We recently connected with Oscar Leonard and have shared our conversation below.

Oscar, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was young I was always more creatively inclined. I tried my hand at it all, but it became clear quite early that drawing and painting wasn’t perhaps the best route for me! I turned to performing at school and outside of it with London’s Rose Youth Theatre, which nurtured my passion for live performance. My grandfather was an amateur magician, he passed when I was too young to remember, but I did inherit his 1950’s magic props which ignited a fascination with the craft, one such fascination that never stopped!

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 started as a voice actor for commercials, teaching me vital skills in the professional industry. I trained as an actor for three years at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts graduating in 2022.

Alongside this, a fascination with psychology and mentalism, led me to developing my own show, which I am grateful to have taken to Virgin Voyages and performed as their resident magician onboard The Scarlet Lady.

I try to bring a level of transparency to my performance style, injecting humour and breaking the stereotype of the ‘serious, slightly intimidating magician’ that young me was totally scared of.

My new show follows themes of chance, coincidence, and the events in life that bring us all together, binding us all. Nodding as well to the specific individuals in my life whose non stop support let me make a living doing this crazy profession!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Theatre and live performance has been around for over 2,500 years, I feel at times we are losing connection to it. I’ve learnt some core things from watching theatre and think it is such an important art form, especially for the youth.

The accessibility of theatre is in quite a bad situation, the big shows cost a lot of money and is unfortunately unreachable for the majority of people, I hope this begins to change. That said, supporting local theatres, and fringe festivals is a great way to support creatives, some of the best theatre i’ve seen has been a cheap ticket to a show I randomly selected at a festival!

Also social media is a tool used by creatives that has become so vital to our self promotion, so showing support to your favourite artists on there is a fantastic way too support our craft!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Yes! Here are some books that influenced me hugely as an artist and a person!

The Creative Act – Rick Rubin – this book was a fantastic read, it doesn’t teach you to ‘be creative’ but more helps you harness the creativity that you already have, that everyone has. It is a must read for all artists.

Underland – Robert Macfarlane – this book is about the world, and all that exists, quite literally, underground, natural and unnatural. It offers a great perspective on the planet we live on and makes your jaw drop every five pages or so!

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain – George Saunders – this broke down the way stories are written and I find myself referencing it a lot when writing material.

Red Rising – Pierce Brown – not helped with my craft / career but is easily one of the best fiction books i’ve ever read, couldn’t not include it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.oscarleonardcreative.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscarleonardd?igsh=OWNmaWdzNGwzbnFp&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Jake Stewart, Nancy Luna Gutierrez and Andrew AB Photography