Meet Ezra McKalmus | Artist

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

Hi Ezra, what do you attribute your success to?
“Consistency Consistency Consistency”

As a full time artist, it’s important to remain active and interested in your own craft.
Never discontinue the act of publishing more & more & more works.

For the day you lose interest,
Is not only the day you lose momentum.-
Your patrons/customers/followers will surely lose interest as well.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Being a full-time artist isn’t for everyone, For it surely comes with its own set of challenges.
But that’s exactly why I love to tote the fact that I am in fact, a full-time artist.

Not having regular paychecks might make life tough.
But there’s sooo many more aspects of my life/career that I wouldn’t trade anything I’m the world for.

Art & entertainment enable people to smile, cry, laugh, mourn, and FEEL.
Delivering that to people is extremely satisfying.

Whether it’s a family portrait of a deceased loved one.
Or painting tiger stripes on children’s faces at the Bengals Tailgate lots.
Or covering up a sad scar, with a beautiful tattoo. Bringing people together to mingle at a gallery.
Or even selling a silly t-shirt to someone who plans on gifting it to their friend.

These are all things I procure on a regular basis, year-round.
And I absolutely love it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Cincinnati is some great views, and some great parks!

As far as concert venues go:
There’s ONE establishment that sticks out: Radio Artifact

Radio Artifact is a concert venue/recording studio,
Located inside the campus of “UrbanArtifact” (local Brewery)

The room itself is a recording studio,
And all the performances inside are mixed&mastered live, and also live-streamed.
You can catch all the shows played there, online.
With Cincinnati’s most supreme sound system/venue, Witnessing a production at RadioArtifact is unlike anywhere else.
It almost sounds like you’re wearing headphones in there. It’s unreal.

Other cool places around town could include the Freedom Center down by the river & the museum at Union Terminal.
Learning history and educating ourselves & our youth will forever be important.

Also, a bar named “Somerset” sits on McMicken Ave.
If you’re a plant-lover, and have a love for interior design,
Make sure to go check this place out.
Their courtyard is like a fairytale of an environment that you won’t want to miss.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s many names & organizations that deserve some love via a shoutout.

Here’s a few of them:

*Triiibe Foundation*
(Founder: Siri Imani)
Triiibe foundation not only pursues the inclusiveness of underground artists to have platforms locally in Cincinnati.
They are also one of the very few organizations in the city who tirelessly & continually work with the public to help feed, clothe and help the homeless population.
Every month there’s a potluck at the park downtown where people can come jam to tunes, get fed a hot meal, grab some toiletries and clothes, and bond together.
Homelessness is no joke.
And those who suffer thru it are typically tossed to the side by society. It’s heartbreaking.
As a previously homeless teenager & adult, it warms my heart to see other young people doing all they can to combat the harsh conditions some of us have fallen victim to.
Triiibe will always hold a special place in my heart.

I’d also like to shoutout another special Individual.
His name is Jamison Walker.
Some my recognized him by his artist name, “OSO”
Jamison is the owner of one of the absolute most prestigious Tattoo studios in the area.
We actually met, because he was booked to set up shop at a gallery exhibition that me & my team curated back in May.
He joined the show by setting up a steril environment, setting up a camera & TV, and live-tattooing a SnoopDogg portrait on his client in front of everybody.
Since then, Jamison has encouraged me to learn how to tattoo myself.
His guidance, advice, and patience with me has been a blessing – to say the least.

My last shoutout is to my good friend, Ashley Roper.
Ashley is not only a tattoo artist,
She’s a mushroom connoisseur, animal lover, and has an extremely positive outlook on life.
I can always ask ash for advice,
And she never fails to deliver exactly what I need.
Having other active-creatives in my life is very important to me. Especially those who aren’t scared to speak the truth and express themselves properly.
I’m very grateful for those in my circle,
Especially Ashley.

Website: Whatezra.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/whatezra