Life & Work with Cameron “Misfit” Graham

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron “Misfit” Graham.

Hi Cameron “Misfit”, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story… Let’s start from the top. I grew up an only child and was also a latchkey kid. So at a young age I learned independence and to be resourceful. My mom was a nurse, and she worked crazy hours, so she taught me how to start cooking roughly around the age of 6 or 7 and how to get myself to and from school. That alone, I would say is what really drove me in my teens and adulthood. My best friends outside of kids at my school and neighbors were the likes of Will Smith, Steve Urkel, Corey Matthews, Lucille Ball, Moesha, and pretty much anyone from TGIF and UPN. Television and movies were my outlet before dance got a hold of me. Since I could remember, being an entertainer was always the dream and dance was a plus. I even did plays and musicals before I went fully into the dance art form.

Fast forward to my teens when I started party dancing with my friends, I wanted to get better at dancing, at least in the streets. My older cousin Stepfonn Jr. would hype me up when I would move. He really encouraged me to do something with dance. During that time, “You Got Served” came out, and I was beyond inspired. Then… An unfortunate event happened, and my cousin passed away. Shortly after that, my mother and I moved to Missouri. Waynesville to be exact. While I finished high school out there, I kept dancing. Not necessarily for myself but for my cousin. I took it more serious. After graduating, I stuck with it and moved to Oklahoma City to learn in studios rather than just from music videos and YouTube (the beginning of YouTube).

Time skip! I began to make a name for myself in the midwest and parts of the south and east coast. Whether it was teaching workshops, hosting workshops, or traveling for dance events. I started a dance crew who to this day is near and dear to my heart: Band of Misfits. Some of the best artists that I know, who I also call my family. I eventually moved back to California and continued with teaching dance, performing, choreographing, still traveling the states to teach, and continuing to expand my dance family. Since my return I dove back into acting, my first love. I got myself into classes, projects, commercials, movies, etc. Now aside from acting and dance, I’ve become a writer and also a photographer.

Now, how I got here… To sum it up in one word: Resilience. I don’t know how to quit. With the odds stacked against me, I can’t help but keep swinging until I can’t anymore. My support system is crazy. With a mother who supports my love for the arts and wanting to make a dream a reality and many people I’ve met along the way, there isn’t anything I can’t do. They say it takes a village, but I feel like I have a whole empire that backs me. To anyone who reads this and you’ve been a support to me in any way, I say thank you!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have never experienced a smooth road. I’ve had struggles with self-sabotage, deaths in the family, and close friends passing as well. I received so many “No’s” to where I wondered if these art forms are what I should be involved with. Maybe I’m not supposed to achieve these dreams. But, resilience. To be honest, there was a point where I fell out of love with dance, and teaching became a job I had to do. One of the heaviest struggles was having to deal with the death of my Grandmother. She raised me right there with my mother. So, losing a parent like that really made life heavy. A few years later I lost someone I claimed as a younger brother to suicide. For a while, I was off my game. I lost my joy, but after working on myself and healing, I started to shift that energy back into my craft. I like where things are going now.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am in the visual arts realm! I am a dancer/choreographer, actor, writer, photographer, director, and professional Black guy. I’m more known for the dance aspect of my life, but as the years have gone by, I’m getting known to act and also my photography.

What am I most proud of? My growth as an artist. The work that I do, I take pride in because it is an extension of me.

What sets me apart from others? I tend to stay in my own lane and work on building my wave. Respect to any and everyone else who does what I do as well. But I don’t really try to stand out from others, I just do. What I see in my head and want to show the world, I do my absolute best to bring it to life. I’m aware there will sometimes be similarities out there, but you’ll spot the difference.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
How I was growing up is still who I am today. I’m a giant goofball with a wild imagination. I have a thing for accents and dialects, so I’m always talking like someone else. Don’t let me be around you long enough to adopt an impression of you! Mannerisms and all. I love food, and I love cooking. So, one of my biggest interests is cooking for friends or cast members when they perform with me in a showcase. Another big interest is traveling. One of my goals in life is to just fill up my passport book long before it expires. I love to dive into different cultures other than my own when I travel. I want to eat what the locals eat and do what they do. Never a tourist. I feel more at home when I travel.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/misfitwandering
• Facebook: facebook.com/wanderingmisfit
• Other: https://misfit-wandering.myshopify.com