Artist spotlight: The journey to self-discovery

Poet Travis McClerking performing his work at poetry slam event | Courtesy of Alexis Mitchell, a Columbus photographer

“Art is not an accessory, it's a necessity.”

If you would have told this poet, performer and fourth-year in health and rehabilitation sciences that these would be his words, he actually may have believed you.  

Travis McClerking always knew he wanted to help people, yet it wasn't until he changed his major three times that he realized helping people could go beyond the field of medicine.

Being the son of a nurse practitioner and political science professor, McClerking was college-bound before ever receiving an acceptance letter. Yet, once enrolled at Ohio State, he found himself still searching for his calling.

“It’s a long line of self-discovery,” McClerking said. “Somewhere in between there I discovered writing as a great outlet for me and for therapizing myself and understanding my place in the world,” McClerking said.

McClerking had poems featured in U.OSU, a platform that hosts independent student work, such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin Fever, that reflects on the climate of racial injustice during the height of the pandemic.

“Thinking about the Black experience and thinking about who I am as a Black man in America is very prominent in my work to the point where a majority of it centers around me trying to basically shift my weight into a comfortable position,” McClerking said.

McClerking said he draws inspiration to write through his lived experiences as a Black man along with personal experiences that have shaped how he perceives his many identities in society. 

“It's extremely tough being an oppressed oppressor. And so you'll see a lot of investigations of masculinity in my work as well,” McClerking said.

McClerking is also an avid member of Kafe Kerouac, a well-known Columbus coffee house and bar, where he performs, hosts and socializes with fellow poets. 

What he describes as a rambunctious, queer and unapologetically Black space, has become a haven for nurturing his self identity.

“It means a lot to me. If I’m not on the stage, I will be very loud in the back, either encouraging or cheering one of my coworkers or I will just be hosting,” McClerking said.

What intrigues him the most about writing is having the autonomy to fill in the blanks of what is unknown about life’s experiences.

“There's a lot of beauty in things that are almost. Things that you wish could happen but could not, because there's a lot of hopes that you can weave into that,” McClerking said.

Despite being passionate about his work, McClerking said he wants to balance his career as a poet and a healthcare professional. He said being part of a close-knit family fueled this need to see his way through higher education. 

“Having not only a present father in my life, but a successful present father has been probably the biggest boost to my confidence in my success and my hope for the future because I have someone living in a sphere that I would like to be in,” McClerking said.

Though McClerking has a clear life trajectory now, the path to get here was not always easy. He said he has always juggled between finding his purpose and staying on the academic path.

“My college experience is riddled with either physical crises or mental health crises or just crises within my family,” McClerking said. “And so I've had to take a lot of time away from school to both figure out my major and figure out if college was for me.”

McClerking said being anchored by his family has allowed him to get through these bouts of uncertainty. 

Now aspiring to be a physical therapist, McClerking said his journey taught him the power of unity and he encourages new students looking for a creative outlet to engage with their community, no matter how daunting.

“Say hi, nod, do something. Interact with the folks on campus. Do not be afraid to spend a bunch of time in Hale hall. Don't be afraid to take up space and be unapologetically Black,” McClerking said.

There are far too many stories to tell and learn from that cannot be contained in one month and this poet implores students to continue to celebrate their Black identity through expressive creativity.