What is it like to be... a poet, writer and spoken word artist?

Part of Careers

Spoken word is a form of performance poetry that focuses on word play, sound and storytelling.

Suli Breaks is a poet, writer, spoken word artist and YouTuber. He has been writing poetry most of his life, but didn’t perform live on stage until 2008, during the last year of his Law degree. Suli didn’t really enjoy his studies, so decided to pursue his passion: spoken word poetry. In 2012, his "Why I Hate School but Love Education" video went viral and his YouTube channel now has over 320,000 subscribers and over 20 million views.

Scroll down for more information on skills, working hours and salary.

Spoken word artist Suli Breaks on what school subjects still help him in his career.

What skills do I need to be a spoken word artist?

It goes without saying that a creative mind, flair with words and passion for poetry are core skills that you will need in this job. Once your first poem is written though, you will also need:

  • excellent verbal communication skills - not only for public speaking but also for dealing with managers and clients

  • research skills and an interest in current affairs - your work needs to be meaningful to a contemporary audience

  • budgeting and maths skills.

This is a decorative purple line to separate and organise content on the page.

Poets and performing artists are normally self-employed, so you will decide or negotiate how much to charge for your work. You may also be given royalties. The UK Writers' Guild has a set of rates and agreements which cover several areas of the arts world.

This is a decorative purple line to separate and organise content on the page.

Work experience in your area
Find work experience placements with Workfinder.

Tips and advice
Help with interviews, writing a CV and all things work experience related.

This is a decorative purple line to separate and organise content on the page.

Wondering about more careers in the media industry? You might also like:

Lewis Capaldi gives the lowdown on his life in the music industry.

Lewis Capaldi: singer-songwriter

A collection of writer job profiles and information about what the role entails.

How to become a writer

Sirin works for a global digital magazine and broadcaster aimed at young people.

Sirin: journalist