Check Out Vincent Hockett’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vincent Hockett. 

Hi Vincent, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was born 2/29/76. Yes, that is correct. I was born on Leap Day. I am the second of 4 children having an older brother, younger brother, and younger sister. I grew up in East Nashville and though we didn’t have a lot growing up we never did without. I was what some would consider a nerd growing up. I loved to read and write and actually enjoyed going to school. During middle school, I was bussed out to the suburbs in an effort to have more integration in the schools. It proved to be an interesting dynamic and one that I think would shape how I viewed society later in life. In the 5th grade, I tested high on an aptitude test and had the ability to attend a magnet school. This is where things really started to change for me. Here I was in the fifth grade being taught French, German, Spanish, and Latin. I was exposed to a variety of different cultures and had classmates from all different walks of life. It was the first time since being in school that I ever felt challenged scholastically and I enjoyed and embraced it. I learned how to play the clarinet (which where I grew up was an oddity in and of itself) but I also acted in plays like Westside Story and Harvey. This was the period of time where my thirst for knowledge and my interest in the performance arts was cultivated. 

Unfortunately, my father would fall ill during this time with what they thought was an ulcer but would later be diagnosed as a tumor on his spine. He would survive the subsequent surgeries and chemotherapy treatments but would become physically disabled as a result. A short time after due to a number of factors I would be pulled from the magnet school and reenrolled in public school. This was a difficult transition for me as I was essentially the new guy in school even though I had grown up in the same area as most of my classmates. It was also a challenge because over the years I had taken part in what was considered to be accelerated learning, so to now be back to following a public-school curriculum left me unchallenged. It would remain that way throughout my high school years. I remember specifically reading Animal Farm in my 10th grade English Literature class and breezing through it because I had studied it in-depth in the 5th grade. 

Without the additional income of my father, things also became more challenging financially. I remember vividly not being able to attend field trips with my classmates because we just simply could not afford it. I vowed during those times that I would get to a point where that would no longer be the case for those I loved. This started when I turned 16 and got my first job waiting tables. I would be in school from 8-2 and the would work from 4-9. The work was exhausting but thankfully it didn’t affect my school work. Because I found the work so easy, I would do most of the homework for my upcoming class the period before freeing up my nights to work. 

I ended up graduating second in my class and earned a full ride to Tennessee State University. I moved out at 18 to attend school even though lived in Nashville and knew that I had to graduate in 4 years so that I would not incur any debt and that I would need to continue working while in school since I was now out on my own. That work ethic and independence during that time would prove pivotal for me later in life. I would work a full-time job while taking a full load of classes over the next 4 years and earned my degree within that timeframe. 

Prior to graduation, I decided that I wanted to take advantage of any and every opportunity I had for employment regardless of whether or not it allowed me to remain in Nashville. I interviewed with 11 companies that were everywhere from Dallas, Texas to Rhode Island eventually deciding on Rockville, MD working for HP. I would remain there for 5 years until changing jobs and cities. I left there to work for Dell in New Jersey. Though I have sense moved from NJ I am still at Dell having recently celebrated my 19-year anniversary. 

During that time, I have branched out and followed my passion starting a career as a spoken word poet. I have since released 5 poetry albums, travelled the world performing, and created and curated a national and international show and brand called Aural Fixation. 

I continue both my passion and profession to this day. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. From being heckled during a performance when I was first starting out and questioning both my abilities and desire to continue on to being told that my vision for a poetry-themed show would never work. I spent long days doing my professional work only to turn around spend long nights pursuing this passion. The hours spent writing, memorizing, and practicing. The lack of time and sleep and the pressure to perform in both arenas that were worlds apart from one another. I struggled with not only my own sense of confidence but also the fear associated with spending so much of my own time and money on something people told me would never work. 

I also struggled with the success. This was all unchartered territory for me and I was attempting to do it on my own. How do I sustain both profession and passion long term without one or the other suffering? These were all things that I struggled with and continue to struggle with to some degree event today. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As an artist/creative, I go by the name Dichotomy. I am a spoken internationally recognized award-winning spoke word artist. As far as the path that got me here: 

The seeds were planted when I was very young, I enjoyed going to school, reading, and learning new things, I had an affinity for words. Every time I heard one that I did not know the meaning to, I would look it up to understand the meaning then attempt to use it in future conversations. I challenged myself daily to expand my vocabulary. It wasn’t until the 4th grade however that I was exposed to and subsequently fell in love with poetry. That is when I remember writing my first poem entitled Summer which I still know the words to even today. I shared with my teacher, Ms. Cain, who at the time was so impressed she y had me perform it for a couple of classes. That would be the first and last time I would perform my poetry publicly for the next 20 years. Don’t get me wrong, I still wrote poetry but it was mostly for girls I had crushes on in school or for my mother on birthdays and holidays. 

That all changed in 2004 when I went to my first poetry open mic at a small coffee shop named Kajiji’s in north Nashville. It was there that I first witnessed the art of spoken word. I was astounded, not just by the poetry itself, but also by the performance aspect of it. The delivery and the passion, the command of the stage, and the ability to move an audience. It was at that moment I knew that was what I wanted to do. I spent the next several years writing and performing at various open mics in the city. Listening and learning, I was determined to get better with the ultimate goal of performing at Apache Cafe in Atlanta, GA, which at the time was THE premier poetry venue in the southeast. Everyone knew that Sunday nights at Apache was where you wanted to be if you wanted to hear some amazing poetry. Every Sunday brought a diverse mix everything from first-time performers to Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Def Poetry Jam veterans. 

