We were lucky to catch up with Kenny Calderon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kenny, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

One of the things my dad taught me as a kid, was to never pigeon hole yourself into knowing or doing a single thing. If you can diversify your skill set, you’ll never be broke, he said. Very wise words. As an adult I could see exactly what he was referring to when he said that to me as a pre-teen. And it’s that same principle that I apply to my work. Being versed in different styles and creative disciplines keeps my my name & brand in the social consciousnesses. A career in art always seems far fetched for most. But here are some methods that have helped me a great deal in my field.

Remaining a student of your craft. If you stop learning new things, new techniques, new ways to present your work, you can get left behind in the changing landscape. To that, I’ve made it a point to develop the ability to work in a wide range of styles, and media in both digital and traditional formats. This will widen the range of potential clients looking for one or more of services you could provide. For example, one of working relationships of more than 20 years is with a clothing brand owner. I do a lot of his graphics for t-shirts. It used to be that I would only illustrate the graphics by hand. In turn the owner would task someone else to digitize the work in preparation for the garments. To cut out the middle man and facilitate the process, I taught myself to work digitally. Smoothing out the production process as a result.

The second, maintaining a great reputation.’ Word of mouth’ travels fast, and in the creative industry, you’re only as good as the last job. So treat every client, like a big client. Deliver your work on time and at a high level of quality. Consistency is important. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been hired by several authors and creators to illustrate their books. A lot of that work has come by way of referrals.

The third, networking. I am very active in the convention circuit and live stream on social media whenever possible. Having an online presence helps however, you’re not just selling your services, you’re selling yourself. It’s more likely that you’ll have repeat business if your client can connect or develop a rapport with you. At conventions, you can always find me drawing or painting at my booth. That serves as a Live demonstration of some of my capabilities, leading to a conversation about anything from pop culture fandom to be commissioned for a mural, a logo, etc.

And finally, mentorship. Teaching up and comers how to further their career path and avoid common mistakes is extremely valuable. As someone who also teaches, art, I make myself available to my students as not just an instructor, but as a coach that they can reach out to anytime.

To sum it up, the key is diversity. Having multiple revenue streams is what makes earning a full-time living as an artist, a rewarding and fulfilling possibility for anyone who wants it bad enough.

Kenny, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a native New Yorker, raised in Far Rockaway, Queens born to Puerto Rican parents. I moved to south Florida in 2002. I’m a self-taught artist with influences rooted in street art, manga and american comics & cartoons. I grew up admiring the works of guys like Leonardo DaVinci, Scott Williams, Marc Silvestri, Frank Miller, George Perez, Kentaro Miura, Akira Toriyama, and Tetsuo Hara

After moving to south florida, my first relatively high profile work, was some album art that I composed for a group of musicians signed to Sony. It started with some logos and then some character art. It was around that time that I decided to make my art a side hustle, doing small commissions here and there. I’d design flashes for local tattoo shops, I did graphics for tee shirt brands, and designed art for restaurant menus. In 2009, wanted to get into comics. The medium has always been my first love, creatively. So I started “Wild Inx Studioz” to be the production brand, housing all of the original intellectual property I’d produce.

Since then, I’m very proud to say that I’ve had the pleasure of illustrating several book covers in both comics and novels, penciled and inked, comic interiors, as well as, illustrated two children’s books. I am very appreciative to of the writers whom entrusted me with their work. Among them, writer Phillip McCall aka Cathalson on his “Grace Flynn: The Crimson Scarver” series. Publisher, Creature Entertainment, on several variant covers to their “TOMMY” series and most recently “AWP: Chronicles of Shara Milase” written and created by Kieth Wade. Variant cover credits on “Tragedy”, “The Dynamics”, “Poppa” by Phillip Russertt. “Rainbows of the Heart” by Barbra Bibas-Montero and “Ockee” by Ezra Pigatt. My latest works are featured in several original sketch card sets distributed by Upper Deck Trading Cards, under the Marvel Comics imprint and the upcoming 35th anniversary of “Puppet Master”, as well as the 40th anniversary “Transformers” sketch card sets from Dynamite Entertainment.
Counted among those accomplishments, are the large scale murals painted in the Miami’s art district during Art Basel in 2018 and 2 murals painted in Hialeah’s Bucky Dent park in 2021.

It is a common practice of mine to sit with every client and get a sense of their vision, so that I as the artist, can get as close as possible to said vision. If not above and beyond. My goal is to continue evolving as an artist. Continue challenging myself and leave behind a respected body of work as my legacy.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Seeing the growth in real time. It’s my personal mission to remain in a state of constant development. To always challenge that ‘art muscle’. I used to compare present day work to some of my older work to see how much I’ve improved. From years apart, I started making the comparisons a six months, then to a just few months apart. Seeing the changes, seeing how much better the art reads is very encouraging to any artist. However, by making those same comparisons, I’m able to see where I can improve.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think that one of the biggest things non-creatives will struggle with, is the myth of being born with ‘god given’ talent. That without it, art or creativity of any kind is unattainable. When in reality, very little of it is actual talent. It’s really repetition and muscle memory. You just have to put in the work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.behance.net/wildinx
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wild_inx_studioz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildInxStudioz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wildinx/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/wild_inx
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wild_inx_studioz
• Other: https://www.twitch.tv/WildInxStudioz