We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jamaal Bruce a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jamaal, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I’m a full-time, multi-faceted artist from Saint Lucia who started building a brand for himself the moment I left Secondary School (High School). I’ve been wanting to be an artist since I was 8 years old. I figured one way or the other, I am going to be involved in the Creative Arts and I aspired to be one of the best in the field. My first love was Visual Arts. I grew up drawing my favorite cartoon or anime characters and I would often do still life drawings.

Fast forward to when I was 12, I found my vocation in the Performing Arts. I honestly believed Dance found me for it was something I never thought I would be invested in. It started off as something I would do to pass time and now I earn a living off of performing and Choreography. Dancing was my way in getting out of my comfort zone but it later on became the ultimate release for me. My journey started off performing at my school talent shows and eventually started performing at different schools on the island. I also started writing poetry at 12 and found an interest in Graphic Design.

My creative journey has been a amazing so far. However, I think it’s safe to say that many creatives like myself fight the good fight in gaining visibility let alone respect in the Caribbean. Dancers globally deal with the hassle of fair compensation, proper spacing and ensuring there is a mutual understanding of our creative process amongst the people we work with. In the Caribbean, we make due with what we have. There’s a lack of resources, lack of proper spacing to develop your craft and that’s simply scratching the surface. The Creative Arts is a sector often discouraged by our families and our peers. They believe it will only get you so far in life and will only secure a fraction of your life financially. The Creative Arts is not seen as something anyone in Saint Lucia let alone the Caribbean should do full time. Truthfully, as time changes, it’s hard to show or convince the general public that it is possible to create jobs or careers in Creative Arts. However, I’ve spent the past 15 years being immersed in as many creative mediums as part of my testament in building a career as an Artist and a Dancer in my home country.

I graduated in Secondary/High School (St.Mary’s College) in 2012 and immediately started my journey appearing at Dance Meets or ‘Dance Offs’ we’d have in Saint Lucia. I started following this group called Untitled 51 who hosted these Dance Meets. Untitled 51 was an art collective who built a platform for young creatives to showcase their talents in hopes of building network with other creatives or companies on island. They started a dance group where I became one of their core members and I spent 4-5 years with them performing and doing all I can in order to implement some form of change with the Industry. I really want to push the envelope within the Creative Arts and show persons it’s possible to make a name for yourself. I used Dance as a way to show my other talents. Whether I’d design my own clothes for a performance or I would paint myself (I’m also a bodypainter) and dance while I paint. It’s unique and it’s something you don’t see often so of course it came with discouragement and harsh criticism. I’d often be questioned or laughed at for my creative ideas but in my heart, I know this is gonna bring me somewhere. I started a YouTube channel,MNDFXVR and took up vlogging. Photography and Videography.

Admittedly, I didn’t get paid much for it either. It wasn’t about the money, I need to show people it’s possible to build a career out of the arts. As I got older, I then realized I needed to earn more if I want to survive. My family was concerned for me and I started losing friends. I still kept at my creative journey and went with my gut. After Unititled 51, I worked with different groups and took on small gigs in hotels or different programs where performers could come in and get paid. By 2016, I took a course in Graphic Arts with the School of Arts and Design Saint Lucia and received the opportunity to work for an entertainment company in Jamaica. By April 2017, I finally went to Jamaica where I was under contract for 6 months performing in hotels all over the island. My specialty is mainly Hip Hop and Dancehall Choreography. However, I had to learn various Latin based choreography (Rumba, Meringue, Samba etc) and worked twice as hard as I did back in Saint Lucia. I was accustomed to learning a show every couple months with rehearsals going 2 hours a day twice a week. In Jamaica, I tallied 50 dance numbers I learned in the 6 months I was there, with 4 hour rehearsals everyday.

I returned to Saint Lucia in October 2017 and since then I’ve been nominated for Youth Awards (2018-2019),represented Saint Lucia in a Cultural Exchange in Martinique (2018) as well as a Folk Dance and Music Festival in Antigua (2019). I officially registered my business/brand, Mind Of Xavier, in 2020 where I’ve been able to earn multiple streams of income, providing services in Graphic Design, Dance and Choreography. I’ve also been using my social media platforms to promote all my work in Dance, Graphic and Visual Arts as well as my Merchandise on Teespring under the ‘Mind Of Xavier’ name.

