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

Ty , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I was eight years old two significant things happened that inspired me to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally: 1- A teacher heard me singing in the hallway at school and encouraged me to join chorus. 2- One of my sisters complimented me on a poem that I wrote. From there, I went to a school of the arts through the ninth grade. There were some detours that followed once I got to high school, but over the years, I was led back to pursing these passions.

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 background and context?

I am blessed to live a life where poetry, hip hop, and writing is what I’ve been doing for over twenty years. I have won awards, appeared on major television networks such as BET and TV One, had multiple long-running successes on the Billboard Music Charts, performed at the United States Pentagon, travelled internationally, shared stages with artists I’ve looked up to for years, become a bestselling author, and I have been told that I am “the Maya Angelou of this generation,” a compliment I dare not take lightly!

I have also been the featured poetic voice in national radio ads for corporate giants such as Pizza Hut, McDonald’s (for which I won the prestigious Silver Mic Award), and Aveeno, ranked among the top poets at the National Poetry Slam level, and hosted both an internationally broadcasted television and radio show.

Often, I can’t believe that as a once shy, Jamaican born/US raised girl who began writing when she was just eight years old, I’ve been able to accomplish so much. But I know that I have God to thank for it all.

My life’s mission is to remind others of their worth and purpose through my words.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative for me is when people tell me that they can relate to what I wrote and it helped them to feel seen. For instance, I recently wrote and performed the poem “She is Me” for a virtual conference of the same name. One day, I decided to share a clip of it online and I was overwhelmed by the amount of women who commented saying things like, “She is Me, too!”

Those moments, when I connect with people’s hearts and souls, are priceless and make this creative journey so worth it. Those encounters make me extremely grateful that I have this gift.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I’m very appreciative of everyone who has supported me throughout the years, but there’s always more that can be done to support creatives. In my opinion, society can support us by buying our music, books, and merch. They can take the classes we offer online/in person. They can book us for more events/workshops, help us plan tours, and provide more grants.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tyscottking.com
• Instagram: @iamtyscottking
• Facebook: @iamtyscottking
• Twitter: @iamtyscottking
• Youtube: @iamtyscottking

Image Credits
DVM Productions. Melissa Schill. Christopher Morgan. Raphael