We were lucky to catch up with Andre Sansbury recently and have shared our conversation below.

Andre, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Yes, I have for about a year now. The journey honestly was around 7 years before I was comfortable enough to be like, “okay I’m ready to do this”. When being an artist, you have constant struggles with self-doubt, worrying if the art will be enough to cover the bills, not knowing all the processes in order to be successful, and then obviously the battle with societal norms and people telling you that there is no career in poetry. It took me a while to understand that some people are just too weak/simple minded to understand the world of possibilities with all art. Not everyone can make a career out of it because they don’t have the mental capacity to think outside of the box and at the slightest sign of discomfort, they would walk away and give it all up. Now, I don’t say that to talk negatively about those people but I was allowing myself to get boxed in to these societal norms and my talent suffered from that. I could have gotten here a lot sooner if I would have believed in myself more, if I wouldn’t have took so many month long breaks, and if I would have been more focused on finding my tribe inside of poetry instead of looking for validation elsewhere. When I finally became consistent mixed with more confident, everything began to naturally align for me because this is my purpose. I was worried about the money because I was so financially stable with my corporate job. But I quickly realized, when you are walking in your purpose, the money will come effortlessly; the most high doesn’t bless those who are ignoring him and the reason he placed you on this earth. I’ve now been doing spoken word full time for almost a year and let’s just say I am blessed. I am humble, appreciative for every opportunity that comes my way and grateful that I am able to live a life filled with abundance and freedom.

Andre, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I consider myself of the most exciting poets of our time and I know a lot of people feel this way; especially the ones who know that I’m not even in my prime yet. I am better known by my stage name “Suavethepoet” and I hit the ground running, publishing my first book at 19. Now 27, I’ve been published 21x, the author of a best-selling poetry novel, and the creator of an international award-winning short poetry film. I’ve been featured in magazines, newspapers, and on stages all over the United States, even performing in Kuwait City in 2020. Already in 2023, I was the curator of the first ever poetry art exhibition in Fayetteville, NC’s history. I got into poetry as an alternative to medicine prescribed to deal with my bipolar disorder. For so long, nobody knew that I was diagnosed, I never told anyone at all, not even my family. It was just something I dealt with alone because at that point in my life, it was practically apart of who I was. I also knew how much of a joke mental health was in minority communities, especially for black males. When I first started writing, it was about High School “love”, but when I actually picked the pen up and labeled myself as a poet, it was because of my mental health. I never knew that this therapy would turn into an entire empire. I now travel performing, mentoring students through my poetry, and just utilizing my platform to shine a light on mental health. I’ve always been selfless with my art; turning my passion into purpose and that’s what I’m most proud of. I just hope I get to do this for the rest of my life.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

When asked this question, my mind automatically goes to two places. One, that there is no money or financial stability in being a creative and two, that “it must be nice not to have a job” or “you ain’t got nothing to do”. I’ve had people in my circle think that because I don’t have a job, I automatically have time for them or what they need out of me at anytime. They also think that I just sit around and do nothing all day. But the reality is, they wouldn’t last a day in my shoes. They never worked 13-14 hour days and didn’t know when the financial payoff from it was coming. What I do takes a different level of discipline and dedication; there is no breaks and there is no days off. A lot of people see the highlight reels on social media and think I’m just living the best life possible but have no clue of the behind the scenes work that it takes to get these bookings and live this life. So to clear up one rumor for both non-creatives and for anyone considering taking this path, IT IS NOT EASY! Be prepared to put the work in and be prepared to demonstrate the highest level of discipline of your life. When it comes to the financial component, it’s more lucrative than working a set pay at a job. You control what you make by the time you are willing to sacrifice, the effort you put into it, and by staying consistent. I won’t get too deep into this because my finances are private but just know that it’s there and the freedom is the biggest reward.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The benefit the work I do has on others. I’m learning that internal validation is the only validation that last but just knowing how much I mean to complete strangers because of my work, thats a different level of satisfaction. There is no money or materialistic thing that can measure up to the feeling of knowing I helped someone through my words. I’ve saved people from committing suicide, according to them at least. People sending you paragraphs in your DM’s about how much your poetry impacted them is an unmatched feeling. I know that I can never walk away because then my impact dies and my purpose goes out the window with it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://suavethepoet.square.site/
• Instagram: suavethepoet2.0
• Facebook: Dre Reco Sansbury Jr.