Today we’d like to introduce you to Cale Potts.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Moving from a rural town in Oklahoma with a class of 32 students to one of the fastest growing cities in the nation was a drastic change in my 8th grade life. Fortunately enough, I quickly found an outlet at my school in Frisco. I had never used a Mac computer until that day, and I was hooked. My broadcast class is where I learned to record and edit video, and throughout middle and high school, I continued to develop that skill, along with a little bit of graphic design. My mom always wanted me to be a doctor, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, so I was just like, “yeah, I guess I’ll be a doctor, you can’t really make money doing art.”
I took my first science class in college and was like, “okay, I’m not going to be a doctor.” I still had no idea what I wanted to do, but my dad always told me to “do what you love,” so I decided to take some video classes. Sadly, at Oklahoma State, the only video classes they really offered were multimedia journalism – which pretty much meant sports or news. And I hated both. I still took the classes anyway, but still didn’t technically declare a major. It was the end of my Freshman year at a party where I finally figured out what I wanted to do. This super cool hipster girl was showing me her records and I saw this giant book with sketches, printed out designs, ideas, and more. I asked her what that was, and she told me it was her process design book for graphic design. Then, she showed me a title sequence video she edited for her motion graphics design class and I immediately knew I wanted to do that.
I graduated in Graphic Design with a focus in Motion Graphics. I was extremely lucky to have such an incredible professor. He loved to do experimental stuff and always encouraged us to think way outside the box. After graduating, I found a very corporate motion design job. I hated it. I was a toxic environment that didn’t encourage creativity. While at this job, I needed an outlet for my creativity, so I decided to make an art Instagram. I posted one piece of artwork every single day for a year. This Instagram started out with just a few followers but now has grown to over 8,000.
I got a different job in 2017 at a Marketing company, but it still just wasn’t the right fit for me. I don’t like the idea of being “trapped” at a desk for eight hours and not being able to leave when I want. I kept keeping up with my art Instagram to keep myself sane, and it really started picking up. It’s insane how much work I’ve gotten just from DMing artists. I’ve gotten work from Big Gigantic, Gramatik, Whethan, Keys N Krates, Ayokay, Chelsea Cutler, Quinn Xcii, Jeremy Zucker, Bay Ledges, Tim Atlas, and more (the dream is to do work for Diplo or Kygo). The freelance work just recently picked up so much that I was able to finally leave corporate America and do my own thing.
For the first time in my life, I’m extremely happy at my job, and It’s because I’m finally doing what I love. MY biggest advice to other artists out there is to keep creating, every day. It doesn’t have to be “your style.” You can do different styles every day and learn something new by trying new things. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to people for work. I’ve literally direct messaged Diplo and been like “Hey Diplo… need any album art or music videos?” He didn’t respond, but still, it doesn’t hurt to ask! Do what you love, and never stop creating.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I believe that struggles make you stronger as a person, so every challenge that has come my way has made me into the person I am now.
One of the biggest struggles I had was right out of college when I accepted my first job. The company I worked for told me I was going to be doing Motion Graphics Design, but then a few months in, I found out that I was going to be coding tax forms nonstop instead. It was a difficult challenge, but I learned a lot, and I stuck it through. I also struggled with thinking that every job was going to “do me wrong” as my first job did. I carried this distrust into my next job, which really just made it hard for me to trust any corporation.
I now realize that not all companies are out to get me. I was just dealt a bad hand at first. I’m thankful that I went through everything that I have because now, I feel like I am stronger and know how to better handle situations like this.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I do Motion Graphics Design as well as Graphic Design. At the more corporate companies I worked for, I was making animated explainer videos, however, I realized that my true passion is doing music videos. Through my art Instagram, I was able to get enough of a following that leads me to work with some pretty big names.
Something I’m most proud of as of late is working on a music video for Big Gigantic & Gramtik. These are some pretty big-name DJs that I’ve been listening to since I was in high school, so being able to create artwork for them has been an incredible experience.
Something that sets me apart from others is my colorful and abstract video work. I like to do frame-by-frame illustration using Photoshop, and this adds a really unique element in the video.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a pretty “good” kid. I was obsessed with making good grades and making my parents proud. I think all of the stress that came from trying to be “perfect” caused me to go through a rebellious phase in high school. I loved to go to underground raves, and I believe that a lot of my inspiration for my current work comes from the amazing visuals, bright colors, and unique music I heard at these different concerts.
I always loved art class. Ever since I was little, I have been creating things. In high school, I was in broadcast class and edited videos. I was also in a ceramics class and a sculpture class. I really enjoy motion graphics design because it can pretty much encompass everything I learned from all of my art classes growing up.
Contact Info:
- Website: calepotts.com
- Phone: 5807474119
- Email: pottscale@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/calepotts
- Facebook: facebook.com/calepotts
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