Meet Calvin Clausell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Calvin Clausell.

Calvin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
With both my parents being from really tough areas in Compton and South Central LA, they wanted to make sure my older sister and I wouldn’t have to go through the same turmoils they did so we moved to Orange County, CA. Most people think being so close to LA your whole life is like the dream when it comes to pursuing acting, but I never really grew up with a desire to act.

I thought you had to go to Juilliard and look like Leonardo Dicaprio in order to make it. But I can say I’ve always been an artist, I drew anything I could see growing up. I played sports like track and field and Football the majority of my life as well. Truly loving both but never really fulfilled my potential in either. Looking back now I know I just didn’t have the realization that they could actually come true at the time.

After high school, I went to a community college for a few years and dropped that to become an EMT. Working for a 911 response company in downtown LA, which became one of the turning points for me. I became exposed to a much harsher part of life that I hadn’t seen before and saw things on a daily that stays shielded from our everyday lives.
After a year of witnessing the heavier realities of the world, I quit and randomly became a server while feeling more lost than ever. Through that confusion my world changed again when I was 25, I started reading and traveling. I took a solo trip across the country and experienced nature for the first time up north at Big Sur. I read books like “The Artist’s Way” and “Think and Grow Rich.” Before then I had never really read so that first year I read around 60 books and got addicted to learning, which in turn got me to expand my creativity and vision.

From then, I slowly got the courage to realize my dreams which was painting and acting. Pursuing them one step at a time, I started taking acting classes and got an agent. While also evolving as an Artist, trying different mediums with oil paints, I began getting my work into showcases and galleries. Most recently doing a “Black Jesus” painting for rap legend “The Game.” And four years after taking that leap and signing up for my first acting class, with persistence, I got my first official acting credit. Which is a recurring role on Season 3 of the best show on television! Snowfall on FX. While everything is still so new to me, as I look back on how I’ve gotten here, it makes me appreciate this present moment and even more hungry for what’s to come.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been far from a smooth road for me. I’ve had major ups and downs since deciding to go after this whole heartedly. It’s like once you make a decision on what it is you truly want, the universe starts to test you on different levels to see how true that desire is to your heart. I’ve spent years driving back and forth from OC to LA, which could be 2 hours or more at times with traffic, for countless 30 second auditions. I’ve lost an apartment because I wasn’t able to pay rent, slept on friend’s couches, slept in my car. I’ve worked as a server for just about every type of restaurant you could think of, from fine dining to a cafe. And every time I would book something that payed me enough to buy me some time to not have to work for someone else, I’d quit and go all in all over again. I’ve always believed I owe it to myself to give 100 percent to myself. Each time getting me closer to where I am today.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
The benefit to being an artist is that I am my business, I am my brand. Wherever I go, my talents come with me. I’ve been drawing my whole life and oil painting for around five years now. This past year I’ve raised the bar on my paintings and the quality of my brand immensely. I specialize in large scale, oil on wood panel realism paintings. And what set’s me apart from anyone else is the fact that I am 100 percent authentically me, so no one can do what I do. I’m constantly challenging myself as a person as well as an artist, so my work grows and evolves with me. I paint what truly inspires me and what I feel. And as I grow and expand in the acting world, I have a vision thats manifesting of bringing the two of my passions together.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I honestly wouldn’t do anything different. I’m proud of who I’ve had to become in order to get to where I am. I believe that everything that happens in our lives is happening for us, not to us. And if our intention and desire is pure, everything that happens in our lives will guide us to that highest version of ourselves. I personally think the hardest thing for us to learn is how to get out of our own way. And I also think the answer to that is simple, trust the process. I’m far from perfect so sometimes I struggle with taking my own advice, but every day is a blessing and another opportunity to grow.

Pricing:

• Beyonce (Original) 36×48 Oil on Panel – $3,800.00
• Kodak Nip (Original) 36×48 Oil on Panel-$3,500.00
• Hollywood Cole (Original) 36×48 Oil on Panel- $2,500.00

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.calvinclauselljr.com
• Phone: 562-773-5420
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calvinclauselljr/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/calvinclausell

Image Credit:
Isaiah John

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