As luck would have it, I would eventually make it to Atlanta and to that Apache stage, However, the outcome was not what I envisioned. As I was nervously fumbling through my poem the crowd became restless and started talking during my recitation and at one point I was even heckled until I cut the poem short and left the stage. The experience was earth-shattering. I had lost all confidence and desire to perform, and I would not return to that Apache stage for 4 years. Instead of letting that completely destroy my love for art, I decided to use that as fuel to get better. I returned to the smaller stages in Nashville. I wrote more and performed more, getting better each time. After a couple of my performances, random people in the crowd would tell me that they wanted friends or family to hear the poem and wanted to know where else they could see me perform. That motivated and inspired me even more. 

Then one day, I met woman at a sports bar. As random as the chance meeting happen to be, she told me that she was a graphic designer. I mentioned to her that I was a poet that was looking to do a CD and suggested that she could help me design the album cover (mind you I had no real interest in doing a CD but that was a way for me to extend the conversation. To my surprise, she agreed and set up a time for a photoshoot, designed the album layout, and secured a company to mass-produce the album (that I did not have). This ended up being the proverbial “kick in the butt” that I needed. I recommitted myself to writing and ended up finishing the album “Evolution of Dichotomy” and releasing it in 2009. An album that I wrote, produced, recorded, and mastered in the bedroom of my house using a Mac, a microphone, and teaching myself how to use Garageband. 

By my meager standards, it was a well-received success. At the same time, I started work-related travel (I was an engineer for Dell Inc.) to different cities in the southeast. I decided to leverage this travel by finding an open mic in every city I went to and performing poems from the album. The success and my fanbase grew. Then one day I found myself back in Atlanta on a Sunday and decided to attend and perform at the Apache Cafe. The performance went much different. Not only was it well received, but it led to several more performances, a feature set, and an eventual residency as a host of the poetry night once a month. A post I still hold to this day. 

I would subsequently go on to release 4 more poetry albums and got booked nationally and internationally to perform as a spoken word artist. What I realized, however, is that poetry for the most part still took a backseat to other art forms. Though I had the opportunity to perform all over the world in most of those instances they were in coffee houses, sports bars, or small event spaces that were transformed to host the event. What I felt though was that the art form was much bigger and more deserving of that. I felt that people would come out and pay to attend a poetry show that was at a large performance venue the same way they would a comedy or live music show and that the artists should compensated as such. So, in 2012 I decided to create Aural Fixation, a live performance poetry show that highlighted the artform. Unfortunately, most venue owners did not share my vision or enthusiasm. While they allowed me to use the venue, they made it available and inopportune times of the week and inconvenient times of the evening. Reserving the desired Friday and Saturday nights for concerts or parties. I did a couple of shows under these conditions, then made the decision to bet on myself. 

I went out and rented a performance venue that would hold 300+ people and had a stage, lighting, professional sound, etc. Some people, (even the venue owners themselves) thought that I was crazy to spend that kind of money to put on a poetry show. Surely no one would get dressed up, come out on a Friday night, and pay concert-level prices to attend a poetry show instead of going to a club or lounge to listen to music. Right? Wrong. What I thought was actually true. There was a large demand for an event like that, that highlighted the art spoken word and gave visibility to all of those talented individuals that performed it. The show was so successful that the venue asked me to come back and do more shows there. Since then, we have done 3 shows a year for the past 10 years. This year actually marks the 10-year anniversary of our very first show. Coming full circle, as a result of the success of other poetry shows in Nashville, more specifically the Soul Food Poetry Cafe curated by Imani Rhema, I had the opportunity to put on my Aural Fixation show at one of the most esteemed concert venues in Nashville, the City Winery. The show was a sellout success and as a result, we have plans to do another show there in August. 

The success of the poetry show led me to another idea. I have had the opportunity to travel the world doing poetry. Most of the trips I attended as a performer had the poetry as somewhat of an afterthought. Tagged onto the beginning or end of another event or as quick break from the party atmosphere. I wondered if the same way people came to a live event focused on the performance art, would people also travel for a similar experience. In my mind, it would give me the opportunity to not only continue to expose people to the art form, but also allow people to experience different countries and destinations that they may not have otherwise visited. So, in 2019 I created Aural Fixation International. An international trip that combined the typical vacation and exploration experience with the live shows and performances. To date, we have traveled to Jamaica, Aruba, and Panama. This year we are visiting the beautiful island of Curacao. The trip has grown every year peaking last year with 115 people attending the event. We are currently making preparations to exceed that number in Curacao. 

That bring me to where we are today. I am a spoken word artist, performer, and host. I am also a curator and producer of events and event-themed vacations. The goal is to continue to perform while expanding the Aural Fixation show to even more cities and growing Aural Fixation International to include more people visiting more exotic destinations. 

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
– Look for people who are already where you want to be and seek a mentorship with them. 

 – Be willing to listen but also prepared to apply the advice and direction given 

– Don’t be afraid of the ‘no’. You could be missing out on a wonderful opportunity by being afraid to ask for it. 

– Don’t just find a mentor, BE a mentor. 

– Find comfort in uncomfortable spaces. That is the only way you are going to grow. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.aurafixationlive.com
• Instagram: auralfixationlive