Recently, I was hired as a Creative Director for Sir Arthur Lewis Community College who held a “Day of Excellence’ as part of our Nobel Laureate week festivities, lead my alma mater,Saint Mary’s College in a Dance Festival, I was hired Graphic Designer for this year’s Day of Innovation with the Ministry of Education and I directed my first ever Theatre production, ‘T.R.I.B.E: The Revolution Is Built off of Expression”, which was also written and choreographed by me. This production was inspired by true events of a male artist who undergoes several hurdles in life and how he uses his art to get through it. This production was in collaboration with YouthSPAC and Caribbean Elective and featured Performing Arts students from Newcastle College.

I’m passion driven and I went though a lot of mental and emotional conflict to get to the point I am at now. Amidst the discouragement and the number of times I thought of retiring or quitting altogether, thankfully this creative fire still burns within. The journey isn’t at all linear but I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by people who give me a reason to keep going everyday. Choosing the role of a full time Artist in a society that barely takes the Arts seriously to me is a huge risk. I could’ve easily done the 9 to 5 or go to university to solidify a steady career. I went with my gut and kept it pushing until I got the life I always wanted.

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 Jamaal Bruce otherwise known as ‘MOX’. I’m a self taught Dancer, Choreographer (Hip Hop, Dancehall,Afrobeats), Graphic Designer, Body Painter, Fashion Designer, Poet, Writer, Creative and Artistic Director from the island of Saint Lucia.

I am also owner of the brand name/ art collective known as Mind of Xavier (Instagram,Facebook, MNDFXVR on YouTube, TeeSpring).

I found interest in different mediums (i.e Photography,Videography,Poetry,Clothing reconstruction,Dance/ Choreography,Fashion Design,Graphic Design) throughout my creative journey and I’ve made it my mission to combine as many mediums as I can through personal projects as well as provide services in said mediums. I’ve had the pleasure in working with various dance groups, business owners, artists, musicians and companies throughout the island and I’ve been nominated for Awards in the past for my work in Visual and Performing Arts.

Mind of Xavier started off as persona that separates my life as a Dancer with my life as a Creative Director or Writer. Mind of Xavier has transformed into a brand that stands out as a combination of my influence is pop culture and fashion with my Lucian heritage, showcasing unique visuals as well as helping persons with their brand identity.

Mind of Xavier has also been a way to showcase my creative journey, using my art as a reflection of what’s going on in my life. I’m currently on my 12th year of my “Year of” series, where I curate a full year of creative work under the Mind of Xavier name. I’m a Dancer of 15 years whom has worked with various groups and individuals in Saint Lucia, been nominated for Youth Awards (2018-2019) and has traveled to represent Saint Lucia as an Artist/Dancer.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My story is that I’m a self taught Artist/Dancer who went into street performances and flash-mobs the moment I graduated Secondary School. I took the risk in being a full time artist in a society that barely acknowledges Dance or the Creative Arts on a whole let alone understands the weight of our creative process. I did that as opposed to leaving the country because I had a mission to pursue a successful career while in my home country. I went through issues at home convincing my family and friends how hard this journey can be. I was often ridiculed, made fun of and overlooked for my unique approach to Art and Dance. Spent these 15 years investing my time and energy into projects that either didn’t go far, was put aside or didn’t get paid for. There was a lot conflict involved in this journey.

One story I can think of is losing my laptop during the pandemic after 8 years of earning a living off of it. Earning a living during the pandemic was hard enough for me and my laptop dying sent me to a depression. Throughout my life, I learned to make due with what I have. Losing the one thing I know could keep me stable was tough.Thankfully, the world was opening up again and I got the chance to perform for national events and different hotel productions where I finally got to build on income.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I love every facet of Art I practice. However, every medium I practice requires a lot of my energy. Performing is more than just looking happy on stage. It’s weeks sometimes months of putting your body into a piece of work. It’s leaving your daily stresses to step into a space which may add on to what’s bothering you already. It’s rehearsing for weeks to only be paid for the performance day which may take months to pull through due to poor organizers or the turnaround taking long.

Graphic Design is hours of looking through fonts,color schemes and research to create something that suits a client. It’s weeks of building relationships via meetings with clients so you could understand their vision and use your skill to help with their brand identity.

I’m often working on more than one medium/facet at a time and that takes up energy. As fun as it can be, the process can often be overlooked and we’re seen as machines almost. The more years you invest, the more you value yourself. Unfortunately you’ll encounter persons who will tell you how much you’re worth and not the other way around. The journey get lonely and you often struggle with making ends meet. It’s one of the reasons I picked up so many skills so that i could pay off bills.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindofxavier
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindofxavier
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MNDFXVR
• Other: https://mindofxavier.creator-spring.com/

Image Credits

Gideon Ambrose – GNAN Photography

Mind of Xavier