Meet Kevin A. Wilson

We were lucky to catch up with Kevin A. Wilson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin A., we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

Firstly I feel that preparation is a key to your confidence. If you spend a great deal of time preparing for every aspect of your endeavor I guarantee that the outcomes will be favorable. Even if the outcome is not what you wanted you can still take the experience you gained when preparing to your next move. Preparation for possible outcomes allows you to learn exponentially and handle adversity when it arises. I feel, that when we look at the most confident people on earth they aren’t superhuman but what we are seeing is someone who practices a high-level of preparation in their lives. Filmmaking and playing sports have taught me this invaluable lesson. Thorough preparation has allowed me to handle obstacles and problems calmly, without worry, and give me the foresight to see solutions.

My confidence and self-esteem stem from a desire to preserve myself. I believe that the preservation of your individuality is important not only to the everyday person but especially to artists. Starting from a young age we are constantly bombarded with new information and experiences (good or bad) that influence who we are and what we become. Thus this affects the things that we create and the people we influence. But in order to build self-esteem we must push back against these forces.

My philosophy, which actually began at a young age and matured as an adult, was to pose a challenge against these experiences. This means learning to walk my own path and follow my “gut”. It’s less about being the most confident in the room and more about trusting my intuition fully. I found that always doing what you want without the influence of others leads to a more fulfilling life. As a result of this others will intrinsically be attracted to you. On the outside looking in this is what we see as confidence. It’s the will to take a step towards your goals and dreams despite the influence around you.

The important thing is to put your best foot forward in the decisions you make for yourself. Another is to have faith. Most people say they have faith whether religious or otherwise but mostly I find it to be superficial. Real faith is having the courage to walk the path outlined for you not someone else’s, with utmost authority. This can easily be wavered by our desire to fit in or be part of a group. You need to want more for yourself and for the people you care about. This is what will make you a confident leader. Frequently, we discard what makes us who we are because it’s comfortable. There’s a tendency to seek safety in certain groups/denominations that may support us and reinforce our natures, but we must have the ability to maintain what makes us unique.

Truth is, everyone experiences doubt and uncertainty as it is part of the human condition. I was bullied as a child which led to numerous self-esteem issues. But I accepted who I was and I had faith that there were better times ahead as long as I worked toward them. This even meant doing one hundred push-ups a day as a kid or studying filmmaking videos as an adult. At every step, I accepted my level, my faults, my strengths, and my desires and I focused on them.

Personally, I took inspiration from all the characters in movies, television, and cartoons that displayed this very vigor. What makes heroes are the challenges they face and their ability to overcome those mostly by maintaining what they feel is right and not what others feel is right for them. It becomes more of a state of being than one of wanting. This mindset allows me to step into a room with any level of person and compete and thrive. Once you start “being” what you want, then you will be living in your confidence, yet the first step in that equation is acceptance of self.

“When it seems that the weight of the universe is pushing against you….push back”

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My main focus is may career in the film/television industry. On the film side, I am an independent filmmaker here in Houston, Texas. Primarily I enjoy the journey of my artistic life. I have goals of not only making high-budget movies one day but also bringing or developing new forms of entertainment. For my projects, I like to expand the minds of the people who digest my content but I also strive to keep sacred the core of what makes this whole industry tick, which is the goal to entertain and have fun. Movies were an escape for me and I want to continue to share that experience. Whether this is music videos, films, podcasts, or animation I try to weave this influence in. I am still developing my particular style and I hope to find like-minded individuals that share this dream.

Professionally I work in television as well as a part of the NASA team. Here we work directly on anything space station related helping support the astronauts in space by bringing what they do to television and media platforms back on Earth. They do important work and a lot of my focus is dedicated to there making sure I learn and develop as a television producer.

Other than that my goals are to complete a short and continue to create film/music videos and also develop a podcast/media network.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Preparation, Expansion of Consumption, and Perspective.

I think it’s important for people regardless of who you are or what you do to prepare for your field. This means consuming knowledge outside its conventional areas. This is very prevalent in younger kids and with college-level adults. My advice is that when you decide to go into a particular field, especially artistic ones, start immediately in your practice regardless of level. This will add to your preparation for when it comes time to get a job or start your career.

As an artist, I found it beneficial to consume a lot of stories. Regardless of what you’re doing digesting a variety of work will make you more of a well-rounded artist and expand your artistic vocabulary. This will also help you get over creative blocks.

Perspective is also important because the vastness of stories available to you will increase exponentially. There’s are countless number of perspectives to tell your art through and will help you analyze and incorporate your ideas more effectively. In real-world application it will help you asses your level and allow you to see what you need to improve and work one in yourself.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

The type of people I look for are ones who have incredible work ethic and have a personal drive above all else. This is a level of honesty that makes people a joy to work with. Many times you will encounter people who won’t put their full energy into collaboration due to the product not being popular or “big” enough. But people who understand that no matter what level there are still lessons to be learned are who I want to associate with. People, who want to upset any kind of established order and create something new with enterprising ideas are extremely attractive to me. Passion is something that I am big on and I would like to hear and see more from passionate people. I feel this would be in tandem with people who analyze the small details and will drive me to create better work. I like to work with people that push me and wouldn’t mind me pushing them back.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: kev_co

Image Credits

Image 1. Conner and Estheysis, Wedding

Image 2: Tyana Rawls, ‘She’s Cold’ Music Video

Image 3. Abbey Schoening, ‘Abbey’ Documentary

Image 4: Reyna Janelle, ‘Muses’ Concept Video

Image 5: Mandi Sellers, ‘Siphon’ Concept Music Video

Image 6: Brandon Goss, ‘All the Feels’ Fashion Promo

Image 7: Madison Murrah, ‘Captain Marvel’ Cosplay Video

Image 8: Monica Gomezcu, ‘Pas Deux Points’ Artistic Charity Video