Ep 137: How to Be Love(d) with Humble the Poet
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Ep 137: How to Be Love(d) with Humble the Poet
Episode 137: Show Notes
In a creative landscape dominated by social media and online marketing, real and original artists can have a hard time finding their audience and maintaining a career. But that does not mean it is impossible, and today's guest is an example of how authenticity and hard work can pay off and allow a great connection with the right kind of audience.
Humble the Poet joins us for a fascinating conversation in which we explore his winding path, the ups and downs, and some of the pivotal moments that he has experienced. Now the author of three books, including his latest, How to Be Love(d).
Humble has so many great insights into this central topic of human life, and shares some of the lessons he has learned on his own journey about what we get wrong, why it feels so complicated, and what love actually means!
We also get to talk about some of the people that have helped Humble along the way, from friends and family to heroes and influences, before our guest leaves us with some great food for thought about radical honesty and success. To hear all this and so much more, be sure to listen in today!
Key Points From This Episode:
Looking back on Humble's childhood in Toronto and his family heritage.
Ideas about success in Humble's home and his early thoughts about the concept.
His first studies in technology and IT before making his way into the education space.
The roots of Humble's activist mentality and the story of getting pepper-sprayed.
Reflections on working with young people and the impact this had on Humble's path.
Humble talks about his early connection to creativity and writing.
Growing up as a child of immigrants in Toronto and the family values associated with this.
Transitioning into a career as a full-time creative and performer.
Humble's forays into releasing music and the first producer he connected with.
A deal that was too good to be true; how Humble was deceived by his associate.
Humble's image and how he thought about his brand and art at different times.
The experience of financial struggles, heartbreak, and general exhaustion.
Writing a book, investigating the world of publishing, and choosing the crowdfunding route.
How Lilly Singh inspired Humble to double down on his work ethic.
Humble’s attitude toward social media and his skepticism about the need to use it.
Marketing and pre-sales for a book; playing the game in order to register success.
How Humble managed to get featured on The Breakfast Club radio show!
A look at the different lessons and aspirations of Humble's books.
Humble's thoughts on the cover art for his books and the choices he has made.
Pearls of wisdom from Humble about how to run a creative business.
Tools that he uses to avoid some of the pitfalls described in his work.
The idea of radical honesty and how he has exercised this in his new book.
Success in love; Humble talks about how he tries to assess this.
Tweetables:
“When I got into hip hop and I started making music, almost everything I rapped about in the beginning was exclusively about geopolitical issues.” — @humblethepoet [0:16:34]
“There are some people whose cognitive abilities won't be as strong as others. You can't hold it against them if they don't understand.” — @humblethepoet [0:19:41]
“In all my work, I try my best, even as I share ideas, to never talk down to my audience. It's always about sharing it with enthusiasm like I’m sharing my notes, instead of acting like a teacher.” — @humblethepoet [0:20:21]
“That's been what I've always been doing: just trying to find people's inner child, or speaking to children and communicating that way.” — @humblethepoet [0:37:23]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Things No One Else Can Teach Us
Andre 3000