We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joel Boyd. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joel below.
Hi Joel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
Yeah, of course. My mom & pops from a pretty early age showed us the value of community and bringing people together. They were pastors — our house was always the place people came to eat, get a listening ear, play games, pray, watch movies. We took in family and friends who didn’t have a place to go. I didn’t understand the lasting impact they were showing me until years later, but it’s something I now see is a talent of mine, I got from them. Making everybody feel included and not left out.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Absolutely. Most of the time I am writing scripts for television and film. I guess my family knew I was going to be some sort of creative, because as a pre-teen I would always steal my family’s camcorder to make movies with my friends all over the neighborhood on the north side of Milwaukee, WI. I didn’t know I was building years of guerilla filmmaking experience producing, writing, being on set. Doing screenings and putting on comedy shows. I still do those things to this day. I think what sets me apart is my desire to adapt my comedic voice to speak to a widespread audience. I try to put a little social consciousness, heart and playfulness into my work, and challenge social norms.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Man, this is a bit hard for me to talk about because I am still unlearning this… But I am unlearning to impress people. Like, needing approval and validation from external sources. I spent a lot of my youth looking for my family’s approval, peers, teachers, even strangers. Now—and this is a very recent discovery—I’m actively living a life in search of being proud of myself. Going to bed every day, being happy with what I did, not for anyone else’s happiness, but for my own. This change came from hitting a real depression. When you need approval from others, it’s this endless cycle of doing things just so someone else might go, “Oh I like him.” Or, “Oh, that person is cool.” But sooner or later you realize none of that actually matters. I have to be okay with myself, for me. No matter what anybody says.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Ya know, this is really important for me to say. Great art costs money. In a real way. We all need to stop devaluing a great artist at work. I think many people think great art should be free, or cheap. But it took me years to be able to write that script that fast. Or it took that singer years to be able to sing like that. I’ve seen countless talented people be underpaid, overworked. Or too shy to ask for what they’re worth. We are all worth more. Obviously we also have a spiritual value, that this world will never be able to materialize. But while we’re on earth, us as artists have to demand our own value, and take a page out of the book of Nipsey Hussle. Own yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.therealjoelboyd.com
- Instagram: @therealjoelboyd
- Facebook: facebook.com/therealjoelboyd
- Twitter: @therealjoelboyd
- Youtube: youtube.com/therealjoelboyd
Image Credits
Adam Holmgren, Leigha Wondergem, Alexis Cabrera, Kelly Dwyer