We were lucky to catch up with Chris Irving recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, thanks for joining us today. Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

One of the things that many of us are afraid of is failure. Whether it be in business, career, marriage, mental health, or fitness. We’re all afraid of being vulnerable and admitting that something didn’t work out, or that we didn’t respond how we should’ve. We see failure as this end all be all event that defines our lives, and although some failures are small or even trivial, we still let it dictate who we think we are, and like a cement block attached to our ankle, it slows us down and sometimes even drowns us as we try and swim for whatever reprieve we can latch onto. When we do manage to gather ourselves we look back at the mess we’ve made and the people we’ve hurt and think about how we barely made it out alive and that we never want to do that again and so going forward we do our best to learn from our failures. However, sometimes we learn but don’t move on. Sometimes we sit there staring back at our proverbial wreckage and think to ourselves how did this happen. We spend months, years, or decades trying to figure it out.

Over these past few years I’ve failed. From a relationship I wished I had worked more on, to being kicked out from an internship for standing up for myself, to being let go from a job, to not being able to gather enough clients for my business, and not being there for some of my friends in the way I want to. I’ve experienced numerous failures, but none of them have come close to my mother passing away. After she passed away over a year ago I felt like I lost a piece of myself that I felt I would never get back. My mother did whatever she could to make sure her three boys were taken care of and after she passed I felt like I had failed her by not being there for her and not showing her how great her son could be. Everything I did was because I wanted all her struggles no to be in vain, and yet she left without me ever proving that to her. I know she was proud of her boys and everything they had done so far, but I knew there was always more. I was living for her and when she left I was stranded in a sea of shock and depression. I let my business fall to the wayside and along with it my creativity and desire to bring something into this world. I wanted to give her something better, but feel as though I never had the chance to. This past year I stopped living not just for myself, but for her as well and I know If she were here she would tell me to pick my head up and keep moving, and even though those are words I greatly need to hear now, this time has helped me to realize that I still have a lot more to do and that she’s still watching and waiting to see what her son can and will do. With the help of friends and family I’ve come to learn that just because she’s not here to bathe me in her love and empathy, I can still do the same for those around me, and the things I create. You truly only fail when you’ve completely given up and sometimes maybe you just need a break to catch your breath and get ready put yourself back out there.

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

I run a Video Production company that helps market your company and expands your brand. We’ve worked with companies involved in several industries such as marketing, outdoor lighting, IV Therapy and many others who we’ve helped reach a wider audience. We’ve also worked with other creatives to create short films.

One of Luminance Video’s recent productions, Mental Infidelity, which was written, and directed by Gerin D., was accepted into multiple film festivals this year, which is an exciting and awesome opportunity. Working with Gerin and his team was exciting and different, and are looking forward to working with him and other creatives like him to create short and feature length films.

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

I realized that I have so many great stories to tell and I want to at least touch someone’s life with what I have to tell.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I knew more about podcasts and books on creativity, because the more you learn the more you grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Luminancevideo.com
• Instagram: chrsi_irving18
• Other: Mental Infidelity: https://youtu.be/wip1m-y4iEI