We were lucky to catch up with Cheska Navarro recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cheska, 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?

When I first started learning to score films, it was 2019 and I was a junior in college studying to become a scientist. Prior to this I had been dabbling in composing on piano but never looked into film scoring which had been a long-time fascination.

To learn the craft I watched tons of YouTube videos, read about it, and challenged myself to compose regularly and share it with others. Around summer 2019, I began the 30 Days of Scoring challenge which was really just me trying to score a cue from a film I liked every day.

People started to notice me that way and eventually I started connecting with other composers who knew more than me. I was always open about improving my work and accepted a lot of feedback from them.

Shortly before COVID-19 happened, I reached out to a composer from USC who had just graduated and began taking lessons with them.

Soon, I was scoring real projects and learning on the job.

Cheska, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

It feels inevitable that I became a film composer and educator. Although I spent most of my teenage years working towards a career in medicine, I had been secretly composing on my own and always loved piano since taking lessons at 8 years old.

Everything changed when I re-discovered my desire to make music and tell stories just before I turned 20.

My boyfriend, now fiancée, encouraged me to think about what I really wanted to do with my life and since then I’ve never looked back.

I absolutely love the variety and freedom I have in my work compared to traditional 9 to 5’s.

Today I’ve written music for over 15 projects and frequently share my thoughts and experiences on my journey so far on my Instagram. Turns out I also like writing and teaching!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My audience on Instagram is small but mighty. I care more about the personal connections I have with them than having thousands of followers.

This sounds silly, but my advice is to just share things that fascinate you and be social with your social media.

Many people passively watch others and forget that there are real people behind the screen.

I think if we can approach social media from a place of curiosity and generosity rather than trying to portray ourselves a certain way and appeal to the masses, presence will come naturally and the process is more enjoyable.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is just to have fun and (try to) make beautiful things.

Any goals and achievements that I might achieve along the way are a bonus :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cheskanavarro.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheska_yo/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cheska_yo
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12409862/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_1_q_cheska%2520navarro