We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Javier Gonzalez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Javier, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
When i was 13 i knew that i was determined to be an entrepreneur. Growing up poor and living in the Bronx, New York City influenced me. The first risk that i took was when i purchased an ounce of cocaine for $300, cooked it up and converted it into a addictive drug called Crack. I then took that product, concealed it and transported it into a foreign, unfamiliar territory and state outside of NYC. Traveling outside the boundaries of NYC and away from home with no fear or parental guidance, just sheer determination, street knowledge and blind faith. upon my arrival into this new territory, i found it easy to make new friends, learn the new environment and adapt to the lifestyle of the locals. Adapting and making new friends facilitated the distribution process. Fortunately for me, i failed after several expeditions. i was arrested and confined inside of a juvenile facility. I was charged as a minor, banned from that territory and state and the judge ruled that, my mother had to come and verify my identity in order for me to be released.
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?
I grew up in the 80’s and the 90’s in the Bronx, New York City. My favorite subjects in school were: language arts, math, science and social studies. The highest grade i completed was the 6th grade. The department of education banned me from every public school in the city. I was assigned to attend an interdisciplinary prep school for truancy. I never showed up. As much as i loved and enjoyed learning new knowledge, formal schooling was not captivating enough to hold my attention. so I adapted to a street life of crime. In the streets, i learned to observe, listen and adapt to my social environment for survival. This was troublesome. I developed a habit of carelessness, ignorance and impudence. I took uninhibited risk and payed the price. The price was my freedom. The eventual course of a life of crime is loss of freedom. I lost the freedom of being an innocent teenage young man. i was incarcerated for nearly two decades.
My incarceration was my tipping point. facing life or death, it was now mandatory to walk a straight line. To practice discipline, self respect and dignity.
The system itself will not correct thought and behavior. That is a course of action which starts from withIN yourself. I made the decision that i wanted to be a better human, a decent person. I accepted the criminal behavior that i committed but i knew that i was not a criminal. I repented for my actions and got to work on creating a new identity. Utilizing my street smarts and intuition for self-correction, i quickly adapted to the new environment and made use of all the valuable resources that were available to me. I spent a significant time in solitary. Read every non-fiction book on spirituality, nutrition, fitness and health. Studied commercial arts, exercised daily, avoided conflict, resolved conflict, counseled, encourage and inspired my peers on how to adapt and make changes. how to manage stress and anxiety. Created friendship and community.
Upon my release, I committed myself to teaching health and fitness training. As an independent fitness professional, i started Radikul Fitness LLC an collaborated with the private corporate sector. Inspiring a lifestyle of wellness, teaching Meditation, sports, nutrition, fitness, yoga and simply having an appreciation for life. I’m happy to say that, The proven entrepreneur in me is forever alive. During covid all fitness professional had to pivot due to new public health policies. During the pandemic i re-directed my energy to commercial arts. From home, I Started two apparel brands {Bendición & KFTBx (kid from the bronx)} Both brands are an extension of faith, resilience, culture, family, tradition and respect. In 2021, I curated my first fashion show, at New York Fashion Week, returning to the streets of NYC with an olive branch. The one thing that i am most proud of is being a Gilman school summer camp wellness teacher every summer for the last 5 years. Teaching young teenage students confidence, adaptability, community, friendship and the power of health and fitness. My Brand(S) is a representation of overcoming hardship, tapping into your god-given potential and never giving up.
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?
As a creative, your life is an experiment. And it’s not about getting it right and winning or getting it wrong and losing. It’s mostly about the procedure, the process and The journey. As creatives, we know that there will be an infinite amount of tests. we know that the desired results are not instantaneous and we also know that success can be found in the failure. we creatives are not afraid or anxious about loss. we act where others hesitate or procrastinate. A creative procedure is mostly unconventional, creatives do more with less, and we dance to the beat of our own rhythm.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
One of the greatest books that i keep on my night stand is “As A man thinketh” by James Allen published in 1903. It speaks about man (male/female) being the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of character, environment, and destiny. “As a man thinketh in his mind, so is he.”
this refers to the power of imagination, visualization and creative thought (mind-set). a large number of the population are not able to imagine and visualize from their mental platform therefore most are trapped inside The Phantom Zone aka mobile devices and screens.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @bendicionbxny @radikulfitness
- Linkedin: javier Gonzalez
Image Credits
getty image all images own by Javier Gonzalez