Spoken Word artist Juan Miguel Severo has tips for aspiring poets

Gary Ann  Lastrilla

<div><img src='' alt='031816-JuanMiguel_PUSH.jpg' width='400' height='290' align='left' border='0'>Juan Miguel Severo has truly come a long way. From uploading his spoken word performances online to showcasing his talent on <i><a href='http://OnTheWingsofLove.ABS-CBN.com'>On The Wings of Love</a></i>, Juan Miguel now has his first poetry book entitled, <i>Habang Wala Pa Sila.</i></div><div><br/></div><div><a href='https://push-data.abs-cbn.com/push/archive/features/59346/otwols-poet-juan-miguel-severo-launches-first-poetry-book'>READ: OTWOL’s poet Juan Miguel Severo launches first poetry book</a></div><div><br/></div><div>But what does it take to become a successful spoken word poet? Juan Miguel shares these tips. </div><div><br/></div><div><b>1. Watch performances of different spoken word artists</b></div><div><br/></div><div>Juan Miguel advised,<i> “’Wag lang ako ‘yung panoorin nila. Manood sila ng maraming, marami pang mga spoken word artists para makuha nila ‘yung iba’t ibang klaseng istilo at makahanap sila ng istilong sarili nila.”</i></div><div><br/></div><div>Earlier, when asked how he discovered spoken word poetry, Juan Miguel answered<i>, “Meron lang sa akin nagshare na kaibigan ko na may pinagdaraanan at that time, sinendan niya ako ng isang video ng isang spoken word piece pagkatapos nung napanood ko ‘yun, nainlove ako agad. Lahat ng spoken word pieces na nakita ko sa YouTube, kinonsume ko na tapos nagdecide ako na itatry ko siya eventually.”</i></div><div><br/></div><div>2. Keep reading poetry</div><div><br/></div><div>Saying that the Philippines has a lot of unknown but skillful poets, he also urged aspirants to keep discovering poetry. “Magbasa pa ng magbasa ng iba pang mga tula kasi napakarami po nating makata dito sa Pilipinas na hindi nabibigyan ng gano’n klaseng oportunidad kagaya ng naibigay sa akin sa OTWOL pero ang gagaling nila. Sobrang gagaling nila.”</div><div><br/></div><div>3. Expose yourself to different kinds of poets</div><div><br/></div><div>He also said asked aspirants to look into the influences of different kinds of poets.<i> “Nagkataon lang na hindi sila nakarating agad sa mainstream because hindi sila spoken word poets eh. They are just page poets sila so hindi sila madaling ma-share. Hindi sila magviviral video kagaya nung sa nangyari sa akin so sana buksan nung mga interesado nating mga batang manunulat ‘yung mga sarili nila para sa mga ganoong klaseng impluwensya,</i>” he said. </div><div><br/></div><div>Juan Miguel was discovered after his video performing <i>Ang Huling Tulang Isusulat Ko Para Sa ‘Yo</i> went viral online. </div><div><br/></div><div><b>4. Keep writing</b></div><div><br/></div><div>When Juan Miguel was asked how he developed his poetry skill, he shared that writing became his creative outlet. <i>“Siguro po kasi kakasubok, kakagawa talaga. Sulat lang ng sulat ng sulat kasi noong hindi ako nakakakuha ng mga parte kapag nag-o-audition ako, siyempre bilang aktor, frustrating ‘yun. Minsan hindi naman ‘yun sa kumita ka lang, gusto mo rin lang ng outlet bilang artist so when I discovered spoken word poetry, sabi ko if I write material for myself, maikli lang naman, madali lang ‘yun.”   </i></div>

Spoken Word artist Juan Miguel Severo launches his poetry book ‘Habang Wala Pa Sila.’

Spoken Word artist Juan Miguel Severo has tips for aspiring poets | PUSH.COM.PH