Meet Xach Blunt | Writer & Spoken Word Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Xach Blunt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Xach, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I’ve never been the most risky. I’ve always been conservative in my calculations. My mom taught me the importance of cost/benefit analysis, early in life, with every whip of the belt. It’s funny, but the lessons were valuable in learning how to hone my anger into passionate self expression, so I’ve never given up the ghost of caution. However, I will say, there has not been a big risk in my artistic career that I’ve taken in which I regret. I quit a job making more money than I ever have in my life to write and perform poetry. That decision couldn’t have put me in a more mentally and emotionally healthy place. Of course I took the “L” on paydays, and I missed my lifestyle very much, but I find happiness will usually make up the difference. It sounds cliché, but conventional wisdom exists for a reason. I’ve traveled places I never been before, not know how I’d be received and was always accepted with applause and open arms. I’ve fronted cost of my merchandise not knowing if I will ever break even and the support of my book has been overwhelmingly positive! I know growth exist in discomfort and risk is very uncomfortable at times, but I always walk away better. Either a DUB under my belt or a valuable lesson learned, every experience is an opportunity to grow.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My work is at its best when I am creating from a place of complete comfort. There are rituals and practices to help myself get into a flow state. Without them, I’m a bird in the ocean drowning under the weight of experiences I am not native to. When I “try” I fail. The goal is for my work to be effortless. But this, in and of itself, takes work! The practice of finding the rituals to unlock my flow state is something that is hard, taxing and exhausting on the mind. Consistency makes it easier however. The paradox is not lost on me that consistency is hard to maintain. My focus is often broken and building back inertia feels almost impossible at times. There is a reason I always return though. The attraction, the pull, the draw, the need to produce the way I feel on paper, out loud, in the mins of others keeps me coming back. It makes this uncomfortable spaces comfortable every now and then long enough for me to creative something that makes people think, “god dammit, that made me feel something!” And that’s the best I can hope for.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
So Avant Garden every Wednesday night is a place I have to be! There is an organization call Write About Now that host weekly poetry open mics and slams. (pre & post pandemic)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my mom for being a real one. To Write About Now for always giving me a platform to share my voice. To Christopher Diaz for being the best mentor a poet can ask for! To YOU who took the time to read this. I am nothing without the ears and mouths that carry my story farther. Thank you all.

Website: xachblunt.com

Instagram: @xachblunt

Twitter: @xachblunt

Facebook: @xachblunt

Youtube: @xachblunt