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

Bart , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Creativity is salvation for many of us who do it in any form or another. Living as a creative in the visual arts is much of my happiness. It also provides my income, my growth as a person in our world, challenges me, draws in clients, furthers my business, all in a healthy and progressive endeavors. For sure it is all challenging to make it work each day and to create exciting things as a filmmaker, teacher and photographer of my own business with clients.   I am also more creative with my own well being, too, with nutrition and fitness. My body has become a part of being creative to shape and mold my physique is part of the creative process also, which is quite healthy and energetic in many ways. Our body, mind, and spirit (energy) all need creative fueling to help the visual arts I get to live out each day. With my creative well being all else invigorates and honors who I am.  So to answer your question, yes, I am ecstatic and eager for more of the creative life.

I had a “regular” job, which is a job I took simply for security and financial income with no value to my creative work, career, or my self worth. I sat a year in an office on phones, pushing pencils, 5 – 6 days a week. It was far from all I had studied, aspired to be, and had no interest in at all. It was fine in the beginning, but the comfort it gave me was beginning to sadden me. Like gaslighting I began to resent who I had become. I would come home from work and be exhausted so my creative spirit waned. The breaking point came in a promotion at the job which offered me more money. I knew if I had taken it, and it was tempting, it would be a much different life for me. I set out to be a filmmaker, a photographer, involved with the visual arts where I can teach it, get hired to do it, and create my work also.

I needed to make a choice. So I swallowed my pride, moved back with my parents, and began steering my journey to the creative arts I set out to do in life. It was a big challenge as I was giving up a nice check every two weeks.
It was a heavy turn in a new direction, but once I set the course I have not looked back on what I left. I am extremely rich and successful in many more ways than whatever the “normal” job could give to me in money. I am at peace with my creative artist life.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started off as a young actor when I was 17 years old. I graduated HS and began to go out on auditions. I thought being an actor was what I was supposed to do to be creative. For me, I enjoy acting, but I did not love it. I loved being a creative person, much as a sculptor who sculpts marble. As a kid I was always taking pictures, composing the frame, directing my friends, so there was this creative spirit in me from a young age. As I grew older and was earning my own money I simply invested in classes, equipment, and eventually became involved with independent filmmaking as a cinematographer eventually leading me to directing and meeting so many of the creative people in my life now. I went on to direct two horror movies: Vindication and Tales of Poe. I started to grow more as a photographer, which eventually allowed me to open up my own photography business: Bart Mastronardi Photography. I am now also teaching at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles while running my business.

It has been a process to steer my journey but that has been part of the reality for my experience in this life.

I can say I am proud of the accomplishments I have done with so many people. My clients come back for more visual art images for their collections, I get to live a life of creative endeavors, also a creative fitness life, which has only elevated my energy levels to give more to my work, my business, my clients, and my whole being.

Every day is a challenge of problem solving. I mind my business, which means I am responsible for my growth and accountable to provide to my creative work, my business, my clients the best I can offer them in what they ask for. Problem solving is much easier when I have the knowledge of the tools I work with. If I need to learn more I set out to do so. This is minding my business. I am making my work, my art, my creative life better by focusing on the needs to grow. If not I will become extinct quite fast in this business.

Always keep learning, keep moving on to build yourself, your brand up. Know who you are as it will help you know what you are doing with your creative life in all areas.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, it is simple. I will die one day. The creative journey is part of the voyage of life for me. Knowing this lets me create more and in turn I am happy when I do.

Being creative is an expression of who I am, where I am, understanding myself by reaching far into my depths and taking opportunities to grow as a person, grow in business, and also to leave something behind. Being on this creative journey is a beautiful part of living. I get to capture and create visual images with other people and for other people. My photo-work, my filmmaking all shows the life I am having through the arts. I get to express it. Play with it. Experiment with it. I can be dark, erotic, playful, surreal, bright, cheerful., show a message, earn money, inspire, and love. Many people are just creative for pure relaxation and a hobby. All creative people find the spirit in themselves to do it for their own purpose.

What drives me most is knowing my physical being of the journey will end one day, but in some way my work can live on perhaps.
I look at the great ones in all aspects of life and what they have left behind for us to look at, study, discuss, remember, appreciate. From artists to teachers, to the one person in our life who makes a beautiful impact in life.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

All creativity is an Art and a Science.

Create. Creation.

I will discuss creativity as a positive light in our lives. For the benefit of all beings.

First, all people are creative in their own rite. Some do more than others. I personally think many people should understand that all in life is creative. The Universe alone is the most powerful creative being. The stars, planets, oceans, air, so much more than humans can fathom. We are simply living proof of this creative life. Therefore we are equally as creative as we were born from the universe. It is a powerful acknowledgement for anyone to embrace.

Why and how you create is a choice. I can only speak for my own being. Being creative is healthy for the body, mind, and spirit within. I know I am focused. I am alive. I crave to do more of it. Even as I sculpt my own body with weight training and proper nutrition, I can see how my muscles grow, how I cut the fat with proper nutrition to sculpt and define my shape. It is an art and science to be creative. It is a progressive part of the journey. All humans have to be creative to push life further. Think about it. Creativity can simply be making things. Finding a way. Someone created the wheel. Ice Cream. Crayons. Arts and science put together for us to have more life in it.

My creativity comes in the arts mostly. My photography mostly inspires me to create more images because I love creating and working with light and shadows. These two elements are primary for my creative process. I use the camera and a choice of a lens to compose the shot and compose the image. Allowing my imagination to run free, take risks, and listen to my inner creative spirit.

What I create may cause opinions to differ, but that is the beauty of it all. Makes people think about what they are seeing, why they are seeing it the way they do, reflecting on what it is doing to them as a feeling or emotion.

Being creative is similar to the wind in my sails as I journey across the ocean of life. I know enough to say creativity is the major progression of all life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BartMastronardiPhotography.com
• Instagram: Bart Mastronardi Photography
• Facebook: Bart Mastronardi Photography

Image Credits
Charles Chudabala RhondaLee Quaresma Sam Meade Martha Reeves Carlus Reed Sleeping Giant Wil J. Jackson Lexie DiChellis