Meet Randall Owens | Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Randall Owens and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Randall, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Art is about humanity, and humanity has not been kind to itself. The only way to save ourselves from the problems we’ve manufactured is for artists to sit with the problems most would rather ignore. My way of contributing to the task at hand is writing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I write I try not to write from a place of hope but of honesty. I know that can sound a bit harsh and pessimistic, but we cannot properly rely on hope unless we get serious about our situation. What this has done for me is to help me understand myself and how I truly feel about the world and the way I exist in it. If nothing I write gets out into the world, I can at least be proud that I helped myself understand who I am.

I was a graphic designer for the past decade, that’s what I have my degree in, and I thought that would be my career for life. Leaving that field to become a writer was a shock of sorts, and it wasn’t easy. I had to be honest with myself and admit that working 9-5 didn’t fulfill me. I was always angry with the lack of time I had for myself, and I struggled to be present at home the way my family needed me to be. My partner sat me down and told me to quit. I had to do something that made me happy and made me understand that I had a voice outside of making money for agencies and clients. Writing is something I had been doing in my free time, but her confronting me gave me the agency to take it seriously.

I quit and things were pretty tight for a while. Money is not everything, but we still need it to survive in our society. I kept betting on myself and not looking for another traditional job. There was a sense of stalling or stagnancy as I would write but feel nervous to submit my work to publications. I sent a couple of submissions out and got rejections back. It is tough to accept, but this is part of the process. Rejection can let you know whether you are on the right or wrong path. I knew that getting my work out there meant there would be some who loved it and some who hated it. But eventually, someone would accept it and ultimately publish me. What came was better than that though. I got published by a local magazine, which was very exciting, but they also hired me to be an editor and writer.

My experience wasn’t typical, but it was my own, and it showed me that if I stay true to what I know and want to do I can make things work for me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Tacoma is an interesting place. It isn’t the most exciting city and doesn’t have the most to do, but there are a couple of spots I would recommend out here. We have a really good show of nature out here and, if you visit at the right time, walking any of our beaches at low tide can bring you across amazing sea life. There is also the waterfront and its amazing views of Tahoma (aka Mt. Rainier). If someone is coming to visit me I have to take them to my favorite places to eat. Tacoma has some really good Thai restaurants but none are better than Silk Thai on 6th Ave. We have a couple of really good sandwich spots, but I would have to recommend MSM Deli. And, if I am being truthful, I would have to make a brisket for whoever comes to visit me as well. BBQ is near and dear to me and I can make one of the best briskets you have had.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
TeyAnjulee Leon Neelou Goodarzi
Lauren Silva
Nicholas Banks
Marcus Allen Screen
Edwin Leon

Website: https://medium.com/@randall.owens20