Blog Two: your ship (origin story)
The other day, I was talking to a client about my upbringing, and I noticed her shocked expression as I shared my story. Curious, I asked, "You seem shocked—something wrong?"
She replied, “I just thought you went to college for this or, like, always lived a bachelor life.” (Lol, hilarious.) For a moment, I thought to myself, “Does she think I grew up rich?”
Now, don’t get me wrong—I had a good upbringing. Great family, nice house. But college? That was a whole different story. I was living in Pomona, California, driving over 50 miles a day to my college (which I hated), my job (shoutout to the Blue Bottle crew!), and then back home.
I never liked college. Even on my first day, I thought, “Oh, hell no.” Honestly, I’m very against the current education system, except for a few fields. I believe in hard work, learning through apprenticeships and internships, studying in the field, watching YouTube tutorials, asking questions, and constantly putting yourself out there.
While I won’t share my entire story here, I will say this: at one point, I was living in a garage-built room no bigger than 10x10 feet. We had one desk, one bed, a TV, and the smallest closet imaginable. I kept all my clothes in suitcases and stashed them wherever there was space. I was 23, and my brother was 20.
It was in that moment, as a freshly graduated communications major, that I made a decision: I refused to live like this. I am the captain of my own ship. So, I started taking photography and videography seriously. I succeeded, failed, failed again, failed some more, and eventually succeeded on multiple projects.
After a year of grinding through 2020, I packed up my entire life—my Kia Soul filled with two boxes, a suitcase, and a backpack—and moved to Texas. I stayed with a family friend until I found an apartment.
I met my roommate, Brian Fernando, on Facebook, and we lived together for a few years. In 2022, I got my own two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, where my little brother was able to live with me after he graduated college. He had his very own bedroom and a closet + bathroom that was bigger than our old room.
In just three years—without using my college degree, and by learning from my failures and wins—I made it happen. I had help along the way, with support from family and friends, but nothing stopped me from going beyond what I wanted.
Get after it, and steer your own ship, y’all.
One of my passions is Portrait Photography. When I took this photo it just reminds me of being carefree and having freedom to do whatever you want. /2020\