We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephen Wilkes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephen below.

Stephen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I was encouraged by my parents to pursue an artistic path from a very early age. My mother would brag that my drawings of Superman were full-bodied while other kids my age were still drawing stick figures. Both of my parent were supportive of my artistic endeavors. My father was an architectural designer/bass guitarist, and my mother worked in the government, also possessing an amazing singing voice. Music, creativity, and the arts were a big part of my life growing up.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My creative endeavors took me many places and remind me, to this day, to be open-minded. As a kid, I did puppet shows, drew pictures, made comics, and wrote parody songs with my friends. As a young man, I leaned heavily into graphic design and advertising. In college, shortly after the death of my father, I found a new outlet through Hip-Hop. Eventually, I found my way to fitness, creative expression through martial arts, and writing independent films with my martial arts instructor. All of these works were connected as a form of creative expression.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Be open-minded and seek out new endeavors. Mainstream media is a powerful force that will convince you that the only art being made is on TV, in major movies, or on the radio. This is false. Your local community, independent websites, churches, small businesses, and conventions carry the keys to your next big interest if you dig a little deeper and work to discover new experiences.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Creativity is like flowing water that carries different ideas upstream. These streams of thought will manifest in many different ways if you open yourself to new experiences and stay consistent. You can’t box your way of thinking into a medium, genre of music, and specific style right away. We create first and categorize later. You really can put your mind to anything if you work hard for it.

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