Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chad X. Ali. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Chad X. , thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Well, back in 2016, I was a homeless former Division 1 athlete living out of my car in Washington, D.C. Really it was the culmination of all the decisions I made while attempting to redefine my purpose since football didn’t work out. During that time, I worked as a Intern at the Office of Cable TV, Radio and Film under Bruce Smith as an editor, director and videographer. While working there, I saw first hand how simply being a good person opens doors for you that selfishness and entitlement would otherwise slam shut. Be a good person, connect with good people… that sentiment led to the mission statement “Connecting conscious creators with community.” Because, being a good person, to good people, is how we create a better world! People looked out for me when I was at my lowest, the least I can do is return the love through my art.
Chad X. , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Sure, my name is Chad X. Ali and to sum it up, I am a creator. What do I create you ask? The short of it is music and films primarily. I rap, act and sometimes say yes way too much. I’m working on the latter. I will say this though, saying yes got me here, connecting with Canvas Rebel to share my story to the masses! As it pertains to writing, for me it really began from dealing internally with my traumas, the biggest of them being regret and disappointment. I grew up in East Texas and if you’re not familiar with that part of the country, the game of football is KING. So, naturally, I had the same dream as most 8 year old kids around me, to play in the National Football League. So, as you can imagine, football was everything to me. Fast forward and I did enough to get a scholarship to the University of Wyoming where I played Safety for 3 years before my career ended abruptly. You can listen to 18 With A Dream by Chad X. Ali to get that story. But Imagine all your thoughts of success, the way you’ll pay your bills, the way you’ll meet your wife, everything being directly attached to football. Then imagine one day, that’s gone. What is a human without a dream? Purpose? Lost depressed and vision-less is what that makes you. So, I did what many among us have done, I turned to Will Smith motivational videos on YouTube. He mentioned a book called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and I went and read it. Shortly thereafter, I began writing down my feelings and opening my eyes to the journey of life and less of the destination I was to travel. Those feelings turned into poems, poems into songs, songs into scenes and eventually to screenplays.
Doing all that deep diving into my trauma and dumping it out on paper made me realize one thing. The only that sets anyone apart from anybody, is the limiting perspective that we are separate. You hurt like I hurt. You love someone and someone loves you. We all have the ability to choose where we go, even when we don’t get to choose where we start. That understanding of oneness makes it’s way in my films, my music, my art.
The thing that I’m most proud of is that I don’t give up. Sure, I get tired, discouraged and frustrated. Plenty of times I’ve had to cry in silence, re-shift my focus and restart. The thing about me is, I don’t quit. Because I don’t quit, I’ve been able to be on sets with Tyler Perry, perform music on stages across the country and write films that entertain and enlighten people all over this planet. So the main thing I want you to know, love and understand about me is that I love myself. Because I love myself, I want what’s best for anybody because I want the best for myself. I want you to read this and be inspired to go do the thing that scares you. If you’re already doing it, KEEP GOING! If you’re looking for a sign to direct you to do the thing, this is it! This is the only moment you need in order to be who you see inside. Just know that YOU are all you need to take the first step!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the process of creating in itself. It’s something beautifully terrifying about staring at a blank page but having a full mind. It’s like the possibilities are really endless and it can be hard to simply start. Then you begin shaping and molding a story or writing a conversation that takes you on a journey. Before you know it, you’ve woven a web of real experiences and imagined ones. The beautiful thing about being human is that the subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between the two. So when I’m writing these films, I’m writing them from a place of an observer of the world. I love sci-fi and I would be considered an Afrofuturist writer, which is weird to me because nobody would call Christopher Nolan a Eurofuturist writer, he’s just Science fiction, but I digress. But when you’re open and transparent about the things that are inside of you and it connects to the things inside of others, that’s what makes the whole process really rewarding.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
That’s the key right there, unlearning things that don’t serve you anymore. Which is easier said than done. When I talked with my Mom a few years ago, we had our first real adult conversation and I told her some truths that she wasn’t really expecting. Specifically about how she raised me and asked her thought process on certain things. I don’t know if you’ve had a conversation with your parents about the way they raised you or not but I can tell you in the black family, that doesn’t happen often. We’re taught to “stay in a child’s place” but unfortunately, that’s exactly what happens to a certain degree. You stay developmentally as a child in certain areas. So that conversation was particularly hard for us but it was needed and she heard me and I heard her and we were able to heal from generational traumas. Another lesson I’ve learned more recently is that everything done TO me isn’t always AGAINST me. Case in point, over the past few months I’ve been dealing with a divorce. I learned that people do what’s best for them regardless of if it’s what’s best for you. And sometimes you can be led astray by other people who are only doing what’s best for them. Now, I believe that everyone should do what’s best for them because life is meant to be lived by individuals, collectively. Meaning, if you aren’t happy with yourself, it doesn’t matter what anyone else tries to do to bring you happiness, you’ll always look for a different version of it in someone else or something else. You’ll forever chase fleeting feelings. When I understood that, I was able to forgive my ex-wife and not look at my situation as what she did to me but what she realized she needed to do for herself. It freed me to realize the unique perspective I have now and to move forward with my own journey. Plus, I wrote five fire songs on an EP called Pain & Purpose by an artist named Virgeaux, Moving On is my favorite. That’s something pain will do, create beautiful art if you’ll let it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.qwestroadstudios.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/achadalistory?utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChadxAli
Image Credits
Emmanuel Wotila Chad X. Ali Adelaide