It was like watching a dancer become one with the music and lose all concept of self and time. Why do I even feel this is worth blogging about? Because there are times when we hear great material and watch a disconnected spoken word performance (I have sometimes delivered such performances). It’s like observing a painting that is apologizing for its existence. I think this is when artists forget why they create and it becomes all about them and others and what “others” will think about the work.  Because sometimes we have to let go of our conscious minds and the rational and what we know to really find genius and most of us are scared to to go that deep or be brilliant. Why?

A few weeks ago I wrote about stripping naked when creating a piece of art or performing poetry.

I am beginning to believe that to create true brilliance we may have to adopt a zen-like approach to creativity and learn to step out of our own way and strip ourselves of ego (or self) to express whatever we want to in our art. Elizabeth Gilbert talks about a genius or spirit that speaks through us and that our job is to just show up and create and not worry about the quality. It’s a very intriguing notion because it means that we are the vessels through which creativity is accomplished and “our job is to just show up”.

I have seen some amazing professional poets and storytellers in my life and the ones that always inspire me to go beyond my comfort zone in my writing and spoken word performance and to really reveal what I think regardless of slam scores have been the ones that became one with their words and stories, their bodies and expressions were all aligned and they threw caution to the wind and focused on the message they had to deliver. It’s interesting because you see them on stage and you know that that is what they were born to do and that the poem was meant only for them to tell it and that is what it means to find a voice and to have a pulse. They move you to want to be more then you are.

These spoken word performances are electric – the professional poets and storytellers themselves are not afraid to acknowledge that feeling and be vulnerable in public, they are one with themselves at that moment.