We recently connected with Patrick Powers and have shared our conversation below.

Patrick, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I had always known that I am an entertainer at heart. I had to put that dream on hold for a while to take care of my mother, who had numerous health issues, some of which caused her to be bedridden.
Most friends who were in the entertainment industry had been able to start their journey either while in school or shortly after graduation. I had to put a lot of projects and opportunities on hold for over a decade. We had no help other than my father who did everything to keep a roof over our head. We were just scraping by for a long time.

When I was able, in those brief moments of calmness, I found jobs that could work with my schedule. Those jobs ranged wildly from one to the next. Although I was incredibly busy being a care assistant, I always found the time to work on the things that made me an entertainer. After a ten hour shift, I’d spend the rest of the night planning, writing and creating. Usually I’d be getting four hours a sleep a night.

Then, seemingly out of the blue, came opportunities with music. I found myself in a touring band as a guitarist and singer. Playing for and along side other well known bands/members (Jeff Young, formerly from Megadeth and members from Lucky Boys Confusion) just to name a few.
I used the hardships I had experienced to fuel my creative endeavors and make connections with like minded people. This also helped me finish my first novel Here There or Possibly Elsewhere.

After so long, I had mad many connections and friends that helped me get the door open again, one I thought was shut for good. As I sit here today I can only be thankful for the way things turned out and the people in my life. Without all I had been through I never would have been able to make the music and stories that I have. I also wouldn’t have had the drive as much as I do now for acting, which I personally credit Aaron Hawkins for. He gave me the chance I needed after meeting him and talking horror movies. I gave him a copy of my book and he later came back with a copy of his movie Evil Lurks. From there I auditioned for his upcoming movie, Hellsgate. I took a risk and it paid off.

If I hadn’t taken the good with the bad, and taken that risk, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. I could go on but I will leave it at that for now.

Sometimes good things come from unfamiliar shadows!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Patrick Joseph Powers. I grew up just outside Chicago, IL. As of writing this I am thirty three years old.

Growing up in the family that I did, I was always shown a variety of movies. Most were either comedies like (Blazing Saddles, or Bill and Ted) or horror (Friday The 13th or Childs Play) to name a few.
This has me sucked into both the comedy and horror scenes at an early age.
When I was able, I’d either sneak out of my room or use the small box television we had, to watch late night horror movies. This is how I found my love for the undead, Night of The Living Dead. I remember it stopped me in my tracks and I couldn’t look away from the screen.
From there I began writing my own stories about zombies emerging. Many of them were outlandish and had little to no real life physics or consequences. This let me play with the idea in full, I had no limitations and the story could unfold the way I would have liked it.
By third grade I had hand written a 68 page story about me and my friends trying to survive in the school during a zombie apocalypse.
I brought it to school and my teacher found it. This was horrible for me at the time. She said it was amazing, but then said I should put that much effort into actual school work. I’m sure you could imagine my childlike frustration.

This helped me realize that all I wanted to do was tell stories. The medium hadn’t mattered to me. It could be a book, film or music. I began to film small skits and shorts with an 8mm camera. I forced my friends to be in them and any other kid in the neighborhood. At this time I was focused more on the comedy of things. I love to make people smile and laugh.
I also realized that I loved to scare people. I knew I had to even things out in some way. I was lacking inspiration for my horror stories. Now this next part might be a bit odd, but I grew up in a very strange house. Things were off in one way or another.
My friends would come over and after so long they’d hear or see something. They could never really explain what it was, rationally. I have had my own mysteries, but that’s for another time. The point being was that I used these bizarre occurrences to help me find a grounding when it came to story building. Some were scary on their own, nothing changed and simply a retelling, while others were just fun ideas to build off of.

I began playing guitar when I was ten. Playing daily and practicing Green Day songs. I, at first, didn’t take guitar as seriously as I could have and I regret that deeply. I wanted to be a drummer, but drums were really loud and old was really shy. There was no way to practice without someone hearing me. So I switched to guitar, I could play silently and at any time of night.
While trying to find my way with the entertainment side of things, all while being a child, I became very ill.

At age twelve, something had attacked my organs., and it killed my pancreas. I was fortunate in this, as from what they said was that it attacks the heart, lungs liver, kidneys or pancreas. The only survivable one was the pancreas. I had to be rushed into the hospital because I was slipping in and out of a coma. I remember the world was twisting and shaking violently to the point I couldn’t use my legs. The next thing I know, I’m waking up to my mother crying and the doctor shaking his head. I was sure I was dead.

