Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt “TK” Devine.
Matt “TK”, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Let’s start off by talking business. Tell us a little about what you do. What should we know about your work?
Absolutely. I guess I’d call myself a multi-modal creative, which is another way to say I dabble in many creative forms. As a filmmaker. Writer. Performer. Host. Educator. Builder. Public speaker. Alternative and affordable housing advocate? Permaculturalist, a little? Inventor, even? I never cared to tie myself to any single identity label —which is not always easy in a fast-paced place like Los Angeles. People tend to want a succinct, comprehensible kind of way to understand what you do. But the dynamic thing suits me.
I guess you could say I’m a storyteller drawn to novel, deeply effective pursuits. I like to take what many perceive as messy and make it clean. Or “accessible” is a better term. Inviting. Call me a… perception rehab artist. Yeah, I can get down with that. (laughs)
I’m working most right now in film. And I’ve applied that motif to my screen projects. My feature film, Red Earth (a 64-minute sci-fi that Matt produced and starred in), got a jury award for cinematography at this year’s Atlanta Film Festival. We made that film for $10 grand. And that’s an Oscar-qualifying fest! Another shot of mine, The Unknown Depths, was borne out of a really messy emotional experience. It’s a beautiful film making the festival circuit now. It just won an award at Houston’s WorldFest, which is one of the country’s oldest festivals. And I’m shopping around a pilot for a reality series, Who Wants to Be a Millennial? featuring folks turning lifestyle hardship into the championship. It’s light and aspirational. And funny, I hope. Kind of a Parts Unknown—meets—Dirty Jobs thing going on. Just premiered at the Chinese Theater as an official selection with Dances With Films. That’s my biggest project. More episodes coming online. Sky’s the limit with that one. So yeah, the work is starting to get recognized. Which is incredibly humbling.
A perception rehab artist… it’s something I do outside of film, too. Half my wardrobe is thrifted. The inside of my truck’s camper shell is a little climber’s cabin. Oh, and the most obvious one! The porta-potty! Yeah as part of my housing advocacy effort, I took one of those wheelchair-accessible ones—the porta-potties—and retrofitted it into a tiny house. Man, that got a lot of attention for the movement. And my first patent. Super provocative. Effective too —shoot, it helped get the tiny home law passed. One of the many dominoes in that chain. And totally part of that artistic perspective.
Right now, I live most of the year in my DIY tiny home on a property in the Valley that’s like that, too. (Matt spends his summers at his Santa Monica home, where the heat’s a bit more bearable.) What I mean is the property used to be used for illegal RV storage. It was a total dump. But I’ve been working with a friend, Tony, to transform that land into a food forest. Started in 2018. It’s night and day now. Grow space increased by 400%. Natural shade by 250%. Dozens of veggies to pick. Fruits. Native trees. We’re a hub for a local composting nonprofit. Perception rehab, man. I guess it’s a lifestyle, too.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit. Where does your story begin?
I’m just a small-town kid from Florida. Wanted to live a fulfilling, creative life. Felt stuck in my hometown. So I fled, man. I got out. Moved north to Chicago before coming out here. Took some scenic routes and dead-end turns. History teacher. Improv comedy performer. Commercial actor. Got a grad degree at a fancy school. Some student loans. Gotta love those.
I’ve lived in LA for 13 years now. It’s about my anniversary actually. But yeah, lots of winding alleyways to the present. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth? (laughs) Nooo, not by any stretch. The artist’s journey is a beast. I moved here after some success in the Chicago entertainment scene. It was rough out there. Finances were tight. I was working a 9-5 at the time. Ended up moving into my office. Sneaking around, sleeping behind my desk. First for a month. Then two. Pretty soon, it was a year.
What’s funny is—that experience? Completely transformed my life for the better. See, I was writing a blog (The Office Hobo) about it at the time. My little secret life. The housing crisis. America’s obsession with overconsumption. You know, light reading. (laughs) Anyway, it kind of became a thing. I got asked to write for LA Weekly. Salon. Suddenly I was doing interviews for German magazines. Spanish-language radio. TV spots. Taking meetings at Sony. Giving talks at minimalist festivals around the country. Getting invited to the Mayor’s house, advocating for homeless college kids. Going to City Hall to pass a law legalizing tiny homes in LA. It was wild.
Point is, times were tough, but I didn’t give up. I stuck to it, worked my tail off, and did what I believed in. Took it day by day. Eventually, I started being able to put my ideas into action. Isn’t that all any of us can ask for?
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Mentors are everywhere. Everybody’s a teacher if you keep the mindset of being a lifelong student. Most of the leaders I admire have that philosophy of perpetual pupil-ship. Is that a word? Can we make it one? (laughs)
Seriously though, I think if you maintain a growth mindset, you not only guarantee continued progress in whatever you want to learn, you make yourself more accessible to others along the way. Both mentors and mentees. Big and small. I work with one guy who’s getting into commercial real estate. And another woman who’s into trading. Neither are my fields. Nor are they my mentors. We’re just cool. Normal friends or whatever. But I’m always mining them for information. And I think it’s an even exchange because I can tell sometimes they’re gaining creative or relational input from me. At least, that’s the way it should be.
It’s all about being open. And having faith. In yourself and others. Your ideas. Which takes a lot of work, a ton of work. Much more than people think. Emotional. Spiritual. Whatever stuff you’ve got, deep down, that’s in your way. You’ve got to clear that. Otherwise, it drags you down. People sense that. Everyone can be uplifted in some way at some time. Everyone. Wake up every morning and work your tail off to try to be that. Doesn’t work right away or every day. But eventually, overall? You’ll be in an orbit of awesomeness.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.devinediaries.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devine_diaries/?hl=en
- Youtube: @TKDevineDiaries https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw2crq48Gwkr9aSfiravulA/?themeRefresh=1
Image Credits
Christopher Free Dalton Gaudin Mark Goodman Dustin McWethy Gabe Smith
