We were lucky to catch up with MacKenzie Galloway recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, MacKenzie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
To be successful takes drive, discipline, and rest. Every night I sleep by 10 pm so that I can wake up at 5 am and have a morning to myself before I officially start my day. My morning consists of meditating, reading, writing, working out, and setting intentions. I also make breakfast and sometimes dance and do deep cleaning. This allows me to have a clear mind and have time for myself before I dive into the hustle and bustle of the day.
So many people wake up and go straight to their phones. They start their day scrolling, embracing others’ energy instead of tapping into their own energy first. Choose yourself every day. Only you have the power to do that. How many hours of screen time do you have? How many of those hours can be used to follow your dreams and better your overall self? We all have the same 24 hours in a day. How you use those hours is what stands between you and everything you want for yourself. Don’t forget to prioritize rest so that you can recharge and show up as your best self.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I wrote my book when I was 6 years old, and have been storytelling ever since. I started news writing in broadcast journalism in middle school serving as producer, writer, and anchor on our daily news broadcast. In high school, I attended Cass Technical High School in Detroit, an inner-city Detroit Public School that is underfunded, but the students still excel through mentorship and strong academics. There, my major was communications and media, and I wrote for our school newspaper. I had the opportunity to study at Columbia University’s summer creative writing high school program, where my love for filmmaking blossomed.
I matriculated to American University for College, on a full scholarship, where I studied French Broadcast Journalism and Bio-Cultural Anthropology. I served on the Blackprint newspaper, which specializes in content for students of color, and also produced, wrote, and anchored for our University’s broadcast channel. I studied abroad in Rome, Italy where I studied anthropology and film screenwriting. I also studied abroad in Rabat, Morocco studying French and communications. These experiences broadened my worldview, as it was my first time out of the country, and ever since I have been even more inspired as a storyteller to create diverse, inter-continental stories.
I received a Masters in Fine Arts in Writing for TV and Film from Emerson College in Boston and L.A., a hybrid program, that allowed me to continue my job working as Digital Media Manager for Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib in D.C. I have also written, directed, and produced several award-winning films, and am the curator and director of the Afrofuturist Femmes Film Festival.
In 2020, I launched my LLC, Conscious Creations by MacKenzie. I have a fashion and accessories line as well as a production company under the LLC. For the fashion side of my business, I am focused on spirituality, astrology, and metaphysics focused on Afrofuturism integrated into my fashions. The other facet of my business is my film and media production company, where my focus is to tell rich, multifaceted stories focusing on the empowerment and advancement of Black Americans, the African Diaspora, Indigenous people, and other vulnerable groups, with tones of spirituality, metaphysic and Afrofuturism. I also volunteer with a local D.C. Girl Scout Troop and volunteer at film festivals in D.C. and L.A.
I am currently pursuing a PhD in Matriarchal Afrofuturism and Ancient African Diasporic History. I aim to break into the film industry and be a voice for the diaspora and those whose voices are otherwise silenced. In addition, I am the Curator and Director of the Afrofuturist Femmes Film Festival. I love traveling the world, astrology, and the stars, and spending time with my loved ones.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Inspiring the younger generations. I know how imperative representation is, and I am driven by the passion to creative the representation that I never had growing up. Seeing little girls who look like me inspired by my work, and creating work that they can see themselves in, empowers me as a creative.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn the idea of having limits in your goals and dreams. Many people throughout my life have told me that I have to pick one thing and stick to it if I want to be successful. Well, I am and have always been the antithesis of that. I do many things and am passionate and good at all of the things that I do. It took me a while to figure out exactly what those things were, and I had doubts about being able to do it all before I honed in, but once I did, I realized how fulfilling it was. And guess what? I am always learning new things so I know that I will always have new interests and ideas that I can follow and aspire for. This became especially true when I was able to get full funding to spend a year in Italy and Morrocco, and I learned that the world is my oyster. And was also diagnosed with the travel bug. I have not sat down in one place since.
Contact Info:
- Website: mackenziegalloway.com
- Instagram: mackenziegallowayy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consciouscreationsandconsultations/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackenzie-g-7442b2138/
- Twitter: mackenziegall9
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mackenziegall9/videos
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=mq7X7yVbLa7RiXCwUjWQgQ
- Other: https://www.viator.com/partner-shop/consciouscreationstravel?medium=link&medium_version=shop&campaign=conscious&source=shortlink
Image Credits
MacKenzie Galloway