What it takes to be prolific.

“Well, it’s easy for you, you’re a prolific poet!”

You would think this is a great compliment to receive, but the first time I heard this about my work it really rubbed me the wrong way…

At the time I was sitting on 14 books of poetry and 3 albums.

Being told how easy it was for me to produce was baffling. Sure, the content flows freely, but the execution of the work is anything but a walk in the park. Book and album releases take a lot of hard work if you want it done right.

What bothered me the most about this comment though, was the assumption that I was born that way.

I knew what happened to me in order to produce at the level I do, and it wasn’t just something I was born with.

There are tons of poets and writers stunting their careers from buying into this myth.

What Does it Mean to Be Prolific?

The definition of prolific is: Someone or something that is fruitful or highly productive.

It’s a pretty straightforward definition, but being prolific also includes churning out high quality work consistently, not just the act of writing every day.

Meaning in order to be considered a prolific writer, you’ve got to be on an upward scale of growth and achievement in your work.

You might of heard in school about the most prolific poets of all time but what isn’t discussed is how they did it.

Where Does Talent Come From?

The first step to breaking down this damaging belief is to examine where talent actually comes from.

Every time I am facilitating a workshop or leading a class I always smile when I hear…

“I’m not a good artist.”

“I can’t write poetry.”

Here’s the truth…

All great artists started out with the same stick figure.

All great musicians started out learning one chord.

All great writers started out with one simple sentence.

So why does it seem so natural for some creatives as opposed to others?

Passion.

Pure and simple.

What we pour our focus and energy into is what will get easier and grow as a result.

Here’s a prime example…

There’s a joke that all stage poets secretly want to be rock stars.

When I was in high school I begged my parents to buy me a guitar. I learned to play a few songs, even wrote a few and joined a band but it never went anywhere.

I could of kept going, getting better at my guitar riffs, reached out to venues to book shows, but I didn’t.

I wasn’t drawn to being a musician the way I was drawn to writing and art, so the guitar ended up with rusted strings laying under my bed while I got published in the school’s anthology of poetry and went on a tour of Europe through my art class.

I was so fueled by my passion, that I would even hold a piece of paper against the wall and write poetry while walking on my way to class!

The more I wrote and produced art, the easier it got to finish poems and art pieces at a level I hadn’t before. I even got to a point where I could have a conversation with someone in the hallway, while still writing as I was talking to them. I didn’t even have to think about it, it just came out.

What Happens At An Early Age

The things you experience at an early age have an effect on your ability to be prolific and what you are drawn to.

I grew up traveling around construction workers and bikers. I got to see some amazing things and also some disturbing things since I grew up with a rough crowd.

I didn’t have a lot of kids to talk to, so when it came to expressing my experiences, writing and art served me well. I could describe all the beautiful sights I was seeing, while also using these skills as a form of therapy for the not-so-lovely experiences.

How Trauma Heightens Your Awareness

Don’t get me wrong, I was well loved, but my parents had their issues. Not only was I being raised around a tough crowd of biker gangs, I also grew up in an alcoholic family.

I read an article where scientists discovered that children who grew up in unstable homes become hyper aware of other people’s emotions, and even consider themselves empaths.

This happens because they have to learn very subtle facial expressions or body language shifts at an early age for survival. In an unstable home, anything can take a turn for the worst at any moment.

If you think this doesn’t have an effect on what it means to be prolific you are wrong!

In order to be prolific you must be able to hyperfocus and channel inspiration consistently.

When a person develops these skills at an early age, it leads to creating powerful content at a much faster frequency than a person who struggles to see the hidden metaphors and meanings in any given situation.

Hyper awareness leads to hyperfocus, a technique where you can pick up on a connection to a subject and delve deep into it at a level that can only be described as transcendence. Hyperfocus is also learned as a defense mechanism, used as a means of escape, in children who experience trauma.

You might be able to pick up on this when you see someone having intense focus, starring off into what I like to call “the fuzzy place.”

These techniques naturally lead to the ability to find profound meanings and self reflecting metaphors in an environment.

I had a notebook when I was about six years old that had a picture of a dragon on it.

Believe it or not, I actually remember thinking at six years old that the dragon looked so strong and powerful. I wanted to be strong and powerful too, so I drew a replica of it on a piece of paper. It was the first thing I ever created through art that I felt really mattered. I felt that if I could draw the dragon, I could draw the dragon of strength from up inside of me.

And that was when I was six. Six!

When I was five, I wrote my very first poem. It was about werewolves. An acute observation at how rapidly things can change in an alcoholic household.

Fast forward to an adult me, a poet and an artist who can see the creative possibility in every single thing I come in contact with.

It’s one of the reasons I am such a badass Creative Coach and Poetry Mentor.

Make no mistake, any prolific artisan who creates at an early age has gone through some sort of trauma. Somewhere in their early development, something happened to make them hyper aware.

One of the best examples of a famous prodigy is Mozart. There’s been tons of research done into what made Mozart, Mozart. People have provided theory after theory about Mozart having neurological disorders, the evidence of poverty in the home as well as the type of demands from his parents.

This is a quote about Mozart from Federico Cortese, Music Director of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras and Senior Lecturer on Music and Director of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra in the Department of Music at Harvard University, in an article from Newspaper Alum.

“One of the most extraordinarily impressive things about him is how he could understand the corners of human feelings, even at a rather young age. He must have been hypersensitive and therefore emotionally very vulnerable: certainly very aware of everything that was going on around him.’’

It can be learned.

The good news is you don’t have to be a certain age, OR go through trauma to learn these skills.

As a matter of fact, when taught, it makes the whole aspect of writing a more thrilling, fulfilling and joyful experience.

Imagine going through life with only a percentage of the senses…

Only experiencing the world at 40% of your ability to enjoy seeing beauty, to taste and smell delicious food, to hear music resonating inside you and feel a deep connection through touch.

That’s the sad reality of a lot of poets, writers and artisans.

Now imagine if you were experiencing life at a full 100%, cultivating a constant deep connection with the world around you.

What would happen to your writing?

Who would you become?

When you unlock your senses through hyperfocus and awareness, you tap into endless opportunities for your craft that leads to greater achievement and more joy than you could ever imagine.

When you start to write, if you’re not feeling a thrill of connection rush through your whole body, then you are missing out.

Prolific Poets get to feel that every single time.

There are techniques you can develop to find constant fuel for your writing and the habits of prolific writers can be learned.

I have unlocked several poets to help them reach prolific heights in their work through what I call vessel work for the muse. I love opening up other poets to a world of wonder and amazement that is just waiting on them to be experienced.

I love it so much…

I wrote a free Ebook called “The 6 Easy Steps To Overcome Creative Block” for writers just like you to take your first step into prolific writing.

Writer’s block (otherwise known as Creative Block) is another huge misunderstood myth that leads to self sabotage and sometime’s even putting the pen down for good.

Don’t accept these limiting beliefs and myths about writing as your truth.

Stop cutting yourself off from the success, joy and the full experience of your writing.

Download the free Ebook today and open up the doors to your creativity.

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