For the next couple years I focused on my craft. Not only because I was passionate, but because it was a distraction. I was looked down upon for being a type one diabetic. So much so, that I wouldn’t tell anyone, and I would shush anyone if they were in public talking about it. People made me feel like a monster. Again this helped me form the way that I craft my stories. Monsters don’t have to look scary, sometimes their minds are the real scary things.

A day comes and I go to the doctor. I won’t get into specifics. He tells me that if I am lucky, I’ll live to twenty six, maybe twenty seven. At the time I was sixteen. He said this to me in a fit of rage over something I couldn’t understand nor control. This would set the course for how I would make music and write my stories. There was more substance now, things began to fill out. The music and stories felt they were from the heart and had meaning. They were no longer just a project, they were extensions of me and my story.
The fear of death being around me at all times motivated me to not slack on my dreams. It’s one thing to just say it as if you know, to truly experience a near death experience is something else and everyone handles it differently. I chose to be as productive as I could be with that ten years.

Eventually the day came and nothing happened. I was fine. Of course I had health scares just not to that degree. I have to thank that doctor for unknowingly pushing me to strive for greater things and appreciate every second given.
That fire will never die. I have gone far above and beyond anyones expectations of me. In every project I work on, whether it be my own or someone else’s, I always give my all.
I work hard to be as unique and original as I can no matter the concept.

My stories come from many places, many of them stem from horrific experiences I have had. I have many first hand tales with many different perspectives. I am very open minded to nearly everything. At the end of the day I have been through things that many have not, nor are willing to experience. That doesn’t mean there’s no room for comedy though. I am a huge lover of dark comedy.
Either way, there will be one crazy journey that awaits you in my books, music or films.
I just want people to enjoy the stories I tell and take in the message they weave. That could be shown with a simple like or follow on social media, or by purchasing my book.
I appreciate all who have supported this little dream of mine, more than you could ever know.

If you’d like to check out some of my strange tales, or stalk me. You can find me on most platforms by either my name or by the handle Linkskee. If you want a haunting tale that will leave you guessing until the end, my book (Here There or Possibly Elsewhere) can be found on BarnesandNoble.com

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I love watching Star Talk with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Learning about the history of the universe and how the cosmic gears work, always fascinates me. As humanity expands and grows, we realize just how small we are and how little we actually know. I always try to keep in mind that we don’t know everything and not everything is as we may think it is. I feel that keeping that thought around helps keep certain doors open to unforeseen opportunities that would otherwise remain hidden.
This has helped me expand both my mind, goals and process of writing. I encourage everyone to try and keep an open mind when it comes to life and its oddities. Maybe it’s a new way of acting, or perhaps it’s a new employee you’re considering, could it be time to take a chance?

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Look into your local events. Many artists, filmmakers, authors and more, are frequently there promoting their craft. You can find a lot of events being promoted on social networks or by the artist themselves.
Also sharing those pages, videos or whatever, helps them gain traction. The more they are shared and liked, the more they have a chance at bettering what they do and receive the recognition they deserve. It’s a support system I’d say. The artist listens to the criticism and takes the good with the bad. Often times appealing to their fans and it’s up to the fans to help get that work seen or heard by as many as they can.
For example I have a friend who is from Egypt. I met him online on an art sharing page. I liked a realism drawing he had done and mentioned that with his arty style, something from Resident Evil would look amazing. I didn’t get a like or comment. Then three days later, he messages me a drawing of my favorite monster from the series for free. He didn’t ask for compensation. So what I did was post his stuff as much as I could. Why? Because he drew me something? No! Because I believe he is a fantastic artist. His name is Abdallah Hamed and can be found on Facebook.

Put it like this. How are you going to find gold if you’re only looking where the light already shines?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tiktok.com/@linkskee?_t=ZT-8vDDvssonJ0&_r=1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linkskeeyt/profilecard/?igsh=MWtwN2xnaG1ldXY1bA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19aVG51UJa/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@linkskee?si=wDCIMjab3WbY38gU
• Other: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-there-or-possibly-elsewhere-patrick-powers/1146038637?ean=9798331409128

Image Credits

Aaron Hawkins