Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ricardo Blagrove. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ricardo, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your creative career?

Being in the arts can be an all-encompassing life but I’ve learned the importance of finding my own safe space to nurture creativity and emotional well-being outside of the arts. Creating a balance between work and personal life is crucial, as is knowing when to take a break to recharge and maintain a healthy mindset.

Another important lesson I’ve learned is that it’s okay to fail at something; every misstep is a chance to learn and grow. I honestly think I’ve learned more from failing than succeeding.

Ricardo, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Ok, so I love telling this story.

As a kid, I always knew I wanted to be a singer/performer, what kind of singer/performer was to be determined but a singer/performer nonetheless. When I got to college I was studying to be a classical singer and in the middle of that, I found theater and acting. There was a theater company (ArtsCentric) rehearsing for their upcoming production of Dreamgirls (2005) at my college (Morgan State University) and I happened to be walking by their rehearsal with a friend.

I mentioned to my friend that it seemed like something I would be interested in doing, at which point my friend walks into the room and loudly said “My friend wants to be in your show”. Of course, I was mortified but the director of the show (Kevin McAllister ) walked up to me and asked “Can you sing?” which caught me off guard and my response was “What?”. He asked the question again, I said “yea, I can sing”. They auditioned me right there on the spot and here we are now many years later.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Sometimes we get it wrapped in our minds that perfection is the goal. Even now with this many years in the field, I sometimes fall back into that stance, it is a hard thought to undo. But in all honestly I’ve learned that Perfection WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

You can rehearse something many times, and it will feel different every single time. Either your voice will be in a different place than it was 5 minutes ago, or your emotion on a phrase may be different, or the other actor may make a different choice which makes you have to make a different choice than intended.

All those little things can seem like imperfection but it just means you’re living and breathing in the moment. Enjoy your ride, learn from the ride, but enjoy it.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

YES, the power of simply sending an email, and asking a question.

I have recently jumped into the world of directing on a more serious level. I have dabbled in directing from time to time but I never thought I would want to make a career out of it until the last 5 or so years. When I made that choice I leveraged sending emails and putting it out here that I wanted to learn.

A younger me would have been terrified to even write an email asking someone to mentor me. But after talking to other more prominent directors I realized that it was those mentorships that helped them. Most of which also started with them sending an email or asking to grab coffee.

And I know when we think of the word “resource” we think what books, websites, etc ALSO, but send that email friend, you do not know where it will lead.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: ricardobaritenor