Spoken word poetry is far from a new art form. In some ways, spoken word has been around for thousands of years, dating all the way back to ancient Greece. In recent years however, spoken word has been making a new name for itself, especially among Christian youth culture. 

I myself started writing spoken word three or four years ago. Over the years, I’ve turned some of my pieces into YouTube videos, and some of them have gotten pretty popular.. In fact, that’s probably how most of you found this blog.

Ever since I started making videos with The Anima Series, I get a lot of questions about spoken word poetry.

How do you write it?
Where do you get your ideas?
Write a piece for me to give to my girlfriend on Valentine’s Day! (This one isn’t really a question, but it was a real request)

It seems there are enough of you interested in spoken word to warrant doing a post on the subject. Since spoken word is an extremely general topic though, I figured I’d split things up and tackle them one section and question at a time.

Today, I want to focus on where I get my ideas.

Inspiration is a rare and tricky animal. We’re often so grateful when it comes along, that we forget to take note of where it came from. This is foolish. I know, because I do it all the time. It’s like finding a piece of gold in a field and immediately running off to sell it without taking time to remember where the field was. You may make a small profit from that one little nugget, but you’ve lost the field. You’ll never be able to find your way back and find the bags full of gold you left sitting underneath the surface.

It’s a common misconception that inspiration is something to be waited on rather than something we must seek out. When we take note of where inspiration comes from, then we know where to go looking for it next time we’re running low.

So now, after deep reflection and soul-searching, I have composed the five “sparks” I draw inspiration from. In this post, I’ll break down all five sparks for you, as well as provide examples of the poems that sprouted from each of them. Let’s begin.

I love the Chicago Bulls. That’s not really a secret to you if you’ve followed me for more than two minutes. Generally speaking, I’m a fan of all Chicago sports teams, but the Bulls are the only franchise I follow on a daily basis, even during the offseason.

The surprise of the season for the Bulls has been the play of a talented rookie named Nikola Mirotic. Mirotic is from Montenegro. The 6'10" power forward played professional ball in Europe for six years before debuting with the Bulls at the beginning of the 2015 NBA season.

Mirotic is a promising young player, and all things considered, he’s having a very impressive rookie season. I say “all things considered” because Mirotic’s play has been far from perfect this year. In fact, there's been several games where his play has been downright poor.  

Now, here’s a question, when Nikola Mirotic has a bad game, do you think his coach and fellow teammates come down on him? If he misses a few shots one night, does the media report that he’ll never be a star player in the league because of one bad game? No! They understand that he’s just a rookie. His coach turns bad games into a learning experience, and the media focuses on his potential, rather than his mistakes. It would be ridiculous to expect this rookie to perform like a consistent veteran night after night.

The last two years since graduating college have been an absolute roller coaster ride. I’ve found myself thrown into full-on adulthood with all it’s stresses and responsibilities, and if I’m honest, most of the time I feel like I’m doing a pretty terrible job. Everyday I find another “adult activity” that I’m completely clueless about like filing for renter’s insurance, doing my taxes, or planning a wedding. Call me spoiled, but these were not things I needed to deal with growing up. Over the last year, I’ve hit a point probably once a week where I throw my hands in the air and say to myself, “Well Jon, you just suck at being an adult!”

It’s in these moments that I need a reminder from Nikola Mirotic. I need the reminder that I’m still basically in my rookie season as an adult. I’m still learning. I just started. I don’t come down on Mirotic if he has an off game, so what right do I have to come down on myself for not knowing how to create an investment portfolio? How can I expect myself to play like Lebron does now after 12 years, when I’ve barely been in the game for 2?

Please understand, this is not an excuse for ignorance and laziness. Just like an NBA rookie, we have to lean on our coaches and fellow teammates to learn from our bad days and use them to help us get better. Being a rookie takes humility and grace. It is only from this mindset that we will set ourselves up for a long, successful, fruitful career.

Over the past couple of months, Erin and I have grown quite fond of dreaming and planning our forever home. This is where we’ll host family parties, raise our kids, take out a second mortgage to put those kids through college. You know, our dream house.

For a long time, I didn’t understand how Erin could have so many opinions on every little aspect and every tiny detail. I can’t tell you how many evenings consisted of hour-long tours through her many Pinterest boards, and all I could do was nod in agreement. I didn’t know the difference between granite and marble, and at the time, I didn’t much care.

It’s been a long road filled with many forced hours of HGTV viewing, but I have grown to be just as passionate about the details of our future home as she is. I doubt I will ever have as many pins, but I do have my fair share of opinions. One room that I have a particularly deep attachment to is my future home office space, and in the past few months, my daydreams of this room have become increasingly vivid. Here’s an idea of what it will look like…

The four walls will all be distinctly themed.

