Meet Carlos Rodriguez | Creative

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

Hi Carlos, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The most important decision I’ve taken for my career and myself overall has been to prioritize my emotional and mental wellbeing. I’ve found that no matter the goals one has in life, prioritizing one’s well-being, emotionally, physically, and spiritually will allow for those goals to work out above anything.

This past year I hit a breaking point after repeatedly burning myself out by forcing work and projects when I wasn’t well internally. Hitting that breaking point allowed me to stop and take a look at the world moving around me. This breakthrough changed my whole perspective not only on my career as an artist and creative but on my life overall.

We are living in a very demanding culture, especially for the creatives trying to make a name for themselves. You have to post ten stories daily, then one feed post, then three TikToks, and five tweets a day. Because if you don’t then you’re not doing enough. In the process of trying to fulfill these requirements that social media has imposed on creators, the art is sacrificed at the cost of “the content”.

Taking a step back, and seeing what’s happening in the culture and the world allows for the work one produces to gain much more meaning than producing content. I don’t think it’s possible to do so without first taking a look at one’s inner self and seeing what’s wrong and how to fix it. The art will therefore represent that process.

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.
If I’d answered this question a month ago, the answer would’ve been entirely different.

In the past year, after some of the most defining years of my life had come and gone. I find myself feeling like Pink from Alan Parker’s “The Wall”. In that film, which is an adaptation of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, one finds the protagonist overindulging in his work and vices due to the metaphorical wall he’d built around him. I’ve found that since I was about the age of 15 I began to build a similar wall that distanced me from close loved ones and the things that truly matter in life. This all is reflected in one’s work, especially as an artist. Combined with the fact that the culture loves a tortured artist over a happy one, I began to romanticize this way of thinking.

In the past year, I’ve seen the effects of the wall which I had built backfire, at the cost of relationships, quality of work, and mentally. All these factors combined have pushed me to a breakthrough in my life that for the first time makes me feel like I’m finding my voice. Having a defined voice is key to one’s art standing out, so now I find myself in the process of channeling this process into the work I create.

I once only referred to myself as a photographer. However, a true artist isn’t confined to one medium to voice their message. Now I see myself as much more than a photographer and I can’t wait to see what mediums I find myself engaging in a year from now.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
After traveling more than I ever have in my life this past year, I’ve gained a newfound appreciation for Miami. Miami is a city unlike any other, I heard once that you should need a passport to visit here no matter if you’re American. This city is surreal. But it’s not the clubs or the overpriced restaurants that make this city special. It’s the cafes in Coral Gables like Books & Books. It’s Versailles, my favorite place to down a colada, and a couple of croquetas after a night out. It’s the array of characters that crawl from club to club that one can spot if you find yourself walking in Brickell.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One of the most supportive voices in my life as I began to create my work three years ago, was a girl we’ll call “J”. Without J supporting my work since the beginning, I wouldn’t be here today. Her support allowed me to keep in line with my values and morals when I wasn’t sure where they were. J’s impact on my life and career will forever be one of the most special in my life and never be forgotten.

Website: bkncds.com

Instagram: instagram.com/bkncds

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-rodriguez-66b15b21b

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gumnosrat