Unchain Your Mind | 8 things I've learned on this journey...

1.) Don't ask me to promote your stuff if you won't promote mine. 

I have an album for sale on several websites, a FB artist page, YouTube page, and a blog. At what point did you plan on purchasing or subscribing? Respect the hustle. It's give and take. 

2.) If you didn't write poetry before you met me, don't start now.

 I always get the "I always wanted to write" or "I keep a journal" lines. Poetry is open to interpretation. I encourage everyone, don't try to tap into your inner self in attempts to impress me. 

3.) I'm a people's poet. Not a poet's poet. 

That being said, my goal is to reach the people. Not to speak so deeply as to where they will have no idea where I'm coming from or what I'm saying. Which remind me...

4.) Don't kill me with metaphors that nobody can visualize.... EVER.

I was hearing a picture of you standing in a well of feelings looking for water. 

Wait...what?

5.) I am in every poem. In some way. 

Yes, most of my poems are about love, life, and love lost. That doesn't mean that it directly depicts my life. You won't find out who I am through my poetry. I promise. 

6.) If you offer me a line or inspire me to write a piece, that doesn't mean we should do a group piece. 

I don't need to elaborate do I?

7.) A poem starts in the heart long before it ever makes it to the page. 

Which is why you'll always find parts of me in each piece. 

8.) If you want to right better poetry, study better poetry. 

Unchain Your Mind

Unchain Your Mind | He Turned It!!

Won’t He do it?! Let’s start from the beginning.

July 2013

 An email is distributed to all E-5’s (my current rank) that are looking for a better job/position in the hospital. I was immediately interested and sent in the requested information. The job being offered gave me high visibility with plenty more opportunities to advance my career.

August 2013

I get an email with my interview date. By this time, I don’t even want the new job anymore because I like my current work schedule, position, and was apparently slotted in a position higher than my rank (being in an E-6 slot looks good for an E-5). I let my supervisor know that I was no longer interested but was still told to go to the interview. I get to the interview with the mindset of “I’m not taking this job so they’re just gonna make sure that’s my decision and leave it at that.”

They explained to me the pro’s and con’s of the my current position (which apparently doesn’t actually exist and neither does the E-6 slot…I was bamboozled!) After being smacked in the face, they asked if I still wanted to back out of the interview. My mind was not prepared to answer any interview questions but I went ahead and followed through on my original plan and decided to interview. Three hours later, I got the phone call saying that I got the job! I was chosen over four other candidates.

September 19^th2013

The Thursday before the Monday that I start my new job, I get a phone call saying that they decided not to choose me for the job. Excuse me? Did I miss something?! It was nothing personal, just a conflict in schedule.  I took it as a loss and didn’t stop my search for better career opportunities. Now let me take a moment to explain a little bit about where I work…

 

I work  in the hospital…the higher you are, the better opportunities you have. Now that you have a small visual…

October 7^th 2013

I get a call from my supervisor letting me know that I may need to switch positions with someone in my department in order to accommodate his personal/marital problems. Wait. What? Clearly I must have pissed off someone and didn’t know it. I had to find a better work environment before my morale plummeted significantly. I maintained my positive attitude and smiley face while at work but came home and complained to my mom. Of course, I got the “pray about it” and “it’ll all work out” speech. Not really what I wanted to hear.

October 11^th 2013

“He Turned It” by Tye Tribbett gets played all the way home. Why?! Because I got a phone call saying that I’d be working at Troop Command in an E-6 slot starting on 1Dec! Won’t He do it?! A position that I didn’t even know was available, didn’t know I was being looked at for, and never expected to fill! People apparently wanted this slot and I was chosen. What God has for me, is for me. 

And so the journey continues…

Unchain Your Mind | The Fork...

Sometimes I wonder if this journey is for me. My inner fighter tells me to keep pushing but my flesh tells me to just focus on something else. What am I referring to? My journey as a poet.

I’m not disappointed in album sales, I’m disappointed in the amount of people that I desire to reach that aren’t being reached. Maybe I should switch the genre in which is right about. Maybe I should think of profound inspirational relationship quotes like Rob Hill Sr. Perhaps I should focus on making people laugh. I’ve got a good sense of humor. Everyone has an opinion about the government…that could be an option……nah. That’s not who I am, as an artist or person. I can’t expect people to connect with unauthentic content.

