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

Xavier, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Risks are funny to me because it’s one of those things that most people are afraid to do but do sometimes yield dreams. Although I’m a dreamer, taking risks has taught me that safety, not to be mistaken for comfort, is important in my life. This sounds obvious, but taking risks can often create insecurities that bring in a slew of other problems that I’m not going to get into right now. I remember when I started writing songs and recording music in high school. As raw and untapped as I was then, I didn’t take many risks with my art. I think what got me through those early years learning the craft was the passion I had for it and knowing that I could create something someone else enjoyed. I may have spent half a decade or so safe in a box I had unknowingly restricted to and, in that same time, I knew I was meant to do more. As an artist, I have a great feeling about myself and I won’t get there without a little risk taking. When I started taking more risks with my music (circa 2016), I began experiencing a bit more freedom, control, and joy on my journey; all of these are dreams I have for my life. To date, the risk that changed my life the most was a bet on myself to resign from a very safe salaried tech job and embark on a journey for more; one I wasn’t prepared to take, if I can speak candidly. That risk created a very volatile Xavier. I think in those three years I talked poorly to myself and spent a lot of time alone to hide how anxious and depressed I was. The risk was supposed to pay off, right? Somedays were inspired while others felt like a waste but every day kept coming. I can include all of the things I lost and gained but the point I want to make is, it could’ve been worse. I can’t imagine a life where I don’t take that risk without the safety I need in my life placed around me. During that time, I was able to live at home and strengthen relationships with family members who supported me carving my name as a creative entrepreneur and since obtained the courage to channel creativity into filmmaking, screenwriting, streaming, and even my most recent software engineering role. I’m far from finished but with hindsight can say that no matter how volatile a risk is, we’re sure to gain from it but must go into it with a realistic set of expectations and goals. If I were to do that in the past, perhaps life would have become what I expected then but embarking on a journey for more led me to exactly where it needed to.

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 am Xavier Galloway. I’ve been recording music since 2010 and have since released two EPs, Joyride (2016) and 1447 (2018) along with numerous singles available for purchase and streaming on all of the major digital streaming platforms (Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, etc..), and produced a short music film, lil gardener (2019), that you can watch on YouTube. I began filmmaking in 2020 as a writer and executive producer for an independent horror short film, Gravē (2021). I took an accidental hiatus from releasing music this year just to breathe, live life, and wrap up a couple of film engagements, including a short I wrote and directed last year as a companion to a book my father wrote, Temptation, The Player, The Game (2022). This book and short film will introduce two media companies my father founded in 2021, Sharif Entertainment & Media and SEM TV. The former is a production company that aims to independently produce original content and live entertainment and the latter is a streaming and distribution platform for film and television content. My family is super excited to introduce this to the world with the imminent release of Temptation, The Player, The Game. Please be on the lookout for that. Aside from what gets me going creatively, I am a software engineer by trade and a Computer Science graduate from Georgia Tech. I’ve had a few corporate jobs in the technology industry but prefer my current software engineering consultant title. It rings perfectly to me being the kind of guy who enjoys working on many projects at once. When I’m not creating outside of the 9-5 obligations, I am supporting the website and technology for Stagewing, an Atlanta-based music-tech startup that specializes in equipment sharing for DJs.
The focus of my future creative work combines all of these skills and passions into a sustainable business that lies at the intersection of the media and technology industries (i.e Sharif Entertainment, SEM, and more).

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

This goes back to the story I wrote about taking risks. I once left the comfort of working corporate in order to change what I was doing for a living, how I was living, and learn how I want to live. This pivot cost me freedom and space but I was able to live at home and strengthen relationships with family members who supported me carving my name as a creative entrepreneur. Due to this pivot and support system I was able obtain the courage I previously lacked which allowed me to to channel creativity into more forms like filmmaking, screenwriting, streaming, and even my most recent software engineering role. I think this pivot changed every part of my life (business, career, and life) and I feel like I’m on a much clearer path forward because of it.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

To be simple, freedom and longevity. I want the work to set me free, set others free, and have a positive impact for a long time.

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xavier-galloway-5618b37b
• Other: http://temptationtheplayerthegame.com/ Find me everywhere – https://linktr.ee/wavman