Valuing Creativity, Consistency, & Collaboration
How exactly does a former insurance salesman become a successful poet and motivational speaker? Jeff Young, aka Backpack Jeff, can break it down into three C’s for you.
But who is Backpack Jeff and why should you take his word for it? Jeff is an East Coast-based motivational speaker, poet, conflict resolutionist, and now podcast host traveling and touching the lives of others through words.
So what is it that you can learn from Jeff to apply to your own poetry career?
Let’s find out and dive into Jeff’s three C’s: Creativity, Consistency, Collaboration.
Creativity gets you started in your poetry career
Writing and working on your craft is the foundation. Allowing yourself to be creative in how you approach writing poetry and presenting it is what gets your career started.
One of the fun parts? Getting caught up in your poetry.
Jeff agrees, “There’s nothing more beautiful than watching a person operate in their craft.”
Think about it. What are some of the most memorable poetry performances you’ve seen or heard? What are some of the most beautiful little moments you’ve witnessed of someone else? What are the moments you feel your most fulfilled? Probably when you or that person is focused on the thing they love the most.
So do your best to let yourself keep creating. If you stop writing or practicing or whatever it is, then you might be keeping yourself from the next opportunity that might come your way.
Living proof? Jeff.
“If you continue to work on your craft, you have no idea what’s around the corner.”
What a perfect transition into his next C: Consistency.
Consistency gets you noticed in the poetry industry
You may hear it all the time. Consistency is key. Consistency, consistency, consistency. Right? But why? How? What will consistency in poetry actually get me? Well, Jeff has a few things to say about that.
“Everything I did was about being consistent. Always have my pen to the pad. The biggest way you can make a name for yourself is being consistent.”
After a while of being consistent, people start to recognize you. Then people start talking about you to other people (e.g., “Have you heard this poet?”).
Think about what you see in TV shows — like Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Midge doesn’t start to pick up momentum in comedy until she’s been consistently showing up to the mic. This is a theme you’ll see in lots of movies, TV shows, and real life because it’s true.
Consistency gets you noticed and recognized.
Take Jeff’s personal example of how he learned about consistency:
“I learned that consistency was key, not from poetry, but from other parts of my life. When I played sports, I wasn’t as consistent as I could’ve been or should’ve been. Because of that, I was a good average player. As I was getting into motivational speaking, I heard it in my mind because I played it so much. I spent a year and a half playing nothing but inspirational videos.”
“I already know what giving up feels like. I want to know what happens if I don’t.”
“I’m already giving half effort. I want to know and see what happens if I approach something with maximum effort, maximum potential. What’s going to happen? A result of that was nationals my first year.”
Easier said than done, right?
How do you stay consistent?
Great question!
Jeff says, “What kept me consistent was opportunities and wanting to get more in touch with myself and my story.”
Ride the opportunities that come your way and let them keep you consistent in your craft. The opportunities or misadventures or what-have-you that come your way throughout life are all opportunities that can keep you writing. Let yourself embrace those moments — whether that includes gigs, workshops, classes, jobs, personal life events.
In addition to that? Continually making your presence known in the poetry industry and community.
According to Jeff’s experience, “You’ve got to be consistent. You’ve got to be out there. You’ve got to make sure that people are finding out who you are. And you’ve got to make sure you are building a following for yourself. You’ve got to make sure you’re doing all these things and staying consistent.”
How many times can we say “consistent” in one blog post? Probably a few more.
So what does consistency get you?
It gets you steady growth and, ultimately, your goal. Rather than jumping to the part you want to be at, work to get there. You’ve probably heard the saying “slow and steady wins the race,” right? Well, it’s the truth.
Maybe Jeff’s analogy will help: Imagine you’re driving cross country in the dark by focusing on just what’s 200 feet in front of you.
“All you have to do is tackle what’s in front of you. Don’t worry about what’s to come because you’re not there yet. Consistency is tackling this 200 feet and then the next 200 feet and the next until you ultimately reach your destination.”
So what about the final C? Collaboration?
Collaboration gets you a poetry team
No, we don’t necessarily mean a slam team that you compete with. We mean a team of peers who are there to support you, challenge you, and become your network that can help get you opportunities.
From Jeff’s experience, “You have to be willing to work with people. … You’ve got to be putting yourself out there and be willing to have a conversation with people doing what it is you want to do.”
While collaborative poems are definitely valuable, they’re not the only form of collaboration for poets.
“Collaboration is also about having conversations with each other, supporting each other, teaching others how to get better, teaching others how to feature. I think collaboration is more along the lines of how can we all help each other hone in and develop and grow in our craft.”
It’s asking questions and helping each other think outside the poem. It’s helping each other think about the business behind what you’re doing — whether that’s performance, the page, hosting, teaching, whatever it is. It doesn’t have to be a competition.
Jeff says, “There’s more than enough space for all of us out here to operate. Because we don’t all define success in the same fashion. We can all win.”
The three C’s are great tools to keep in your mind as you work to move forward in your poetry career. Remember to keep your creativity flowing, remain consistent, and allow yourself to collaborate with your peers.
We’ll leave you with this one final thought from Backpack Jeff:
“Whatever it is that you’re doing, especially in this poetry thing, trust yourself.”
Be sure to watch or listen to the full episode to discover even more about Jeff’s story and how you can keep yourself creative, consistent, and collaborative.
Backpack Jeff is a poet and motivational speaker. His powerful speaking voice, clever wordplay, and breathtaking performance have allowed him to speak before crowds of over 300 people. Poetry is the catalyst that has allowed him to flourish in ways never thought possible. It has provided an outlet for him to reach people in a creative manner that has touched the lives of many. As a poet, Jeff encourages others to embrace their truth and live it to its full potential.
