Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shellsy Malveaux. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Shellsy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My most meaningful (and current) project that I’ve worked on is my Intimate Conversations series. Intimate Conversations is a community-driven conversation series that brings sensitive topics into an intimate, comfortable setting for attendees to share their personal experiences. The backstory behind this project is solely based on my life experiences. In 2016, I had a mental breakdown and went into a deep depression due to the stresses of a rewarding (yet, draining) retail career and low self-esteem. To start over, I wanted to express and love myself more freely through solo traveling and blogging. Along the way, I wanted to create a mental support community to get through my personal traumatic experiences from sexual abuse, fractured family/romantic relationships, and other topics. This project is meaningful to me because I’m not going through this alone, there are others who have similar stories, and we are taking the first necessary steps to a better, healing mental space.

Shellsy, 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?

Hello, beautiful people! My name is Shellsy Monet’ Malveaux and I’m a creative producer/curator for my creative production company, Unconventional Spaces. I’ve spent several years in the hospitality and customer service industry before starting my own to help others produce their own creative projects/events. In our first year, we have helped clients coordinate and curate a wellness festival, book signings, celebrations, intimate events, and produced a short film. Within our company, the following services that we provide are event planning/logistics/coordination, photography, and film production. We are heavily involved and inspired by small local businesses and creatives throughout the Houston area. Our mission is to make purposeful projects and community involvement the HIGHLIGHT of our city and bring light to the underrepresented groups through our projects. I’m proud that my hard work was recognized by being awarded Creative Curator of the Year by For The H/Pulse magazine and our first film production, Coming Home, was accepted into a film festival (International Mobile Film Festival) and nominated for Rookie Film of the Year. The main thing that I want people to know about Unconventional Spaces is that we believe in collaboration within our industry and strive to bring joy/inspiration to all who encounter us.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

In the creative industry (especially, if you’re a creative entrepreneur), it can get very lonely, and you can feel alone in the process. STILL, in this time, I love how this road pushes me to challenge myself to trust my instincts and follow my gut with every project. It helps build confidence and self-awareness of who I am and nurtures my identity as a creative individual. People want the high levels of accolades and success, but you have to go through the pressure and self-reflect regularly to make yourself better. It’s not a pretty pace, but it sure is rewarding on where I am going.

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

My journey has been steady with a few speed bumps and potholes. With my personal struggles of caring for my mother’s physical health, handling a company with no employees (yet), and slow seasons of event coordinating, I still have to take care of my mental state and overall wellbeing. Earlier in the 2023 year, I’ve made plenty of 911 calls on behalf of my mom. One of the scariest moments of my life was thinking about the possibility of losing her. The unwritten mantra of the women in my family is to ‘remain strong in spite of any situation’. In this situation, I had to rest my strength within my close circle of friends and support system. Trust them to assist with my projects without my presence and delegate instructions from the hospital. I was able to fully pay my attention towards my mom and she was discharged soon after. Strengthening your resilience requires managing stress and anxiety levels, along with ASKING FOR HELP.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theunconventionalshell.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unconventional_shell/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellsy-malveaux-49041a57/

Image Credits
Shellsy Malveaux Erica ‘E.T.’ Taylor Carla Lyles Jasmine Woodson Coco Bates