Brian Prince stands tall for honest Living, courageous action, vulnerable communication.
I’m not sure how to describe myself other than somewhat of a creative storyteller and an alternative athlete. I’ve spent most of my life drawing pictures of characters in my head and through just following the good vibes of doing that, I somehow found storytelling illustration as my main vocation. After my teen growth spurts, I used to have terrible coordination, but in wanting to master my own movements, I found Parkour. People said it wasn’t for me because of my height, but 11 years later it’s not only my favorite activity, it has given me work, community and a lifetime of experiences.
Being a nimble giant and coming up in Atlanta, GA during the same time as the film industry, I luckily found myself finding work as a stunt performer for film and television. I’ve had the opportunity to appear in such productions as The Walking Dead and Black Panther. In 2016 I had a lifechanging audition that landed me in the 2018 film “The Predator” where I played “The Predator” himself. Truth be told I have no idea what I’m doing. I just follow that feeling I get when something sparks joy. I don’t necessarily recommend it for everyone but it’s worked pretty well for me so far.
How tall are you?6' 10" (208cm)
How has being tall affected your life? What's one of your biggest challenges?
One word, expectation. People love to look at me and decide within 5 seconds who I’m supposed to be, and they’re usually wrong. I’ve spent my whole life inadvertently disappointing people when they find out I’m not some NBA Star. I think that led to me pursuing only things I’m passionate about to prove that I don't have to fit some mold forced upon me. I didn’t expect my passions to go anywhere but now that they have, I want nothing more than to show others that if they have the privileges, they don’t have to let society dictate how they have to live their lives. In my opinion, we owe it to those with no other choice to live our best lives if possible... I also love helping get groceries off the tall shelf for people who can’t reach them. It's honestly one of my favorite moments.
I solve problems in front of me; whether it’s a story, an art piece, a parkour challenge, going for the job I want or moving to a new city. I don’t necessarily like to glorify difficulty because If something can be done easily I think it should be, but based on experience, nothing worth attaining is ever easy. It seems like many people are convinced that if something is hard, it’s not worth working towards but I want to inspire others to not only expect hard work but to embrace it as a universal constant.
The one long-term goal I have is finishing the graphic novel I’m writing and illustrating It’s a project that I’ve been working on since college and now that I have the backing from a publisher, I’m grateful to say that it’s the main work I design my days around.
Not sure if it counts as a goal, but I’m focusing a lot of effort this year on making more time for a partner relationship. I've got a history of putting love aside for creative work, but now that I have some time to slow down, I’d like to find a quality person with similar values to share that time with.
Other than that, I purposely no longer believe in setting long term goals. I instead try to establish daily/weekly systems that create consistent habits (morning routine, drawing, life admin, training, leisure, etc...). I used to set many long term goals, but I noticed that I’d wither feel overwhelmed by the undertaking or I'd get so set on the initial goal, that I’d miss opportunities to shift when something began to organically change into a version that might be better for me. Like majoring in painting only to realize your love for poetry or even finance. Many of the opportunities I’ve had were because of this and I’m trying to be more aware of it these days.
What have you got coming up?Other than my graphic novel set for 2022 publication, I’ll be playing a creature via motion capture in the pilot episode of “Lovecraft Country” on HBO. Stoked to see how that came out.
What does, 'Not Bad for a Human,' mean to you?When I first heard this, I took it as a kind of optimistic sarcasm. Like a fantasy warrior who just defeated a monster. A monster that didn’t think it could be conquered by a “measly human”. I think humans are often underestimated, and not even by monsters but by humans themselves. We’re convinced that we’re weak, simple, and uncreative. But after doing parkour for over a decade, not only have I met some borderline supernatural humans, I aspire to be one. At 6’ 10”, 220lbs When I flip through the air, it sometimes breaks people’s concepts of what’s possible. I want people (especially children) to know that we’re capable of so much more than we often assume.
Do you have a favourite Navas product and why?My current favorite Navas product is the Crowe Tencel Tall T-Shirt. I love the feeling of a T-shirt that is not only comfy but looks good too. As a tall guy, I’m used to shirts looking too short compared to my giant legs but this shirt is perfect. It’s gained quite a few compliments as well. I definitely plan on getting more of these for when the weather warms up. I also have the Mac Long Sleeve Crew which is has a surprisingly rich fabric and great sleeve length.
What is your favourite meal to stay full?I’m going to be honest, I don’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen. This has led to some poor financial food habits in the past, but these days I’ve found easy ways to eat more at home while keeping it as healthy and inexpensive as I can. My go-to breakfast is HUEL. A simple plant-based shake that has all the protein and vitamins/minerals I need. My favorite go-to meal to prepare is a simple bowl of noodles with spinach (or other veggies), chicken sausage (or other protein), and kimchi. My favorite part is putting the hot noodles and meat on the cold spinach and watching it’s all sink together as the spinach gets cooked in the bowl.
Website: thebaprince.com
Parkour IG: @Talltrainings
Art IG: @Thebaprince
Twitter: @Thebaprince
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