We were lucky to catch up with Angel Rivera recently and have shared our conversation below.
Angel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I actually taught myself photoshop when I was very young. I was 12 years old when I downloaded a cracked version of photoshop and spent an entire summer reading internet tutorials and I never stopped. Over the next few years I had joined online art collectives and been featured in photoshop magazines. I think the skill that was most essential for this was prioritizing finding the time to do it. I believe you can learn any skill if you find the time for it and solely focus on that. I also think it was easier for me back then because I was a teenager with no job or big responsibilities.
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’m an LA based photographer and digital artist and I specialize in creating calculated and unique imagery for fashion, music, and brands. I’m originally from Tampa, Florida where I started learning Photoshop and photography from a young age. I knew it was what I loved to do and I one day dreamed of creating art for living. In my career so far, I am most proud of work I’ve done for brands like Jason of Beverly Hills, Parade, The Lakers, Drake, ASAP Rocky, Rochelle Jordan, and more. I love creating art that stands out and working with people that aren’t afraid to be weird or create something odd or thought provoking together.
My services include creative direction, photography, digital art and post production.
Have you ever had to pivot?
By the time I was 23 years old, I started to feel stuck. I was working a good job with Apple Retail but I knew that I couldn’t do that for much longer because my dreams were so much bigger than that. I always knew I wanted to move to California, industry aside, it was something I had romanticized since my childhood. I started to consider the pros and cons and the logistics of it all and began putting money aside and planning for the big move until I finally felt as ready as I was ever going to be. I bought a one way ticket, transferred job locations for some financial security, got to California and figured it out. It was the biggest pivot in my life I had ever experienced, and now looking back 5 years later it was the best decision I could of made for myself at the time.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
After moving, I continued working my Apple Retail job for a year until I found a job doing photo and video at Jason of Beverly Hills. I worked there for four years, but during that time I slowly began shooting models and curating photoshoots on the side. I found a gig working with LA Fashion Week- it was shit pay but I knew that I could benefit a lot from it. I ended up making so many connections there that have proven to have been greatly beneficial. I met photographers who taught me a lot about lighting and cameras, key knowledge that I needed to see hands on- I met models to work with, and I also gained experience managing large groups of people. I took all of these skills and worked late nights after my day job to build my portfolio and make the necessary connections to get my work out there. Now, 5 years later, I have successfully turned my side hustle into my full time career. It took a lot of time and a lot of late nights but I’m so happy I put in the work to get to where I am today. 
Contact Info:
- Website: angeldrivera.com
- Instagram: angelrivz