We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Diego Barrientos a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Diego, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I knew from a very young age. My dad was a bass player and my mom was a jazz dancer so we always had music and musical instruments around our apartments. So music was naturally my first love. I remember wanting to be a professional drummer in a band when I was four. My parents have pictures of me at my fourth birthday party when I made all my friends have an air band session while listening to Bohemian Rhapsody. Painting and filmmaking came much later. It was in college when I realized my fascination with the art world. After trying multiple mediums I found painting and film to be the ones that gave me the most joy and ability to say what I wanted to say.

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 was born in Guatemala City and moved here to California with my parents when I was just a baby. I started playing drums in bands as early as eleven. I found my love for painting and film while I was in college and have been going at it since.

Some of my work is autobiographical. I title a lot of my paintings “self portrait,” and I tell personal stories in my short films as allegories. But I also make paintings with social and cultural commentary. From mental health to gentrification, I like to comment one society in an interesting way.

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

I have a lot of little goals ,but I would say a big one I’m working towards currently would be to write and direct a feature-length film. Apart from painting, filmmaking is another passion of mine. I just wrapped shooting my third live-action short film this weekend actually which was a lot of fun. I love the short form a lot, but would love the opportunity to get a feature-length screenplay produced.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect has to be the looking at the finished product, whether it’s a a painting or a film, and reflecting on the journey from a spark of an idea in my head to something other people can experience. If people can relate to what I’m saying it makes it that much better. Like I’m being heard for the first time.

Contact Info:

• Website: diego-barrientos.format.com
• Instagram: @dee.barrientos
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dangerouspenguinproduction1275

Image Credits
courtney coles