We had the good fortune of connecting with Archer McKnight and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Archer, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I knew I needed an outlet for my self expression. Living my life and denying myself my emotional and creative expressions began to feel like a weight dragging me down by my neck. Eventually, I had to commit to a creative life. I would’ve become a shell of myself if I never pursued art.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m an actor, some might even say a good one. I’ve been described as a contained mess given my penchant for infusing my characters with some sort of strange mannerism or psychosis. I’m not really sure how I feel about that information since all I’m ever trying to play is an honest version of myself in a fictitious circumstance, but I choose to take it as a compliment.

If I were to give myself any particular praise, it’d be that I’ve stuck with this acting pursuit. I’ve built my credits little by little, which is not an easy thing to do. There are times I need to slow down, but I never stop, despite some of the inevitable creative burnout that comes along.

As for what I’m excited about? I’m trying to get more involved in the machinery of it all. I want to develop a community of creative friends where we work on projects together. I feel like with acting, filmmaking in general, the secret to longevity is embracing the entire scope of the filmmaking process, getting involved in every facet of it. What better than to do that with friends? So the possibility of that really does excite and engage me.

The thing is, creative pursuits, acting in my case, are rarely easy, and certainly not straightforward. Devoting honest time to your creativity takes a lot of energy, energy that may already be low due to the demands of everyday life, day jobs, etc. The key to overcoming any of this, though, in my opinion, is to just keep going in whatever capacity you can. Somedays you’ll be good to go hours and other days you’ll only be able to give 5 minutes, but as long as you give something… that’s what matters. Therefore, consistency should be an everyday thing, but not necessarily the same amount every day.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many things to do in LA, which is what makes this city so cool and vibrant. If a friend or family member visited me for a week, my itinerary would be thus:

Day 1: Santa Monica Pier and 3rd Street Promenade. Easy one!

Day 2: Griffith Park hike, observatory visit (cause it’s free), and then maybe a ride along through Burbank where we’d drive past the movie studios. A stop at Coffee Commissary would be in order as well.

Day 3: Universal! We’d get there in the morning and stay all day until we went to see a movie at the AMC that’s attached to the theme park.

Day 4: Chill/recovery day walking around The Grove and the Academy Museum.

Day 5: Sporting event. Doesn’t matter the sport and it doesn’t matter where the seats are.

Day 6: Take in a show at The Hollywood Bowl or The Greek. Ideally stand-up, but a concert would be perfect, too… perhaps a Hans Zimmer or John Williams orchestra show.

Day 7: Early morning walk around Culver City stopping off at Blue Bottle Coffee for a ridiculously overpriced pour over. Then off to the airport.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My buddy Arthur for being a great friend in LA.

My buddy Steven for being a creative ally.

Ultimate Performance for being my supportive and steady day job.

Ivana Chubbuck Studios for gifting me with a great acting community.

My family for constantly doubting me and my acting, thus, giving me endless motivation to prove them wrong! That’s a joke… they’re actually quite encouraging.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9067962/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_2_nm_6_q_archer%2520mck

Instagram: archer.mcknight

Facebook: Archer McKnight

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