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

Malcolm, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned while at my previous positions was the ability to be humble in all aspects and not just physically however mentally as well. Over the last 7 years I’ve experienced a level of humility that has broken me down to a level to the point where I thought I couldn’t come back from. From being laid off to being terminated with a mutual understanding has been a rocky and unbalanced roller coaster. The term struggling artist has no chance up against bi-weekly checks suddenly replaced with empty account balances and bills that need to be collected still reoccurring. I never thought I’d be in a space such as I’ve experienced however the term perseverance has definitely shown me otherwise and continues to inspire me to keep pushing. No one ever wants to be humbled especially when they already consider themselves to be however when you are mentally humbled that can take a toll on you, one that I almost didn’t come back from. Mental Health is something I don’t take lightly and I’m an advocate for anyone who has struggled with this as I have. It’s important to speak up about anything that distracts the mind in a negative space and to know that it’s ok to express yourself without being judged. As an up-incoming Business Owner one of my values is to strive to be your Authentic Self and not apologize for it and to Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I initially launched my company in 2019 with the ideals to create a space for fellow creatives who wanted a platform that would give them the spaces to create without the typical push back that they would normally receive from Hollywood especially when trying to create content for minorities. I wanted to use my business platform to catapult not only my career and ideas yet others who had similar concepts and content. However not even a year into business COVID happened and interrupted my plans completely. A few months into COVID I ended up in a psych-ward, yes a Mental facility. I attempted suicide however by the Grace of God was not successful. As I began to spiral I also began to notice that these conversations are not being talked about in my community in the way that they should be as many of us suffer in silence and some of us aren’t able to have a second chance like I’ve been given. Especially a second chance to create some content that could possibly help shed some light on this matter in a bigger way. It wasn’t to long after my episode when I found out a very well respected Actress experienced this same dilemma however she wont have the opportunity to ever get the chance to resolve what might possibly have been resolvable due to the circumstances surrounding it. When this happened it really encouraged me to begin to tell my story with hopes of helping someone else who may be facing something similar with the intention to be of some help so they don’t make that devastating decision that I almost made. I’m most proud of the fact that today I’m here and able to stand with you and share my story with hopes of inspiring others to not solely share a story however to overcome this air of silence we all breathe. I want to encourage others through my story that you too can survive, you too can inspire another heartbeat and live for another day.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Anyone able to survive a suicide attempt and not go backwards is the complete ideal of having resilience because it doesn’t mean the thoughts just stop coming or the mind doesn’t shift between lanes of discouragement and discomfort; No. However what it does mean is that the individual is purposely choosing to live everyday. Every time I wake up I am choosing to Live, and not just live for myself however I’m choosing to live for those who couldn’t so that I could remember those who aren’t here yet at the same time be the example for those who are. The battle is not yours and you don’t have to fight it alone. I thank God everyday for waking me up in the morning and giving me a chance to get it right. My focus remains the same. Live out my life as authentically as I can and inspire others to do the same. To Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

So many lessons I had to unlearn and some of them I’m still working on however if I had to name one or three it would be 1) To stop trying to be perfect in all that I do. 2) Remember that everyone makes mistakes so stop blaming yourself for not being where you thought you ought to be. & 3) Release control. Stop trying to control every outcome of your Life, because in the end you really don’t have any control. Man, when I tell you that even me writing these down made my fingers cringe and almost hit the delete button however my heart is warm and happy that I am able to walk in my truth. I never thought I was a perfectionist or even had any similarities to it’s definition until I ran into someone who was just as similar. I laugh about it today because when I look at us both we are totally different yet very much the same. It took me years to understand that everything wont go right and to stop blaming myself for the things out of my control. I still to this day overthink things because by nature I’m an analyzer. I’m always focused on what can be better because in my mind everything can be better. Now of course this always comes back to bite me however every now and then a pinch doesn’t hurt as much. Realizing that you aren’t in control of your Life is a hard pill to swallow however it’s encouraging to know that you’re not alone on that road because no one can or has. Even Jesus had his days tested. Nowadays I try my best to just sit back and let things happen as naturally as they can and adjust whenever necessary because at the end of the day Life is just full of days being adjusted all the time and yet you’ve never heard Monday complaining.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mrmalcolmbowens.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iam_malcolm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/malcolm.bowens.3
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrmbowens/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Malkdaalk/videos

Image Credits
Photographers are as followed: ZNCREATIVES Brian Stukes Phelan Marc Media ImageryByErika