evan black
Evan Black, 28, Production Designer and Set Decorator
What is it about designing that makes you want to do it?
From a young age, I really gravitated to creating worlds – so designing and decorating for film is all of those creative factors built into one. I think having visual control on feature films is a really inspiring goal for myself.
Where do you get your faith from to keep creating?
Honestly, it’s the random, beautiful moments I have throughout the day that give me inspiration to create. I think this career and this industry can get really difficult, but when I look back on what I have produced, I’m reminded that I have done things that, at the time, I was really afraid to do. Not only did I push through that but I created something that I find really beautiful, so I know that I am going to have the ability to do that again and again and again.
What is your drive behind your work?
I think what drives me is there is no limit to what I can create and there is no limit to what sort of projects I can work on. So when new things come my way, it’s always a fresh story, and a fresh take on life. Nothing feels repetitive, and each new project I get to bring a new perspective to and push my own creative caliber.
What is your process like as a creative?
My process varies depending on what the work calls for. I have always been someone who struggles with self-discipline, so I am not someone who can just sit down and bang out work if I am not feeling it. So my process is that I need to really trust that when I am ready, I will create – which sometimes doesn't work with intense timelines. But ultimately I wait for inspiration to strike and I just need to trust that it will strike. And then when it does, everything just kind of flows after that. I think my best work has come from when I am feeling inspired as opposed to when I am trying to find inspiration. Typically inspiration will strike when I am taking in other people’s work. The best way to open your own creativity is to study the work of other people and ask yourself what you love about it, what would you change if you could? And then go do that.
What advice would you tell your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to stop stressing about it. I think I was so excited and anxious in my early years of film that I really allowed myself to get in my own way in creating. But now that I know I have the tools and the skills and knowledge, I would tell my younger self to just not stress about the process. Trust that you are going to get there because you have the talent.
What is your biggest failure as a creative and what do you think you have learned from that?
I think my biggest failure is getting down on myself. I think I’ve used comparison as a way to tear myself down. My biggest failure is that I’ve struggled to celebrate my victories. In this industry, you feel you must always be on your best game to get anywhere. But that’s not true – there’s so much growth and achievement that happens when you recognize where you need improvement, and you work towards that improvement. I haven’t allowed myself to sit in that space because I have a very large perfectionist streak. I think when you grow up in a family that doesn’t support you, even if they say that they do but their actions don’t show that they do, you become so hyper-critical of yourself. But relying too much on being perfect to bring you success and achievement is a big pitfall.
Why don’t you quit and what would you tell someone who wants to quit?
I don’t quit because I can't see myself doing anything else. I truly love my art form and the medium that I get to work in, even though this career path is truly challenging. I have always said my purpose in this life is to create beautiful things that bring people hope and some sense of belonging. I don't quit because this is the path that I see bringing me to my ultimate purpose. So if there are other people out there that feel similarly, I would say don’t quit because our calling is higher than our career. Beyond the day-to-day shit we so often see in the film industry, at the end of the day the community is built up by hundreds of thousands of people who feel the same way, where our purpose is to inspire and create stories that change people’s hearts and minds. We bring a lot of good to the world - we are called to do something greater than just to focus on what pays our bills. If it weren’t the film industry that called out to us, creatives like myself will always find an outlet to create.
What do you hope to create that will continue to repeat?
I hope to create an environment, a network, a community within my department that uplifts LGBT+ creatives. That is something that is really important to me and over these last few years I’ve really begun to understand that my niche is in queer cinema. That is something that found me in an organic, natural way and it feels like the avenue I can make the most change. Something I want to create and repeat is always bring my queer creatives up with me. Because I think our voices and experiences are so valuable and they give us an authentic approach to creating and I think Hollywood needs more gays. (laughs)
What are you on the verge of?
I really feel I am on the verge of breaking through into the next level of my career and all I can do is just continue to manifest that. I feel like I have laid the groundwork so well and I really feel that my time is coming. The projects that I need to be on are coming for me so all I can do right now is prepare myself and continue the good work.