Demi Anter is a spoken word artist, writer and creative whose work explores the light and beauty in our everyday situations. I asked Demi some questions about her role as a spoken word artist and writer. I am honoured to be conducting this interview with Demi. She is just as lovely as she is talented, and I am excited to help our readers learn more about her. Her replies are so refreshing and genuine. Read more about the Berlin-based spoken word artist and writer.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CURRENT BUSINESS. WHAT ARE YOU DOING EXACTLY?
I am a spoken word artist and writer. That means part of my time is spent on stage performing my work for audiences in Germany, England, Ireland and Scotland. Part of it is spent writing new creative work; I write a lot of poetry “for the page” in addition to my performance pieces, but I also write essays and screenplays. A lot of my time goes into administrative work like planning events and submitting to publications. I recently started teaching two courses in writing and performance.
I also just launched a Patreon in hopes of further connecting with fans and giving myself more freedom to focus on writing. It’s a really cool platform that many artists have turned to, especially in these difficult times. It’s kind of like having a subscription to my work!
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH YOUR BUSINESS IDEA?
I started performing in college in 2011. Within my first week on campus at UC Santa Barbara, I saw Prof. Kip Fulbeck give a talk and perform some poems, and I thought, “Wow! There’s a class for that??” I joined even though it was the scariest thing I could imagine doing; I was extremely shy and insecure about speaking in front of people. But I had been writing poetry since I was very young, so I knew I liked that aspect of it.
I performed a lot in college, was an assistant teacher for Kip’s course and also organized many workshops and shows. But I stopped performing more or less after graduating and did not pick it up again until 2018. I was already living in Berlin for two years by that point. I had gone through a tough time, and it pushed me to start writing again, and I wrote this piece which I felt like I needed to perform — even if only for friends at a local open mic!
I didn’t think it was something I would end up doing professionally, but a few months later, on a whim, I applied to perform at Glastonbury Festival. They invited me and that launched me into this career, and into taking myself seriously as a writer and performer again.
WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE THIS, AND IS THIS YOUR FIRST BUSINESS?
I have a huge range of interests and have done many different jobs since leaving college. I was an assistant to a screenwriter/author in California. At the same time, I created a small business called Proxy Shop through Etsy, and it was actually successful. I sold pillows, dolls and other home decor items with celebrity faces on them — but the catch was, they were only celebrities that I really liked!
One of my items, a life-size David Bowie pillow, went viral in 2015 right before I moved to Berlin. I more or less closed the business when I moved here in early 2016, so I could focus on studying film. I freelanced in videography and editing for a while and then eventually got hired by a big company to make videos. I hated it and quit. That was around the same time I started writing again.