The wall with the door, which will be situated opposite the desk, will feature pictures of family. Erin, our future kids, friends, and extended family will populate a gigantic picture collage surrounding the door.

To the left of the desk will be another picture wall. This one will feature only two portraits. The faces that fill these portraits will rotate on a consistent basis between the many writers, leaders, and creative artists who have inspired me over the years. Like an employee of the month wall for historic figures, at any given point in the year you might find the likes of Mark Twain, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, The Rock, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many more.

My book wall will stand on the other side of the desk. Yes, a book WALL. Instead of a shelf, I will have an entire wall, floor to ceiling, of built in bookshelves. As Seth Godin says, “a book is a souvenir of an idea.” Keeping all of my books in plain view will make it easy to simply glance over and be inspired by the many ideas I have collected over the years. Needless to say, I plan on single handedly keeping print books on the market.

The wall behind the desk will not be a wall at all, but a window. Much like the built in book shelves, this window will be floor to ceiling. You may wonder why I’ve placed such a beautiful feature behind the desk. Excellent question!

Obviously, the view from this window will be magnificent and other-worldly, a rocky mountainside flowing down into the calm lake shore below. It will be customary for me to watch the occasional bald eagle fly past the gushing waterfall as it takes it’s place back atop the towering pine trees.* A view like this, while incredible, can be very distracting. If I were to face the window, I know I would easily run the risk of getting caught up in the view all day rather than doing the work. So I will face away from the window, allowing both the rising and the setting sun to pour over my back as I hack away at the keys.**

My desk will be the main feature. It will not really be a desk at all, but a giant oak table, not unlike a dining room table, large enough to seat at least 10. Other than my giant dining desk, the room will be furnished quite sparsely, with a chair in each corner on the off chance Hemingway and C.S. Lewis decide to come back from the dead for afternoon tea.

To me, this is the ultimate writing space. In a room like this, bestsellers write themselves. Right?

This description is obviously overly descriptive and, for now, unrealistic. There are some, and I mean SOME, writers who write in their “ideal writing space.” But for most of us, and I mean MOST, especially those of us who are just starting out, we live in a different, much harsher reality. Something I had to learn very quickly when I started writing is that we can’t wait for the perfect time and space to write. We write where we can. We write when we can. If we wait until we find ourselves in the ideal writing conditions, then we aren’t ever going to get much writing done. This has been true for writers of all kinds, from bestsellers to self-published bloggers.

John Grisham, renowned bestselling author of criminal fiction, sold over 275 million copies of his books in 2012. Today, he writes from the comfort from his home in Virginia***. But it wasn’t always like this. In 1984, Grisham was working as a member of the Mississippi State House of Representatives. For the five years he spent in office, Grisham would show up to work one hour early everyday to write. It was in these one hour sessions at 7:00am that he wrote his first book, A Time to Kill. 

Actress Amy Poehler has taken the book world by storm with her autobiographic humor memoir Yes Please. Since its release, the book has enjoyed week after week on the New York Times Best Sellers list. Do you think that Poehler, an actress, writer, director, and mother wrote her book sitting in an indie café, sipping skinny lattes, and listening to Lana Del Rey for hours on end? No way! Poehler herself makes a confession about her writing process in the first chapter book…

Preach it, girl.

Even for myself, while I would never dare to place myself in the same universe, let alone the same category as Amy Poehler or John Grisham, the process of writing my first two books did not take place anywhere close to the environments I had pictured as a kid. I wrote Authentic Love the summer after I graduated college on a long train ride to and from my first low-paying acting job. Every day, from Pingree Road to Ogilvee, 90 minutes each way, I could be found hunched over my laptop hacking away at the keys.

Created to Create was different, but just as unromantic. I wrote that book from my dressing room at the Broadhurst Theatre in between performing scenes of Mamma Mia. Again, it wasn’t my dream office with a improbably view, but it did the trick. I’m actually surprised that more ABBA lyrics didn’t sneak their way into the book.

I’m not sure this even needs to be said, but I didn’t realize it until just now, so I’m going to say it anyway for this of you who are a little slow(like me). This point extends far beyond writing. We often use the “lack of ideal environment” excuse to keep us from pursuing the things and doing the work that we really want to do. To steal another quote from Amy Poehler, “Writing a book is about writing a book.” It’s not about the clothes you wear or the music you listen to or the tea you sip, it’s about getting your butt in the chair, or the subway bench, or the exercise bike, and getting to work.

Starting your business is about starting your business.
Studying your Bible is about studying your Bible.
Getting fit is about getting fit.
Having a date night is about having a date night.

If we wait until we have the “ideal environment,” then we’ll always be stuck doing exactly that, waiting.

Maybe I’ll have my dream office one day. Maybe not. I hope I do, but whether I do or not doesn’t matter right now. The only thing that matters right now is two questions…
1)   Where am I?
2)   How can I do my best work RIGHT HERE?

