Why Does Rupi Kaur's Poetry Do So Well?

Have you ever wondered why Rupi Kaur’s poetry has done so well? You read them and it's simplistic vocabulary, even more simple structure leaves you with a feeling of… I get that, I recognise that feeling and I know that truth. I know something about what that feels like. If anything, her poetry feels like a reminder, a note from the back of our brain that go pushed to the side by our busy lives.

Its her abounding simplicity that has created a reputation that goes before her. Its what in the eyes of some makes her art and in the eyes of others breaks it. 

We even joke about it sometimes. Twitter users even ask “Does Rupi Kaur know she’s a meme?”

But to me, it’s no surprise her form has become so iconic, art should not be complicated for the sake of being complicated. What’s the point of creating art so difficult to understand if no one can connect to it or feel it. That’s the point of art isn’t it? To communicate something, an idea, experience, a feeling. To make those who encounter your art feel something, whether that’s through music, painting or poetry. An artist’s goal is to make you feel something. Art is about having something to say and someone to hear it. To connect through aspects of the shared human experience we all go through: love, grief, sorrow, joy.


Your art is only about what you have to give, it doesn’t have to be perfect.


Sometimes as creators and consumers we get so caught up in the idea hat at has to be completely original to be worthwhile, or extremely complicated, or have something enormously important to say. The truth is that art of everyday is just as worthwhile. It’s why in my opinion the work of rappers like Drake do so well, its not necessarily the complexity that make it so valuable, but the story and the emotions we can connect to. Its why we can listen to the same song a hundred times and feel it just as much every time. Drake’s Marvin’s Room makes the ultimate breakup song, because we can all feel it. Or why Dave’s How I Met My Ex or Lesley hit so hard, it’s about how we connect to it.

Art is and should be about allowing us ways to connect and feel unified and should never be judged solely on complexity. Which is why we should encourage ourselves and others to create in whatever way we want. Sometimes simple is better, your art doesn’t have to try too hard.