People buy, but don’t share. Is it not powerful enough?

I was made to do this. I was made to help, heal, connect, and change. I just don’t know how to do it to its full effect. But I won’t stop until I do. This fork in the road…

Unchain Your Mind | Not My Will...

3:31am and I've been awake since 2am. Might as well write...I've been procrastinating, a horrible habit that I can't seem to shake. But in my defense, I work best under pressure. 

I was reading back through some of my old posts. "Open Doors II" was written two years ago and I vaguely remember writing that post. When I first started this blog, I had no idea what I would be doing with my poetry by now. I have mentioned times where I've been offered a contract with a label to record a Spoken Word CD & had to pass it up for various reasons. But in 2011, I spoke today into existence. I spoke to those closed doors and I unchained my mind. 

While in Korea, I decided to put more time into what makes me come alive: POETRY. I put my heart and soul into my writing and before I left Korea, God put the right people in my path for specific reasons. I met a friend and fellow poet who didn't even realize how much her talent, confidence in who she was, and insecurities inspired me. We built our first home in Korea together: a 10ft wide stage with 1 microphone. We founded, advertised, and hosted the largest open mic for soldiers in all of South Korea called "Poetic Action". I felt at peace up there when I spit. I helped people. I reached their innermost emotions & inspired some to write. 

In December 2012 I was asked to sign to another publisher & make a Spoken Word CD. It was finally time. But we all know that nothing worth having comes easily. I was leaving Korea in two months...that wasn't a lot of time to make a quality CD if I wasn't in the studio 24-7. Everyday I would wake up at 0500, go to work, get off at 430, be on the train(no vehicle in Korea) by 500, & in the studio until midnight. Two...months...straight. 

End result...Original tracks: free. Studio time: free. Becoming a registered songwriter/poet: free. Releasing my very first cd on iTunes, debuting it at my last Poetic Action, and selling out: ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS!! God is truly an amazing God and knows when to say "Yes." and "Wait, not yet." I am an International Spoken Word Recording Artist. Fancy right?!

Sleep has finally found me. 

Unchain your mind and do what makes you come alive. 

Unchain Your Mind | Don't Call It A Comeback

Death has an abrupt way of giving you a deeper perspective on reality. Tonight, I just want to write. Not about anything in particular, but I want to write. I often debate between making a vlog and continuing my blog. People don’t really take the time to read much of anything anymore. Society has gotten so engulfed in ridiculous and imitation reality that they aren’t in touch with actual reality and people; the people that have real problems. Not the Basketball Wives, Being Amish, and whatever else.

I would do a vlog, but I’m too self conscious and think that the true essence of it would be drowned by shallow comments. No, I don’t have any type of deformities…my lisp doesn’t count…but I just want to express myself.  I’m privately open. See past the oxymoron for what I truly meant.

I kept putting off updating this blog for the longest. I didn’t feel like my life was interesting enough. But that’s not for me to judge. I have no idea who my story could help, inspire, or motivate. A few days ago, a girl that I knew back in high school passed away after battling cancer for almost 5yrs. She began to blog about her life with cancer the beginning of this year. I didn’t really follow it much. But when she passed, I was REALLY affected. I didn’t cry; I wept. I knew her to be a great person that was always smiling and so did everyone else that came in contact with her. She left this world while her husband and 4yr old daughter hold on to cherished moments and memories. But she inspired me in so many ways.

I don’t know what I’m going to do to honor her just yet, but I have to find something. If ever I’m famous, I’ll have to accredit some of my drive and motivation to her. We weren’t friends in high school or as adults. The only time I remember having any type of real interaction with her was in our sophomore psychology class when we clowned the teacher 24/7. But her life and her story was enough. I can say that I loved her and didn’t even know her. She was awesome. So I’ll do this, for her.

R.I.P. Camrn Turner
“The mind is stronger than the body. God is stronger than my mind.”

New updates to this page will be coming soon.