Since about mid-2020, I have been experiencing immense issues with censorship on Instagram, to the point that it is making me rethink my whole strategy from the ground up! Back in April 2019 all the way to about April 2020 I had raised my engagement level on IG from around 20 views/likes per post to about 75 – 80 views/likes by the end of it.
Nowadays I am lucky if I break 15 views or likes on any given post, and the quality of the post does not matter much either. Social media is a mogul’s maven and works like a snake constricting the life out of small artists all while feeding on the largest ones. It is not a place to be humble, nor is it a place to be careless. If anything, the beginning of the 2020s have shown just a taste of the power that technological and computational advances have on the human race, and particularly on our ability to sell items or services of value to our brethren in return for currency.
A globalized market does not always mean it is an easy buck, because as any economist knows – if there is no demand then there is no reason to have a supply lest you wish to lose money on an investment. This is where the idea that poetry is a ‘poor man’s art’ comes from. Since Rupi Kaur and Atticus hit Instagram, nothing was ever the same for poetry or the books it came in. These two ‘instapoets’ managed to do what hundreds of years of poets before them couldn’t do – and not for the benefit of anything other than themselves. They managed to sell books!
Poetry is not often seen as something that many people want. In fact, I’ve seen a saying today that said, “Truth is like poetry, and most people fucking hate poetry.”, and if this isn’t a sad fact I have seen proven time and time again then I don’t really know what is. The fact remains however, poetry has seen a popularity explosion in the last 4 years, and in large part thanks to the likes of aphorism-loving hackney writers that created an entire term for their sub-par lyricism (yes lyricism, because if not trying to be rhythmic or use literary devices, then keep that shit as prose!).
I don’t like to feel like the old pretentious guy in the room (I have yet to breathe for 30 years) who always has some jackass opinion on the ‘current state’ of the industry I partake in, but from where I am standing all I can see is potential. I see writers so legendary that they’d put classical poets to shame in 2 seconds flat, I see poets so utterly inescapable in their imagery that you’d need to construct a thesis just to escape, I see sub-par writers make it rich off a few lines scribbled that my 8-year-old could do better, I see rap music going from the physical age of cassettes and CDs to one of digital streams, I see plenty of opportunity going to waste around me. Not enough poets are bold enough as everyone is content saying, ‘Oh, I’m not a poet!’, as if becoming a lyrical savant is a bad thing by any measure.
You see, I think most people have this lopsided view of what a poet should look like and how they should act. I think that most people have it in their heads that you cannot be a poet unless other people refer to you as such, and that to me is the dumbest shit ever. Why sell yourself short to make others feel more comfortable with your announcement? Fuck them and what they think! You do this for YOU and for those that look up to you. Fuck everybody else with a ten-foot pole and tell ‘em to come and find me, because there is some shit you just shouldn’t do in poetry and selling yourself short is on the Top 5.
I see tons of poetry but not enough books. I see plenty of writers but not enough poets. I see lots of poets but not enough lyricists. I see a lot of things in this way. . . And I know why things are this way too. The way that predatory Capitalism siphons entire economies and ecosystems is nothing short of apocalyptic, and it is this way that true talent is pushed to the bottom of the barrel (since it is easier and more lucrative to market a specific bland niche and genre) while giving rise and ground to mediocrity. Nobody wants to write a book if nobody will buy it, right? You wouldn’t go to work if the job was closed for a holiday would you? The point is, if people see no point in continuing, then the art suffers as a result. That apathy is a special kind of dream killer, man, I am telling you. To be apathetic in today’s world is tantamount to having a chronic illness – as the mental degradation kills you faster than you believe it does.
So, where does the average small-time artist or poet go from here? How do you make your voice heard and your contribution count? I would like to lie to you and say: “Easy. Follow steps 1, 2, and 3!”, but the fact is that it just isn’t that simple anymore. Nowadays in today’s globalized society, you either sling rock or got a wicked jump shot it seems! The more talented someone is, the less exposure they are likely to receive as a result. Eminem is often cited in instances like this, but I want you to know he is the exception not the standard issue. Not everyone has a Dr. Dre in their corner, and not everyone can leverage their current situation to get ahead. This is why it is imperative for indie poets to support each other and create a genuine, thriving community based on mutual enjoyment, shares, and reposts of art. For if we do not create our own lane, then the corporations and powers at be will do so for us.
I for one made peace years ago with never getting rich or making much money off my rhyme books or poetry, but I persevere despite the odds of it all. As a kid you have no idea how many times I would lie on my bed and close my eyes to dream of the mansion I’d have and the good things I could do once I built my heaven. Me and money have always had a tumultuous relationship, because unlike many in the rap industry – I don’t worship it like they do, and unlike many in the poetry industry – I actively sought to make some off my art. I am caught in the middle of this conundrum, but along the way I feel like I could pass some advice off to any aspiring poet reading this right now.
My advice to you is this, especially if you are looking to write professionally:
1. Don’t do it for the money.
2. Practice, practice, and practice until you are better than good.
3. Don’t ever settle for second best when you can have it all.
4. Network and market yourself like a motherfucker! No one else will do it for you at first.
5. As Ed Bernays once said, ‘Influence the influencers’.
6. Do good for the sake of doing good and not for rewards.
7. Help others struggling with their writings if you are able to, so that if you help 10 and 5 are dicks, you still got somewhat through to the other five.
8. Always be hungry for the next opportunity.
9. If you have them, work on depression and anxiety until you can control them effectively.
10. Curate an organic audience that would recognize your work or brand anywhere.
A lot of these steps of advice are easier said than done, but the hardest part is just getting started I say. If you have ever wanted to jump in the deep end with your poetry, don’t fret or be afraid of the sharks. There is more to fear in the dark than meets the eye, so while you are busy worrying about what to wear to work tomorrow, just remember than an asteroid could wipe the planet out at any time and all of human history could effectively be forgotten in an instant. You must live your life in a way that preserves the greatness of what you did as well as the ideas you had. The world mustn’t forget your greatness, for damned be us – the artists if so.
Overall, the world is rapidly adjusting to the technological feats it puts on its own shoulders, and as we ourselves learn to carry the burden, the lens seems just a little more clear. Don’t settle for being an instapoet when you can be legendary. Be yourself.
Commentaires