We caught up with the brilliant and insightful David Gate a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi David, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful projects I work on are always collaborations. People invite me to write poems for their loved ones or to mark significant events or achievements and it is always a delight. It feels corny to say it’s an ‘honor’ to do this but there is no better way of describing it. To be present with another in both the big emotions of life and in the creative act of making, I feel so lucky and take it very seriously. Often some of the best lines I write come from these collaborations; they drawn from real experience and feeling. It is always a special opportunity.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a poet and writer, originally from London UK, living in Asheville, NC. I have been writing in various forms for employment since I was a teenager but in the last few years I have given myself entirely to poetry and prose. My work can be summed up by the phrase “A Rebellion of Care” – highlighting the importance of looking after yourself and others and the earth are radical acts in today’s world.

Like many poets, I sell prints of my work but the thing that is special about mine is that most of them are hand-typed on an old typewriter. Many people want something that isn’t just mass produced or off the rack at Target. Recently I’ve been taking on commission work and helping people, brands and artists write a poem or piece of prose for special events or life achievements or loved ones. My debut collection of poetry will be out in the summer of 2025.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My Instagram account is the sole reason I can operate as a business. I know many small businesses have a rollercoaster experience on that app, but for me it has been very consistent in growth and connection. The two things I attribute that to is my own consistency in posting and my own willingness to respond and build connection. I really believe you get the online communities you deserve.

I remember intensely what it was like when I would post and get no likes or encouragements at all. So now I treat it all the support as valuable to me. Even when posts are being shared 1000’s of times, I like to respond to comments and DMs. For me the greatest feeling is to create, the second is when what you have created is meaningful to someone else. I concentrate on prioritizing those experiences in my work.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

To make something that you love, that you are proud of, that expresses something of how you see the world, is the only real success. There is almost no way to feel ‘legitimate’ in creative pursuits. You just have to give yourself over entirely to the creative impulse. Make whatever is in your head, with whatever tools or materials you have around you. There are no authority figures who are going to stop you. You can make and make and keep making. That is the dream.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://davidgatepoet.com
• Instagram: @davidgatepoet
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.gate
• Other: https://davidgatepoet.substack.com

Image Credits

@iamhayleybrooks & @connorburchett on Instagram