We were lucky to catch up with Calvin Picou recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Calvin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

There are so many opportunities available for unfulfilling work that may or may not pay, that when a project comes along that feels significant I’m eager to jump on board because those are the projects that sustain me. I don’t need $250 from a day shoot on a YouTube video that embarrasses me in perpetuity. For one that $250 can’t really do much for me in terms of survival, I’ve got two or three less-than-ideal jobs at any given time that do that. The bad feeling I get doing work that I’m not proud of makes me want to walk into the ocean with led boots on (no not literally). That’s the kind of work that makes a creator want to stop creating. It hurts your soul and you need that piece of you in-tact in order to be vulnerable and authentic. Otherwise it can feel difficult to make yourself want to do the work. So, I know it isn’t popular, but I really avoid work that has no meaning. That doesn’t mean that everything I do is serious and deep, far from it, but if the trade-off is that I’m working for free or getting paid the least possible amount, then I need to be able to say that I got something out of the experience that was new or made me a better artist. Meaningful work may not be monetarily sustainable at this point in my career, but it has always allowed me to grow and it’s kept me here for over ten years as I continue to make myself worthy of the next best thing.

Calvin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The main thing I want people to know about me is, I’m here. I have a body of work that is available and growing.
I’ve never been open to the idea of failure as something that applies to my craft. I believe in what I do, and if I don’t book a job it was never mine to begin with.
For me the most important thing is the opportunity. I’m okay if I get my chance to show you my interpretation of a character and it doesn’t match up with what production wants, because I did my job. It’s not being able to be seen for something I have a take on that is a hard pill to swallow.
I want the opportunity.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Very silly. They’re like POGs, except in twenty years no one is going to go walking through a thrift store and discover your NFT and have a moment of nostalgia. It’ll just be forgotten. I love physical media. I go through the junk drawers at my grandmother’s house all the time and find interesting little freebee’s from a time before me, and it transports me to a different time or it has the ability to provide me with some insight. Nobody’s grandchild is going to rummage through the attic in 2052 and pull out grandpa’s Macbook or an old external hard drive and be inspired by some clipart that can be found with a google search.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Our brains work differently. For better or worse creative brains are wired differently from others.
My partner works in medicine. Our brains are completely wired differently. If she sits down at a piano she can read sheet music and play the whole time how its written. I don’t have any formal experience with music, but I can find melody and play around and explore. If you asked me to do it her way it would be like pulling teeth, and if you asked her to do it my way she doesn’t know where to start. That’s not because she isn’t a good piano player, its because her brain reacts differently to music and creation than mine does.
It’s what makes my job interesting. I’m fascinated by the chance to approach a character who is completely different from me, find our similarities, and create an authentic representation of the aspects that are not outwardly present in myself.      

Contact Info:

• Website: www.calvinpicou.com
• Instagram: @calvinpicou
• Other: www.thearborcompany.com

Image Credits
Shawn Kelly and Omar Salas Zamora