Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elijah Eugenio. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elijah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The pandemic was a confusing time for most people, and my story was no exception. Freshly graduated from high school and entering adulthood through college for a nursing degree, I was anxious about life and unhappy with the uncertainty the future held. In 2021, I felt convicted about being a creator and using my creative prowess for God’s glory. At the height of the pandemic, I regularly attended the Young Adult program at my local church, FRC, where I met my friend Sarah, who is now recommending me for this interview. During one of our weekly meetings, I received a calling to expand my talent in photography by helping out with the Church’s ministry through creative work. I found myself crying in front of my friends Abe and Sarah, breaking down from a place of vulnerability because of a newfound purpose in my creative endeavors. Although this start may sound like everything in my creative journey will come easily, my battle against self-doubt turned my life upside down. While making graphics and continuing to take photos was enjoyable, financial stability from creating was holding me back, and I realized that I needed to generate more income to become what society deems successful.

A few months after having a deep conversation about my creative career, my best friend Marc told me about this Naval enlistment. This news triggered my hunger to become greater and pivot paths from creating to the military. That same summer, I left the comfort of my home to become a full-fledged U.S. Sailor and shipped out to basic training in July. This decision felt like I was running away from what I was destined to become: an artist. Instead of fulfilling my artistic calling, I chose to avoid this road because of fear. This resulted in me being part of a strict institution of rules and regulations, being outside of my comfort zone of being carefree, and having nonexistent external expectations. Apart from being boxed in by the military, I have been blessed with the experiences and friends I’ve made along the way. I had the opportunity to live in and admire the great city of Chicago for a whole year, capturing the city’s life and being immersed in a culture away from San Diego. During my stay, I shot over 1000 exposures and truly developed a passion and skill for photography and storytelling. Now, being back from Chicago and facing more challenges along the way to this day, I have overcome my fear of disappointment by embracing my identity and vision for myself.

Fast forward to today, after a series of existential crises and hardships, I have reconnected to my creative side and fallen back in love with art, where I felt the most hopeless, and helped me find my identity. Like the infamous story of Jonah in the Bible, hardships were mandatory to realize the fated risk that needed to be taken, building character and strength to serve my community.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a 23-year-old film photographer based in Imperial Beach, California. Growing up in Southern California as a Filipino immigrant, I felt like I didn’t have much of a creative outlet at home, so I decided to take my creative mind to school. My grandfather’s influence seeped from my early youth, with him blasting Westcoast classics Dr. Dre, Eminem, and occasional funk and disco tunes in the car on the way to school. It was an aesthetic that I adopted in my childhood in the Philippines, even learning DJing throughout elementary and middle school during student-organized coup for our entertainment.

My grandfather was not a guest in photography and had a collection of digital cameras while I was growing up. After moving from the Philippines, my grandpa had an unused Canon DSLR sitting and collecting dust in a dark room. I decided to sneak the camera to school without his knowledge to take pictures of my friends and school events as a gateway into the industry starting my sophomore year of high school. Bringing the “stolen” camera to school pushed me to document my community and events in school. Taking pictures out of habit eventually opened an opportunity for me to work for Eagle Times, the local paper to highlight school events. In my junior and senior years of high school, I joined the yearbook class and polished my photography and editing skills, occasionally buying disposable cameras for my first amusement for analog photography.

After graduation, I focused on both street and portrait photography using the film medium taking inspiration from renowned online creators such as Willem Verbeek (@willemverb) and Vuhlandes (@vuhlandes). In the slower and meticulous process in analog shooting, exposures are less frequent and can only be seen after development resulting to require more attention to detail on posing, settings, and lighting of subjects. The uncertainty of film pushed me to become more attentive to detail, encompassing all my senses into one goal: to create and document my community. My vision is to show the uniqueness and raw nature of my experiences and the environment of clients. I do not believe that everything in life is glam and glorious but a humble life with all of its complexities. In my art, I want to share the beauty in our battles as we push through victory and defeat, life and death. Film as a medium speaks to me as it highlights beauty in chaos.

Currently, I am a Content Creator on photography, poetry, fashion, and recently on marathon running. Lately, I am most thrilled about my Hawaii series, where I spent a month in Oahu for the military. During my off time, I spent moments with my Creator while admiring nature’s sounds of the wind and waves crashing, paintings of the sky, and sculptures of mountains and valleys where small creatures live. This series is close to my heart because, during this trip, I felt like I refound my soul of creating after a rut.

This year, I have picked up marathon running and I have been sharing my journey in the training process online. My goal is to create an online community and physical place outside of work and home for the people in the city as a “third place” that promotes a healthy and creative social circle between like-minded individuals. I believe that it should be an aesthetic, the sexy aesthetic.

For pure fun, I also started a podcast with my friends on Spotify titled “this is a: time capsule for the aliens” where we discuss what we would like to share with aliens in case an invitation is given to our space guests. I would love it if you guys checked it out! I cannot wait on what endeavors life may bring in the future.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I began actively reading for pleasure and studying outside of school when I first joined the military, and ‘Can’t Hurt Me’ by David Goggins became a cornerstone of strength for me during challenging moments in the service. Goggins’s life story in ‘Can’t Hurt Me’ details how he overcame racism, domestic violence, and physical adversaries during his time as a Navy SEAL. This story inspired me to persevere through difficult circumstances.

Another influential non-fiction book, ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear, taught me how to create habits and stick to them. It emphasized that all small actions, whether positive or negative, accumulate exponentially over time. I believe that accomplishing simple tasks directly influences how we tackle larger problems. Creating a system within one’s environment greatly impacts the success of a single habit. Lastly, I’ve learned that habits shape one’s identity. A runner ceases to be a runner without running, and a creator earns their title through creation.

‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life’ by Mark Manson is another influential book despite its humorous title. My greatest takeaway from this funny self-help book is to focus on creating good values and unlearning toxic traits. I’ve learned that the key to a successful life is not to give more f*cks but rather to give fewer f*cks, narrowing down to only what is primary, real, and essential.

I highly recommend these books, even to beginner readers, as they have profoundly impacted my life.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As an artist, I find the greatest reward in the freedom to express my vision of the world. This freedom encompasses the expression of thoughts, emotions, and ideas, allowing me to materialize the abstract into tangible forms that connect communities. Building creative communities is where my heart finds fulfillment, as support and ideas flow and reflect upon one another, driving my personal development.

Whether documenting life’s flaws, cherishing fleeting moments, or cultivating spaces for health and human interaction, the power of connection knows no bounds. Within a safe space, creativity knows no limits and becomes both liberating and boundless.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/eugeniofilm/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eugenioelai/
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/1N7xrx43Lptf9nrZrK8Kyc?si=8b5033ee1d5b494d

Image Credits

1. Samson Hess and Taz Cates (model)
2. Alana Francis (model)
3. Melody Navarro (model)
4. Jacob Mechenek (model)
5. Emily Wiggins (model)
6. landscape of Hawaii (no credit)
7. Grandpa, Uncle and myself
8. Alexa Nacua (model)