I want to try something different on my blog (hence, this post!)

Grace doesn’t call us to be safe. It means that we’re saved, and set free to be brave.

To be brave is a very admirable quality.

Being brave means trusting. Not trusting in your own abilities, that’s arrogance. It means trusting in God to provide what you need to be brave every day.

Stop looking at life as a responsibility and start looking at life as an opportunity.

The future is now doesn’t just mean that the future is here. It also means that if you want to create the future you desire, you have to start planting the seeds now.

I don’t feel like writing. I’ll just read until I figure out what to write. (I know this sounds like avoiding the work, and maybe I was. Sometimes I don’t even take my own advice. #VulnerableMoments)

It’s amazing what a tiny little encouragement can mean for me. Why don’t I give more tiny little encouragements to others?

The greatest adventure I could ever ask for would be to live a life in consistent pursuit of God’s calling for me.

Do I care too much about money?
Do I spend too much time checking email?

I think I’m more impressionable than I’m willing to admit most of the time.
But I think I also have more control over what leaves an impression on me than I give myself credit for.

Quitting at the right time takes both careful wisdom and incredible guts.

Doing the same thing, over and over again, at a high level requires a unique type of discipline.

God has grace for me everyday.  Realizing this is always the most humbling experience of my day.

You want to know the truth?

I have bad days sometimes.
I struggle with anxiety. 
I doubt myself.
Sometimes, I’m not a very good friend, brother, son, fiancé, or disciple.
I don’t always love my neighbor as myself.
I skip workouts.
I eat junk food.
I quit things before I finish them.
I care way too much about how many followers and views I have.
I can be selfish, ungrateful, and controlling.
Sometimes I an be a real jerk.

Despite what this blog may lead you to believe, I don’t always wake up completely full of inspiration and a sunny outlook on the world. The truth is, just like you, just like everybody, I have bad days.

Now, I know you’re probably thinking, “Jon, your title is a lie. This is the most ranty rant I’ve ever heard.”

I disagree. This is NOT a rant.
I’m not telling you all this so that you’ll feel sorry for me.
I’m not telling you all this so that you’ll stop feeling sorry for yourself.
I’m telling you this because we are all playing the most devious comparison game known to mankind.

You may read this blog, or another blog of someone much more prolific than I, and say to yourself, “Wow, that person is always so fired up. They’re always creating great work. They always seem to be at the top of their game. I could never be like them because of A, B, C, D, E, and G. Oh, and I forgot about F!”

The truth is though, people who make a difference have just as many bad days as those who don’t. The only difference is that those who make an impact find the resourcefulness needed to overcome, and in the best cases, use their bad days to fuel their good days to be even better.

Here’s the encouraging part for you if you struggle with any of the thoughts above. (I know I do)

If the great artists and innovators have bad times just like you do, that means that you are just as capable of having good days just like they do. You are capable of finding the resourcefulness needed to create your best work.

Having a rough day or behaving like a jerk sometimes doesn’t disqualify you from being able to do great things, and it’s not an excuse to keep you from doing them either.

I’m not perfect.
You’re not perfect.
Nobody’s perfect.

Great. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to work.

Carl the pirate is walking through the island jungle when he happens upon something shiny sticking out of the sand. It barely catches his eye, but when Carl reaches down, he picks up a single, glimmering, gold doubloon. 

Now, what do you think Carl does at this point? Does he say to himself, “Argh! What luck! I’ll go buy myself a pint at the island pub”? Probably not. If this were Carl’s reaction, then Carl is not a very good pirate. Or should I say, “bad pirate”? SKILLED pirate. 

Chances are (or “argh”) he’d grab a shovel and start hastily digging for treasure.

When I think about the value of an idea, I think about this story of Carl the pirate. An idea by itself, like a single gold doubloon, isn’t worth very much. But an idea, like a single gold doubloon, is rarely by itself, it only appears to be. If we’re willing to dig a little, we will almost always find some sort of treasure hidden underneath the surface. 

The best pirates never settle for noticing the X that marks the spot. The best pirates know that noticing the X is only the beginning of the job. The best pirates show up ready to do some digging and get dirty.

There are Xs all around us, everyday. The best writers, actors, and entrepreneurs do not settle for just finding the X. They know that X marks the spot where their idea can be developed. It means that it’s time to start digging and find some treasure.

Sure, there are bad ideas out there. Some “gold doubloons” turn out to be seashells. But we’ll never know if we don’t dig. An idea left undeveloped is just as good as a treasure left under the sand. 

I finally sat down to write, and I had no idea what to write. 

This is true. This is true A LOT for me. This is true for me RIGHT NOW! Five minutes ago, I sat down in a crowded Starbucks* with the intention of writing a blog post and nothing to write about.

Sound familiar?

