We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Evan Black. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Evan below.
Alright, Evan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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?
The biggest risk I’ve taken is probably shared by many a freelancer – the risk of leaving a stable job to pursue my career in film. Before I knew I wanted to work in the film industry, I knew that the traditional career paths weren’t for me. I knew in my bones I wanted to do something creative and fluid. I stumbled into film through a group of friends who invited me onto a film set and after that first day I felt truly alive, like I had found the place I was supposed to be. After about two years of working on film sets in between other jobs, I finally felt it was the right time for me to take that leap into full freelance. This was not a smooth transition as I quit my previous employment in February of 2020, experiencing one great month of work before the covid lockdown began. However, I stayed the course and worked where I could, continued to hone my skills and expand my portfolio, and I can absolutely say that the risk has been well worth the reward. Everyday I wake up and get to work on bringing a story to life through my own designs is absolutely worth the hardships, financial worry, and times of doubt and imposter syndrome. I don’t buy into the notion that humans are meant to work meaninglessly just to survive – I truly do believe that our work should feel exciting, scary, and purposeful.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a Production Designer and Set Decorator working in the Film & Television industry. I have been working as a designer for five years now, and worked in every genre from commericals to music videos and feature films. A Production Designer is the person who heads up the Art Department and who creates the overall mood, aesthetic, and design of the project. As a child, I was always drawn to the boundless worlds I saw created in the movies. Now, as an adult, I am the one who gets to create those worlds that I would have been so inspired by back then! Beyond the creative fulfillment I receive from my job, I believe the art of storytelling is so important. It’s important for people to share their stories, and it’s important for everyone to see their own struggles and triumphs reflected on screen. As a LGBTQ+ designer, I strive to not only staff my department with queer creatives, but I actively search for those LGBTQ+ scripts and stories that need to be told. I feel it’s a duty of sorts to my community to fight for the most authentic and beautiful representation we can get, and I also see it as an honor that I am here, able to be myself with the success that I have, and standing on the shoulders of so many who fought before me so that I can continue that goal.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The biggest unlearning I have undergone is the lesson of failure. Although this is a constant struggle, I have had to come to terms with the self-conceived notion that to see mistakes in my work equals failure. That’s just not the case. The creative process is one of learning and unlearning, because with time and experience comes new inspiration, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. The work I created years back will never be failed work, it’s simply work I created at a point in my life where I had less tools for success. Now that I am older and wiser, I see that my work is scaling up exponentially. And I know there will come a time when I look back on this work and see flaws! But I figure that is the life of an artist, and instead of seeing flaws in my work, I can appreciate that everything I create is created with my best intention and best effort. If I continue to look through that lens, then I can never truly fail.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think that my tenacity and unwavering work ethic have been instrumental in me building a network. This industry can feel so daunting for someone who already feels behind the curve of those who received furthering education for film. But staying true to yourself, believing in what you do, and proving your worth to clients through your work is ultimately propelling you further than a college degree or choosing the “correct track” to get your foot in the door. Over a matter of years I watched myself grow from helping friends on no-budget commercial specs just for experience, to working with some world-renowned corporate clients, musical artists, and actors (some of whom were childhood heroes!). Five years ago I didn’t know a soul who worked in Hollywood, and I had no easy “in.” But I had a goal, and I had the drive it took to create something from nothing. I worked tirelessly, and still do, to get where I am at now. So I have to believe that with that sort of consistency, a good reputation will always follow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.evanvblack.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evanisthenewblack/
Image Credits
Rebeca Grant – Rebecca Grant Studios Mackenzie Breeden – Macks Films