We were lucky to catch up with Mike Elder recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

In this moment I am content with where I am at it life and like most creatives, I do have a day job that is very much buttoned up.

That said, I often times think about – maybe even fanatisize, though I never actually consider doing it – the idea of moving somewhere exotic, say a tropical island or Manuel Antonio or a coastal spot in Thailand and just working a low stakes, clock-in, clock-out bartending gig.

To me there is something inherently relaxing about not having any serious responsibilites or deadlines or auditions. A simple routine that yet offers some form of spontaneity. I love the idea of living somewhere that people want to visit and getting to meet them, but also have conversations about who they are and what they do or find joy in,

It is endlessly fascinating to me, and now I am spiraling down this daydream yet again …

Mike, 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 got into the creative space later in life, and funnily enough in a unique way — mascoting. I was the mascot at my University and that really sparked it for me. I was always outgoing but never in a platform like that in front of so many others. After graduating, this led me to pursue improv comedy and then acting both of which I took an immediate liking to. I moved to Los Angeles to chase that feeling and have been here 10 years now.

I started my Box Angeles podcast the first year I was in Hollywood, because it was clear to me that there is no one size fits all way of finding success as a creative. You can start young or you can start in retirement. You may have come from a classically trained theatre background or you may have started as a mime in an after school program. There is no right or wrong way and there is a path for everyone and anyone.

I love doing my podcast too, because people’s personal journeys were and still are captivating to me. We all have a story to tell, and a biography that is interesting. I try to host it in a way that captures what makes this person unique and special, while also teasing out the information that is helpful for the listener.

I’ve since done over 300 episodes and have interviewed some incredible actors, writers, directors, comedians and casting directors, all different conversations with their own insights to be gained for the listener (and for me). I love that fellow creatives are so willing with their time to sit down with me and share what they have learned.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

In general I tend to be drawn to hobbies that rely on being mindful of the present moment.

I golf a lot and when you are out on the course, you can’t think about the last shot, good or bad, all you have is this one in front of you. Hole 17 doesn’t care that you birdied Hole 16. Your 7 iron doesn’t care that you duffed your driver. You lock in on the club in hand and the ball where it is at in this moment.

I recently got back into yoga and I can’t do a flow without focusing all my attention on the instructor and listening to what they are saying now, I would collapse into a mangle of limbs on the floor if my thoughts were elsewhere.

I love plants and you can’t just expect to water them on a regular cadence for them to thrive, you have to meet them where they are at now. Are the leafs browning? Are they reaching tall? Are they dry? You need to really be atune to their present needs and curious with solutions of how you can help.

Being creative, acting specifcially, is absolutely all of this.

You can’t worry about your last audition or class or gig, you literally have to put it out of your mind. And it sucks you couldn’t find parking a bit ago and your mom was rude to you on that call … All that matters is this one — the audition you are at now, the self tape you are filming currently, the scene you are putting up in class at this moment. It’s you listening to your reader or scene partner and having the awareness of what is needed from you at this second.

I find that to be the most rewarding part, intentionally and curiously paying attention to the moment, to the now,

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think everyone needs to step back from the idea that we need to be productive at all times. I’ve wrestled a lot with that idea myself.

We put the word “should” in a lot of places it doens’t belong. For whatever reason it has become engrained in us that we have to be busy and I don’t find it to be a healthy way to live.

We don’t need to be constantly monetizing everything, we don’t need to regularly be getting clicks and subscribers.

It’s okay to rest. It’s okay to priortize grabbing a coffee with a friend.

I find the most joy in creative things I have done because I am inspired to do them, not because I am suppose to or guilted myself into it.

Stop the shoulds and follow what makes you happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://boxangeles.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boxangeles
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeboxelder/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/boxangeles
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@boxangeles