We recently connected with Sharpo and have shared our conversation below.

Sharpo, appreciate you 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?

I have always lived the life of a performer. I have had very very few “day jobs” in my life. I am happy but more than that I am grateful to get to live life this way. It took decades of doing this before I came to understand a simple truth: You can have anything you want but you can’t have everything you want.” I live a simple life because I learned I had to choose. People with so called real jobs and such got to drive brand new cars and have freshly mowed yards. I chose the life of a performing artist and so I drove (and still drive) an old clunker. I park my jalopy on the streets of Beverly Hills and I get a ticket for littering. My house is the Malcolm in the Middle house with lots of deferred maintenance. But I don’t even notice because those things don’t really matter to me. Being a performer helped me define my values. I am so lucky to have found this art of magic. It makes me leap out of bed every day. I spend hours and hours working on my craft so I can share it with my audiences. I live to do this. My hope for the world is that people find something they can be this passionate about that makes them jump out of bed every day too. In the near future when the age of scarcity has faded into memory everyone will need to find something that makes their motor run.

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.

Here is my IMDB bio: Eric is an entertainer, actor, writer, producer, and a performing magician member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. He has played Hustlers, Priests, Cops, Convicts, School Principals, Nerds and even Aliens. His performances have been called dynamic and compelling. Eric has Co-Starred on such Prime-time Network Television programs including “Broad City”, “Star Trek Voyager”, “Wings”, and a recurring role as “Benny” on UPN’s “In The House” with LL Cool J, Debbie Allen, and Kim Wayans. Eric had a memorable cameo in the the 90’s blockbuster movie, “Liar Liar”, with Jim Carrey. He was featured in his famous mystery Detective role on KTLA Morning News with Allie MacKay.

Eric owns Sharpo!® Entertainment Productions. This Los Angeles based proprietorship specializes in interactive mystery, magic and comedy for events and streaming media.

As a teenager, Eric’s band “Eric & The Enterprise” performed locally in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Eric was vocalist and keyboardist. Eric and his younger brother, Douglas, were part of the band, Bandaido and the Any Surface Band, who played the legendary CBGB’s in New York City. At Brookdale Community College, Eric performed in the musicals, “Oklahoma!”, “Sweet Charity”, “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum”. Eric did many plays, including “Play It Again, Sam” at the Kobe Dinner Theatre in Lakewood, NJ ,which earned rave reviews from the Asbury Park Press. Eric revived the role again in 2009 at the Mirage Club at El Centro Naval Air Facility.

Eric’s studied with Drama Professor, J. Lawrence Lowenstein who encouraged Eric to move to New York and study. There he studied with accomplished TV director, Norman Hall. Eric then wrote wrote and played the lead role in the play, “Invasion Of The Oooogs” for Theater Excalibur in Tribecca and again at the Courtyard Playhouse in Greenwich Village. Eric got his SAG Card when Director, Spike Lee gave him a line in the film, Malcolm X.

Eric moved to L.A. in 1992 and now resides in the enchanting San Fernando Valley.

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I believe that the more we can be of service to others with our work…the more value we bring to others’ lives…the move we can inspire others, the richer our own lives become. What’s the saying? I helped a friend to the top of the nountain and found that I also arrived there. Something like that.

I believe that my purpose in life is to spread around some sunshine and make people laugh and have fun. That is it. I don’t care about fame or fortune because I know I am making a difference in other peoples’ lives right here and right now. If I could reach a wider audience it would be with my mission firmly rooted in my mind. There are far too many vanity projects in Hollywood. We should always remember that what we do we do for our fellow beings.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Many “Normies” think that because I am a bunch of laughs and fun in my shows, that in my off time I must love going out and doing stuff. BUT in reality I need a lot of time alone. I need to bottle up the energy to release it in the show. When I am not working I am a real homebody. I love a very quiet simple life. This is why actors have trailers. We need to recharge our batteries in between performances. I had a wonderful partner who had a hero job. ICU nurse. She was just the opposite. She was pulling several of those 12 hour shifts each week and on her days off she wanted to get out and have adventures. She needed it. She was cooped up in that hospital saving lives day in and day out. She needed to get out and live in between.

Me? Exact opposite. I was very fortunate to be performing at country clubs and at the Magic Castle and 5 star venues and on TV shows and Movie Sets, etc. Amazing adventures. when I was off I just wanted to be home. Kind of rough on a partnership.

Normies also sometimes do not understand the amount of non billable hours artists put in day after day. Learning, practicing, perfecting our craft. The old joke “It seems glamourous but…” is actually true for many performers. In reality it is very hard work and often the money is tight so we live very lean. Sometime our work is looked upon as play and is undervalued – except for those at the very top. We need to remember our value and how we can enrich and inspire others. During the pandemic, the world was divided into the disgusting designations of so called “essential” and “non-essential” workers. I had to remind myself daily that spreading happiness is essential!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The certainty that I made the right choice in my life gives me great satisfaction. As a child I was one of those misfits that was off beat and out of step. In those days the education system was still kind of operating on the notion of one size fits all and I just didn’t process the world that way. So I escaped into fantasy and (admittedly some delusional thinking,) but we often find our destiny on the path we take to avoid it. I have had the most wonderful journey. Let me throw another saying out there: You can only go halfway into the woods. I am halfway into the woods. I have been living my life this way for decades and I am grateful to God and my fellow human beings for the chance to live a very unique life and walk a very unique path. I have a keen awareness that not everyone gets to live out their fantasies. Life on life’s terms and all that but I encourage anyone who dares to dream to go for it. Life is short. Live it up. Choose the adventure. There is a divine hand that guides the courageous ones. I know with certainty that I am being the most useful I can be by living this way and choosing this work. That certainty kills fear. It kills worry and allows me to plunge headfirst into my craft. If you don’t know your purpose – do the soul searching. Listen to your intuition. Make a difference in someone else’s life and you will find your reason for being.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sharpo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharpo_magic/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/Sharpo
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erichowellsharp/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharpo
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/sharpo
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/sharpo_magic Thanks so much.

Image Credits
The last two photos were by Taylor Wong at the Close Up Gallery at the castle The others were phone grabs by me or friends.