Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adrián Duran-Salcedo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Adrián thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
Man-Everything I have learnt so far during my creative endeavours has been a beautiful struggle. I have not mastered anything, I am still learning in how to move through it all. My first experience in learning how we must work on our craft in order to get better was when I released a rap EP written and produced by me in my freshman year of high school. The amount of shit (hope I can swear) I received from people was insane. I had never received harsh criticism like that and thinking back to it….they were right! It was not good whatsoever, it was complete trash. But I’m glad I went through that moment. That specific time frame was a pivotal moment for me, I took all that negativity and shaped it. I would spend countless hours re-working my music production, listening to music and seeing how rappers would tell their stories through rhyme schemes, then seeing how I could improve my lyricism. My friends and I would do this for hours, they all believed I could do right if practiced all the basics. Then from music I found my love for filmmaking, I had a teacher in high school, Phillip Habeck, that showed me his perspective on Pink Floyd’s- The Wall. We would sit down and discuss forever about the album, films and anything we had an opinion on. His passion for finding deeper meaning in anything made me want to become a filmmaker. All of this to say, learning your craft can be lonely and frustrating to the point you listen to bullies in grade 9, and almost gave up on dreams. But lucky for me, I had friends who helped me believe in myself and to trust the process, you guys know who you are, and great teacher that did not give up on me like many had in the past.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Adrián Duran-Salcedo a jack-of-all trades, a filmmaker who’s written and directed 3 short films and has acted in some of my own work (finding actors is hard sometimes). I mostly focus on screenwriting and directing but do want to venture into sound editing.
I also spend countless hours into my music, my main influences are Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Residente, Black Thought, Wu-tang, etc. I also enjoy listening to salsa music, my favourite salsa musician is Ruben Blades who is an amazing storyteller, even if you do not understand Spanish, listen to his work it will translate to any language. I am currently working on releasing new music that will shortly be up on Apple Music and Spotify (you can follow my instagram for updates).
I am a person who is having a human experience through my craft, without music and film I would be lost in the world. Music has saved my life and film has helped me visualize life, both are equally important.
One major thing you should know about my identity is that I am the son of two Salvadoran parents, me and my brother had to become men at a young age, that leaves a scar on you. Coming from a third world country I have seen and meet a lot of different points of view, this is what makes me an artist. If you were to watch/listen to my films or music I provide a deeper look into emotions and moments from my personal life. I was born to be a storyteller.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Being creative means that I can breath, I am in my early 20’s….. its f*** hard. I feel a lot of pressure to be successful, I am constantly working on bettering myself in every aspect. Whenever I feel stressed or overwhelmed I turn to art, anyone who is an artist will tell you our minds are complicated to manage at times. But we learn to make sense of out things when we create, I’ve had people tell me in the past that they relate to feelings I share in my music/films. That is always my biggest reward, seeing people connect through art, specifically important if I am the creator of that art.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
If this question was asked to me 2 years ago, I would have said “I want to win a grammy, I want to hold an Oscar for a movie of my making!”. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to achieve one of these things, it would be dope. But nowadays I am no longer chasing that. My only mission is to leave earth knowing I said everything that I needed to say through my art.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrian_durana/
Image Credits
Photographers: Calvin Yearworth Paul Ruzira Connor Parsons