The more you stretch as an artist, the more space you have.

Have you ever heard a live spoken word performance? The kind that makes you nod your head and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up?

That’s how I felt when I first heard In-Q. This man is an uber talented spoken word poet, and he is incredibly skilled as both a writer and a performer; So skilled, in fact, that he has performed with Cirque du Soleil, on Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam, and even for the president. But he’s not just a poet. He’s also a talented songwriter who has written songs with Miley Cyrus, Aloe Blacc, Mike Posner, and Selena Gomez.

What I love about In-Q’s poetry is that he writes about the human experience, encouraging people to ask questions about themselves, their environment, and the world at large. Listen in to our conversation to hear us talk about not only art, commerce, and making a living as a spoken word poet, but also about In-Q’s writing process and why he encourages people to express themselves.

I want people to realize that they’re all poets and they’re all storytellers.

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Some things we learn in this podcast:

• How he realized he was more of a poet than a rapper [3:05]
• How he jumped into the music world [3:55]
• The value of thinking outside the box [4:30]
• How poetry became his outlet [7:20]
• Why he loves the Matrix movies [9:20]
• Why he encourages people to express themselves [11:50]
• What his day to day life is like [17:10]
• How you can experience time differently [18:10]
• Why he wants to break poetry into popular culture [21:30]
• Why you have to know your why [22:50]
• Why he doesn’t seek validation from anything external [24:20]
• How art and commerce should coexist [26:50]
• Why we think growing up means we stop learning [36:10]
• Why he wants to do stuff he’s not good at [37:20]
• Why capitalism and the priorities of society need to shift [41:00]
• Why it’s not just about growth, but about how you grow [45:00]
• What his writing process is like [54:50]

Links mentioned:

• Check out some of In-Q’s Disney Junior videos
• Read Simon Sinek’s book Start with Why
• Music Credit: Wonder by Finding Hope

Connect with In-Q Instagram | Twitter | Website