We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shay Maxwell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shay below.

Hi Shay, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I really go back and forth with this in my mind all the time. So quick backstory… I always knew I wanted to be in the entertainment industry, but I didn’t know exactly what that looked like for me. I was interested in acting and I wanted a chance to be on Disney. While I knew I could dance and had some formal training; it was instilled in me at a young age that dance wasn’t a “career”. So I continued on the track that society paved and what family deemed to be the best and successful path to take. I went to school, graduated high school, decided on a career, went to college and gained real life experiences that I do not regret. BUT! There are times that I feel as though I’m behind or think that I should be much further along in certain areas. When those moments happen, I find that I’m usually comparing my growth to other people’s successes. In times like these I remind myself of all the knowledge and skills I have gained. I remind myself I am truly a self-made boss!

I’ve come to understand that everyone’s timing is different. Everyone’s story is different. If I would’ve started diving into entertainment sooner, maybe I wouldn’t have been fully committed or maybe I would’ve gotten distracted along the way. Where I am now… I AM FOCUSED! I continue to grind everyday doing what I love; and that’s enough to get me and keep me going each day.

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 background and context?

Hailing from the city that never sleeps, New York! Raised in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. I have been knocking down doors in different areas in the entertainment industry and I love it all. From dancing, choreography, hosting, modeling, movies…. You name it, I can get the job done.

Dance was the beginning and throughout the years, dance has opened so many doors for me. From dancing and performing, that introduced me to modeling. Modeling placed me in different rooms for different events and that opened the door for hosting local events and then introduced me to radio and I became a radio co-host.

I continued to dance, and I started to explore the choreographer side of things and it helped me see a bigger picture. Since then, I’ve made dance visuals that have over 30k views on YouTube. I continue to grow as a creative director, I help my clients bring their vision to life. I help them to enhance certain ideas that may not be present for them at that very moment. All of my work so far is a huge accomplishment because I put a lot into it. I am always ready for the next thing to create and bring to life. I live by the quote “Only the Strong Survives.”, my family, my friends or my clients know there is nothing weak about me. I work very hard, and I am passionate about my dreams and goals. I am a hard-working female and I want everyone around me to be just as hard-working. If I am giving my all to a project, I want to receive the same commitment. Because I truly love what I do.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?

Being a creative already makes me special.

I really can’t imagine who I would be if I wasn’t me.

I get to envision things some people don’t see. I can create something beautiful from scratch. I feel joy when people are in awe of my work or my accomplishments. When people share my content on social media and they have positive comments, complete strangers that think my work is dope, all those things are rewarding to me. I love how I can inspire people around me to get up and create things. I enjoy the friendly competition with my peers and how we try to see who can top each other’s next project. It brings the best out of us and our work, it also helps with our growth. Everyday there is a creative or artist that helps to make somebody’s day. It can be scrolling on social media, turning on the radio, watching a funny commercial, etc. all these things impact the world. That’s a lot of power. I feel like I should use the talent God gave me. It brings me joy, and I want to provide joy to others with my content.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I feel like my journey as a creative doesn’t need someone to understand it.

I have friends and family members who don’t understand why I go so hard for my dreams. Sometimes it’s the people closest to you that may not understand it the most. It shouldn’t stop you from accomplishing what you want to do. Believe in yourself, believe in your talent, believe in your dreams because if you can see it then it can happen. Some people may not understand the late-night hours you put in for your business, some people may not understand why you run a business but still work a 9-5p job. The work we put in is something most will not understand. I strongly believe creatives have a different work ethic that is unmatched. There will be a lot of late nights and early mornings and some days you will be frustrated, some days you may start believing “your time” may not happen. Don’t give up. You understand the vision and you understand the goal, that is all that matters.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.itsshaym.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/@Lilshayy919
• Youtube: Shay Maxwell (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgmNCzgY5laQ5MXGEguqabw)
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgmNCzgY5laQ5MXGEguqabw