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

Hi Marvin, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

In 2020, after being laid off from my position as a Human Resource Coordinator due to Covid. I made the decision not to seek employment elsewhere, and instead use that time to start painting more and making music. The two things I love to do most. I knew that for fitting a 9-to-5 job was a major risk, but it was one that I was willing to take for the sake of my happiness . Work was always a barrier, not allowing me the freedom to express myself whenever I wanted to, and often draining me of the energy to do so.

Although it was the scariest thing that I had ever done, it was highly worth it. Although much of a struggle at first, I eventually decided moving to LA would be a better an option for me.

From the moment I arrived in LA, I knew that my career would take a very different turn. I was able to make an art sale my very first month living in L.A.

I have sold several pieces of art every month since then. I have managed to take care of myself by profiting from something I love to do and that is honestly a dream come true for me. It was a risk, but it was definitely worth it.!

Marvin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Marvin, but I go by Taj. I have been into art and music, my entire life, focusing mostly on music in my earlier years.

The main reason that I create is to ease my own mind. It is therapy for me. Quite frankly, much more effective than speaking to someone, but that is just a personal experience.

The way someone hears my music or sees my art can really change the way they look at personal trauma and pain. Helping them to release any emotion that is holding them back. It may seem like a stretch to expect that music or art can have that impact, but it isn’t. I have experienced rejection my whole life, I’m so many forms. I just want to create art that is inclusive, free, unfiltered, and not tainted by trends or popular expression.

If what I create can bring healing and freedom to people, then I feel like I have been more than successful in my quest.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Imposter Syndrome is something that I certainly had to overcome in order to achieve success. I have consistently had a habit in the past of comparing myself to others in my field. This held me back significantly in the beginning, because I was constantly editing myself to the point where I was never good enough to share my creativity with the world. Once I allow myself to be imperfect, things drastically changed for me. I realized that people love how raw and expressive my forms of creativity are. Once I begin to build a solid client base, I had a much stronger sense of confidence in my personal creativity.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I first moved to Los Angeles in 2022, I was focusing, mostly on my art, but I really wanted to also focus on music. Four time I attended the Los Angeles film school in the audio engineering program. I met a lot of talented artist there, but things took a turn for me in my personal life, and I had to start working a 9-5 again, leave school, and paint for a living, instead of just for my own enjoyment.

This taught me how to appreciate and enjoy the creative process, even when you are creating for profit and not just for personal gain.

The push that I felt during this time to grow my business specifically with physical art (abstract on canvas) is the very reason that my business is successful today. I had to make a lot of last-minute changes. However, the shift from making music to making art in order to survive prepared me for where I am now on my career. I am very grateful for it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BujiHipie.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/skdtaj?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@skdTAJ

Image Credits
Regan Trac Jordan Massey