We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rill Spill. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rill below.

Alright, Rill thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Certainly, here is the revised version of the text:

I have been a full-time national performing poet since the pandemic in 2020. My professional career began in the marketing field, where I was introduced to traveling and learning about new places. The job was commission/incentive-based, which instilled in me the mindset that if you don’t move your feet, you don’t eat. After traveling to 38 states, I decided to return to Texas, my home state, and settled in Dallas. I was working in sales and making great money when the pandemic hit. Finding work in sales was challenging during the pandemic, so I began organizing smaller poetry shows around the DFW area and then expanded to national locations operating at 60% capacity. I believe I was one of the few poets still traveling and performing during the pandemic, which helped me increase my fan base. I used the relationships I built in the marketing field to leverage various opportunities across the country. Once the quarantine was lifted and people emerged, poetry became more popular as it spread across various social media channels, and the Clubhouse scene provided poets with a chance to connect nationally.

Living in a city with a population of 8 million, the biggest obstacle I face is competition. Whether friendly or not, competition still exists. The truth is that the average person in America is conscious of how they spend their time and money, so persuading someone to stop what they’re doing to come see poetry hasn’t always been easy.

My biggest milestone so far has been co-founding the Dallas Poetry Commission. The DPC is a group of poets formed to provide businesses and organizations with an opportunity to collaborate with a diverse background of poets and authors. We have successfully partnered with 8 local businesses and also engage in community service around Dallas and Fort Worth. Our mission statement is simple: “We provide high-quality poetry for the people.” I trust the process and believe in God’s plan, so I truly believe I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

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 was born in Tyler, TX but spent my early years in Peoria, IL. For some strange reason, my mom wanted my sister, brother, and me to all be born in Tyler, where she was raised as a kid. I was raised by two hard-working parents who taught and believed in Christianity. My dad was a pastor for almost 20 years. After moving to Bryan, TX, a small town about 90 miles northwest of Houston, TX at 5 years old, I eventually graduated from Bryan High School. My Mom would tell you I was very active child, I had the propensity to act out skits in class or tell jokes. I always wanted to be the center of attention, performing and I would be labeled a class clown.

Apart from the silliness, I was a 3-time varsity athlete in Basketball and graduated in the top 15% of my class, which eventually landed me admission to Bradley University, a private college in Peoria, IL, where I studied Communications. I originally wanted to work for ESPN, so I majored in Broadcast Journalism. College was the first time I got a chance to experience life with no boundaries and started to explore my creative side. It was a grimy kid with crazy flow from the Southside of Chicago who went by the name Freemont Jackson, and a light-skinned, skinny kid from the Westside of Chicago named AP. He had a smooth, silky vibe and made beats. Then it was me, this kid from Texas with swagger just happy to be expressing himself outwardly. We formed a group and called it the Carter Squad, and we eventually opened up for Bone Thugs and Harmony, Petey Pablo (showing my age) to name a few acts you may know. Eventually, we dropped an LP and sold a few hundred copies to students around campus. This was my first experience with performing ideas I curated in front of large groups of people, and I fell in in love with that feeling.

I would say the biggest obstacle I have faced on my journey to becoming a poet is experiencing failure. Life can come at you fast. I got comfortable with winning and having fun being a youth, so when life hit me with 4 kids and 3 different mothers, one child of which I eventually assumed custody, I found myself in a low place. I was angry, and confused, and found myself searching for answers. At my lowest time, I discovered poetry. And poetry allowed me to take my frustrations out. Poetry gave me a sense of direction and made me feel welcomed. I realized through my journey all the good and bad times were necessary. I know I had to go through certain things that other people were not able to endure. I took all my pain and suffering out on poetry, and the crazy thing about it is, that she let me. If we are being totally honest, I had an episode back in 2001 where I lost my temper and I punched through a double glass pane window, nearly losing my arm in the ordeal. I was forced to take counseling, and it was revealed I possessed Bipolar 2 traits.

Battling Mental health has been something I have fought my whole life, I just found ways to mask my pain. Out of all the places my mental health has led me, poetry has truly been the most beneficial thing so far. As a poet, I speak on mental health awareness, and I plan on continuing to be an advocate for black men and addressing our Mental Health in our community.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to continue using art as a form of healing. I understand the joy and freedom I feel when creating poetry. I believe tapping into your creative side helps eliminate unwanted stress and pressure in your life. I want to continue providing safe places for poets and other creatives, a place where they feel free to express themselves, while also providing audiences a chance to see the artistry in its rawest form. I always go back to that feeling I had when I first performed; it really changed my life. I hope I inspire someone to be the greatest version of themselves in that same capacity. My ultimate goal is to provide spots all around the nation where poets can go to see other great poets, kind of like what they do with art galleries for painters.

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

The most rewarding part of being a poet and entrepreneur is seeing the impact of your words on people’s faces. When someone is so moved by what you say that they want to support and follow your journey for years, it’s a powerful feeling. For example, looking in the eyes of a 16-year-old Latino boy who asks what he can do to initiate change in his home because of something you said is incredibly impactful. I think about that feeling every time I sit down to write a poem or compose an essay. It’s my mission to inspire positive change in others, that is the most positive aspect of the journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_rillspilld3?igsh=d3RkYzNudjZtZnp5&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRillSpill
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rillspilld3?_t=8ortp1XO0a6&_r=1

Image Credits

image by Stan Fleming Jr