Meet Malcolm Sharkey

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

Malcolm, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

The first important thing to know is to just be yourself, but not just you. The best version of yourself while being a good person. Only one of you exist , no one else is like you. This allowed me to develop my own style and signature look by combining what I love about fashion and different eras.

It’s important to have amazing energy and professionalism when in any professional environment. The way you talk, interact with others, the way you carry yourself and my favorite is how much you make people laugh being yourself.

Even though I’m the only one who looks like me. You’re in a room filled with unique talent that has a look of there own. What will make you stand out to be successful and your presence effective in a social setting. As I stated before the things I learned was :

1) Great Energy, 2) Professionalism, 3) The Way You Carry Yourself, 4) How Much You Make People Laugh, 5) Confidence in your ability to perform at your highest peak.

Knowing these things and doing them with absolute faith in their talents to accomplish and put out a presence in the room that will be unforgettable. A lot of people sometimes go overboard and can make models or fellow creatives very uncomfortable quickly. So always be respectful to your fellow creatives because we all come together to show our love and passion in what we love as creatives.

My energy and sense of style makes me the only kind of model and fashion stylist of my nature who dress and create in the way I do. We all have creative styles and a presence that’s memorable.

We can’t always spill the beans on our uniqueness but if you love it , then you will always aim to be the one who stands out in a room full of talent.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a proud father of my beautiful daughter Millicent who helps drive my ambition and purpose. I love being a professional model, tattoo artist, I’m an actor, fashion stylist, and artist. I love to create and focus on all these creative things that require thinking outside the box. Modeling , acting and many other creative fields are exciting. I’ll tell you why only from my perspective. I enjoy most being in an environment surrounded with creatives whether models , actors , directors, fashion shows and more. You meet a lot of like minded creatives who share the same passion and ambition in what they love. So the room is full of good people who love what they do. I have created a style for myself that creates conversation within itself. I’ve created a mixture of western, high fashion and the era of the 50s – 70s style as well. I style it in a way that fits me or any occasion and in doing so have created my signature look in which I’m recognized.

I enjoy fashion and modeling and filming because my style was inspired by the many creatives I met. The ability to see so much creativity through seeking being a unique eye candy in the room. I mean that in regards to have someone or a style exciting to look at when you’re out.

My style has landed me many opportunities and even liked so much by directors. I was allowed to film in my own wardrobe for a few tv shows. The Chi being one of them. You can learn much from being a good person with great energy and professionalism in the creative world.

I love opening new doors and creating opportunities, hosting photoshoots , themed shoots , fashion shows , events and more.

I’ve always loved this field and my dream was to be a successful actor. Due to my looks and height. The modeling took off faster for me and eventually lead me on a path that helped me pursue my acting career. So, for the past few years I have worked hard to build a name for myself and create an industry where talent is rare from each individual. Whether they know what that talent is yet. I’m here to help them find that fire.

It’s much to say but what I can say is that when I’m in that environment around other creatives creating art, I don’t feel a ounce of evil in the room.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I would have to say the three qualities, skills and knowledge that was most impactful on my journey. One – Great Energy, Two – Memorable, Three – professionalism which are important. The three skills I would choose One – work well with a team, Two – excellent listening skills, Three – being able to execute. The three things to be knowledgeable on whenever doing business is Contracts , Business and Creativity.

These have helped me achieve so much in my journey. It allowed myself to not always look at everything as a dollar sign. I look at it as an opportunity to make a good friend. The opportunity to display and promote yourself as a creative who loves what they do. It’s important to have great energy because no one wants a model or to hire anyone who looks tired or don’t have the energy to be explosive from beginning to end. This allows you to keep the energy high which other models will have your energy as well. The ability to make others laugh and be respectful about it will make you memorable because most people are way to tense, serious or stressed. If you could make them laugh , that would never be forgotten. The most important is professionalism which allows you to carry yourself in a manner that you don’t offend anyone or make them uncomfortable. This is a big red flag if you ever do the opposite. You don’t want to trigger negative thoughts in people about your behavior or conversations. You want to keep th at peace and always respect Professionalism so you never miss an opportunity.

If you can work well with others, a team in events or learn to do so. It will help with giving comfort to others who would want to hire you. It would help to know if you can get along and take direction without being hostile. You have to be fun to work with and people enjoy your company. It’s important to always listen and not get distracted or side tracked my conversations that can make you miss out on how to execute the runway , your walk and look to bring excitement from the crowd and to them.

I’ve watched models not listen or pay attention in fashion shows and it looked so bad when you have a hand full of models no knowing where to go on the runway. Never become that confused model who can’t execute because he or she did not listen to directions. Always make this priority to show that you listen and will execute when on that runway, photoshoot or project you’re booked to work.

Last , but also very important when doing anything. If you have to sign a contract. Please understand the contents that are in the contract before signing it. It’s okay to do freee gigs and paid gigs. By law to protect yourself always get a contract or form stating the details of the gig. Whether it’s Tfp , collaboration or paid opportunities. When it comes to your money make sure it’s protected by a contract.

Also understand how the business aspect of it all works. So you know how to promote yourself, stand out in creating photos with more words than can be explained. Allow people mind to wonder. You have to learn how modeling works or acting and so on. This way you know how and what to do to be presented more opportunities and make an impact in the environment.

The creativity is important because you need to learn and know how to create anything from nothing into something. You create meaning with every expression, pose , outfit , theme and more. If you focus on creativity far beyond the normal requirements that some people present. Always go beyond the basic and into some extraordinary. Tap in to the creativity that will blow people away

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Yes, I’m always looking to collaborate and work with like minded creatives. I’m always looking for Models , Muas , hairstylists, Fashion Stylists , Photographers , Videographers , Fashion Designers , Musicians , Djs and more creatives of that nature. Everyone play an important role in a successful or good event. The Creative Directors and more are also talent and professional people I would love to work with on a project. The goal is always to create more creative , opportunities in environments where people can come together to create and find they voice in creativity. No one is less of talent whether you believe so or not.

I love networking and in some of the craziest places I have found amazing models who have no experience. Just them having a nice height, physique and more is talent undiscovered to me. I like to express that they have the look to become great with the right guidance to prosper in the creative industry as a model. I leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding talent.

You can find my inspiration on my Instagram with all my accomplishments and creativity.

@Malcolmsharkeyofficial

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @malcolmsharkeyofficial

Image Credits

Designer @Nizcka

Photographer 1 @ac_photography_chicago

Photographer 2 @youngartistinthemist

Photographer 3 @simplysavannahart