Poet IN-Q Will Change Your Mindset With His Powerful Poetry—Here’s How
IN-Q. Image Courtesy of YouTube
Two words: Poetry. Concert. That's right.
Lyricist IN-Q (short for IN-Question) has captivated so many with just his words, that he actually sells out theaters for his poetry concerts. That's how powerful his words are.
In the last year, IN-Q was named one of the top creatives on Oprah's SuperSoul 100 list. He has collaborated with the likes of Miley Cyrus, Mike Posner, Selena Gomez, and more.
He even helped establish one of the biggest open-mic poetry venues in the U.S.—"Da Poetry Lounge" in Los Angeles.
At age 13, he began writing lyrics, hoping he’d become a rapper. But as he began to perform in the style of a capella, his audience identified him as more of a poet.
IN-Q, now 40, says his inspiration comes from observations and conversations.
"I could be having a conversation with anyone, and something might stick out to me, and I'll stop to write it down,” IN-Q tells Beyond The Interview. "That might be the spark of something that will later turn into a poem. It's just paying attention to what's interesting to me. I wrote that in a poem recently."
“If you're not inspired by life, you're not paying attention.”
IN-Q is changing the world with his lyrics by offering new perspectives and solutions to common challenges.
But what problem does he feel most equipped to help people with?
“Funny,” he says. “I just posted a video on Instagram about this. It's in one of my poems too. So I guess the best way I could answer this question is just by sharing that part of the poem...”
Every mistake I make
I put inside of a poem
She wants to change her man
But she's focused on her man
She should focus on herself
Rearrange her mental health
He wants to change his girl
But he's focused on his girl
He should focus on himself
Rearrange his mental health
We wanna change the world
But we're focused on the world
We should focus on ourselves
Why do I repeat myself?
Everybody's superpower
Doubles as their kryptonite
I think too much to sleep at night
But that's what makes me rip the mic
These days, IN-Q hosts creativity workshops, and notices that most people are "dying to share their story.”
How exactly does he get people, and particularly men, to comfortably express their emotions and vulnerabilities?
“Everyone's going through something,” he says. “So I don't think it's something particular that's stopping people from being vulnerable. But I've found that if you are open and vulnerable, and you give someone else the space to do the same, they will almost always reciprocate that. It happens in my workshops, and it happens in every day conversations. People want to share their story, you just have to open up the space for it."