Whether you consider yourself a writer or not, you’ve probably experienced this in some area of your life. This is the horror of the blank page.

A blank page is many writer’s worst nightmare.
An open lot is many architect’s biggest headache.
An empty canvas is many painter’s worst enemy.

A blank page represents nothing, an empty head, void of ideas. We haven’t started anything, so we don’t even have the luxury of stalling by self-editing and critiquing ourselves. There is no escape!

Well, at least that’s one way of looking at it.

A blank page could represent nothing, but it could also represent anything.

A blank page could mean, “I have nothing to write about.”
But it could also mean, “I can write about anything.”

An empty resume could mean, “I have no experience.”
Or it could mean, “I can work wherever I want.”

A single lifestyle could mean, “I have no one in my life.”
Or it could mean, “I have nothing tying me down when someone comes along.”

The blank page doesn’t mean that writing is impossible. It should actually serve as a reminder to the author that anything is possible. 

Learn to love the blank page, and you’ll find the process of filling it will not only be more enjoyable, but also more fruitful.

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"Today I want to tell you two stories.

The first is about a play, a play about a dog. Well, it’s not really about a dog. It’s a about a boy. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time tells the story of Christopher, a 15 year old math-genius in a small town outside of London. Christopher has what I’ll call “significant social issues” bordering the line of Asperger’s. As the story develops, Christopher attempts to solve the murder of his neighbor’s dog, Wellington. The play premiered at the Royal National Theatre in August of 2012 where it received a recording-tying seven Olivier awards, including one for best play. After bouncing around to several different West End theaters, the show made it’s way across the pond and premiered in New York City, on Broadway in October, 2014 where it is currently receiving rave reviews from it’s audiences.

So that’s story number one. A British mystery play starring a socially awkward teenager takes Broadway by storm.

Story number two is about a boy. Well, a man really. A guy. Alex Sharp was born in 1989. He spent the first seven years of his life traveling around the world with his family in a caravan. Sharp traveled to Rome, South America, Indian reservations, and most of the United States before he even knew how to read. He returned to his native country, England, to attend grade-school before moving to the U.S. for college. Sharp went to Julliard where he studied acting. His small frame and young face often landed him the role of the son or the younger brother, and in May of 2014, Sharp graduated, entering the harsh world of auditioning. What was one of his first auditions? You guessed it, the role of Christopher Boone in the Broadway production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

In case it isn’t obvious, Alex got the role. And, for the record, he is fantastic in the show. I saw it just a few weeks ago.

So we’ve heard two stories. But what’s the story here? What’s so significant about Alex Sharp becoming Christopher Boone? It seems so simple. Go to a great acting school, you’ll become a great actor and book great roles in great plays. There may be some truth to this version of the story, but I think it’s far too simplified. There is a much more profound, and I think encouraging lesson that can be harvested from these two combined stories.

Now, did Alex Sharp go to a great drama school? Yes.
Did he work very hard to earn the role of Christopher? Most certainly.
Is Alex Sharp an extremely talented actor? You bet! There is no doubt that Alex’s hard work and commitment to his craft are currently paying off for him.

But what are the chances that just months, maybe weeks after graduating college, that the best part on Broadway would be a role that Alex Sharp was literally made to play? Alex Sharp could not be more perfect for Christopher Boone, and Christopher Boone could not be more perfect for Alex Sharp, and it just so happens that both of them arrived on Broadway within two months of each other.  No amount of hard work or natural talent could make that happen. 

Once again, Alex Sharp is extremely talented, and a guarantee you he works extremely hard. But there was a third factor that went into him getting picked, a factor that was completely out of his control. Timing.

I think  that many of us, including myself, concern ourselves for too heavily with “getting picked”. We feel that if we don’t get the job, land the book agent, or get into that school, that we’ve totally failed. 

If perhaps this is how you feel, here’s a slight change in perspective that may help. If we show up, do our best, and still don’t get picked, that’s not failure, that’s timing, and timing is something we have no control over. We can’t count it as a failure on our part because, assuming we showed up and did our best, then we didn’t do anything wrong. The result was just out of our control. 

And that’s what we’re really looking for isn’t it? Control. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could control every outcome? The truth is though, we cannot control every outcome. Not even most. There are way too many factors contributing to the outcome that are completely out of our control, and timing is only one of them. If we spend our lives trying to control the timing to ensure that we “get picked”, not only will we drive ourselves crazy, but we will miss out on the opportunity to do work we are truly proud of. 

So what do we do then? 

Simply put, focus only on the things you can control. 
-Commit to your work.
-Show up.
-Do your best.

If I can do these three things in a day, then that’s a successful day as far as I’m concerned. 

And the beautiful thing is, when you commit and set your focus on these three things, you do better work, which actually increases your chances of getting picked when your Christopher Boone comes alone."