my mind, and when I get to the microphone, the energy that’s present in the room dictates what I’m going to share.”
“Sometimes that [poem] lands perfectly and other times, not so much. But the times it doesn’t land, I walk away with the assumption that there must have been someone there that needed that. It might not have been for the entire room on that night, and I’m okay with that. I’m okay with somebody not getting it.”
“That’s part of the poet’s journey, right? You gotta be okay with being misunderstood. If you walk into the room assuming everybody is going to understand everything that you’ll have to say, you’ll be in for many rude awakenings.”
Realize poetry isn’t always for you
Often, writing and performing your poetry becomes about more than just yourself. It becomes about helping others heal and feel seen.
13 of Nazareth explains, “It’s a healthy thing for your creativity to oscillate back and forth between being for you and being for others. It builds a bridge between yourself and the various audiences you find yourself in front of. Hopefully what you’ll find is more similarities than differences.”
Your poetry is coming from you but being sent to the audience and making a mark on their hearts. That’s a powerful thing, and when you recognize it, you can leave a lasting impact.
13 of Nazareth says, “My love for the art form helped me to recognize that if I can also encourage others to find what it is they enjoy, then my job is doing itself.”
Keep showing up
Showing up means quite a few different things. But the sentiment is the same. Show up consistently and put in the work. If you do that, you’ll see the results. Here’s what 13 of Nazareth means when he says to show up.
“I just show up and participate in the work. I’m hoping I can support the process. Which for me, goes back to healing. I believe that the thing you love doing will also help heal you.”
Consistency in showing up for what you love can help you be consistently happy. And on top of that, taking the time to dedicate to your poetry helps you improve and continue growing your career.
And you know what career growth means …
“As you go forward in anything, the more time you put into it, the greater level of recognition you gain within it, the more you can demand.”
Finally, showing up consistently for the long-haul will make a difference in terms of how you’re recognized across generations. 13 of Nazareth explains how he was taught this:
“Poetry’s popularity exists in the world in 10 year cycles where it’s really hot for 10 years then it kind of disappears. It’s hot for 10 more years and then disappears. And the people who become well known are the people who stuck around when no one else was paying attention. So that every time people showed up again, a generation saw them and then the children of that generation saw them and then the grandchildren. So you’ve got three generations of people who love poetry, and this person’s name was present in every generation.”
Moral of the story is: Consistently show up, do this for more than yourself, read the room, and explore what poetry and a poetry career means for you.
13 of Nazareth is an emcee from Virginia living with epilepsy, a dry sense of humor, and peace of mind over everything. The golden thread which runs throughout his hip-hop infused poetry is drawn from the looms of various spiritual traditions to weave a tapestry of creative works geared toward the personal and collective healing process.
