We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sean Boyle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sean, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve been extremely lucky to have had such selfless, supportive parents. The two of them constantly encouraged me to follow my own path, try new things and dedicate myself to whatever I chose to accomplish

Sean, 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?

Since my single digits, I’ve been interested in Halloween, Animation, Puppetry, Stop-Motion and Movie Magic. Growing up in the 90s, my parents were constantly calling me into the living room to watch “Behind The Scenes” TV shows or movie featurettes on how Special FX makeup was applied, animatronics were built, or miniature sets were created for countless Fantasy, Horror, or Sci-Fi blockbusters. Films like HOOK, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Back To The Future were some of the earliest seeds planted that sparked my interest in it all!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Absolutely! Life is all about making sacrifices, but to never lose your drive- Artists understand this better than anyone! So many, many times us folks have to pause, or come to a complete STOP on our dreams to keep roofs over our heads. The sad fact that many jobs on your journey lack the creative outlets needed to keep us happy, but are what’s necessary to make ends meet. So long as you utilize your free time and weekends for your craft, you’ll continue to stay engaged and energized. Passions rarely feel like hard work, and because of this, we’re constantly honing our skills, learning new things, and expanding our portfolios. Sooner or later, you WILL make your connections, you WILL be admired for your talents, and you WILL be proud of your accomplishments!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Cleaning out dangerous and dirty buildings top to bottom tearing up from frustration and feelings of failure! I had graduated from Pittsburgh’s Art Institute five years at this point, and was working well-paying, but soul-eroding part-times. I never wanted to lose sight of my goal. To move to a better city, and find work in my field. I would(and still do!) second guess myself, doubt my choices in committing to a career in The Arts, and am so very, very glad that I kept pushing forward!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @WestonPeece
• Other: My additional INSTAGRAM accounts can be found at @SomethingWickedThisWayStrums and @FantasticTerrorsPoeShow

Image Credits
“Playing Poe” photo by me “Step Right Up!” photo by @AmandaLAPhotography “You’ll Grow Out of It…” photo by @prex49 “Red Death Puppet” photo by me