We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ezekiel Clare. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ezekiel below.

Ezekiel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was Ghetto Alchemy: A Lunchroom Survival Guide which was a one person show at The Tank. It’s a concert-play created by a good friend of mine (Maleek Rae) from Purchase College, so the foundation of our collaboration already had deep roots. In short, it’s a queer afro-futurist coming of age story that is channeled through multiple versions of Maleek. It’s a Sankofa offering. This show means a lot to me because it’s the first show I set designed where I felt completely seen as a trans person. This show was made by black queer folk for black queer folk and so to have the opportunity to create that safe space was everything. That has and always will be the dream. My goal as a set designer is to create a space that doesn’t feel separated from the people inhabiting and witnessing the space and I feel as though we achieved that with this beautiful tender show.

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 have always been an artist ever since childhood and I have had the blessing to spiritually stay as that artist, so for me my life/artistry is about maintaining that childlike wonder and curiosity. I love asking questions and exploring them despite knowing that I won’t get an answer. It took me forever to understand that isn’t about getting to the answer, but more so the journey and process that it takes to investigate. The art that comes from that process is just another question. An offering.
I started photographing when I was little, just taking random photos of central park with my mother. Over time this grew into me pursuing filmmaking in high school while studying theater. I created shorts with my friends that truthfully acted as therapy for me. This then led to me studying the craft in undergrad at SUNY Purchase where I received my BFA. During my last two years/the pandemic I started to understand that I want to be more involved with the spaces I was capturing and that led to set design. I felt as though I understood how to witness and then capture what I was witnessing, so the next step for me was to be more hands on with the space, not just a witness to the space. Since then and now, I’ve designed 9 shows and am currently entering my second year in grad school at Tisch for set design. I think I have been able to reach these milestones because of deep listening. Listening to what my heart tells me, witnessing the world in front of me which means trusting the love I have and the love that is given to me by friends, fellow creators and mentors. It took me awhile to understand what “trust the process” meant and I think it’s because it isn’t something you do. but feel. What is understood doesn’t need to be said.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn chasing to be “the best” at the craft I’m doing. That was a huge battle for me as a teenager/rising adult. To have that as a goal was getting in the way because I began to not feel the fun of the art I was doing because it wasn’t perfect or it wasn’t doing what I thought I wanted it to do. I think it is much better to take it as it is and to let yourself be. The goal of being the best is an impossible and immeasurable goal and stops true progression. Letting myself and my art be is one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I am what I am.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Finding my world in my work. Seeing the love I gave and received in the work. The feeling of impermanence and being okay with that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://justeclare.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ezekiel.theadult/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezekiel-clare-0396a51a9/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQMOcrp5DuLitGc–q7RvPA