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

Efrain, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

To be successful depends on everyone kind of measuring whats is success. For some is to be known and admired for a large group of people, to be accepted, to be cheered every time, for others is to achieve as many golds as they proposed. But determination, constance and stubbornness seems to be common paths to achieve success, so thats what i usually do, keep going, don’t stopping on my path, if i stop is just for recovery strength and keep going harder. Succes for me is to like everything i do, every photography every video, every story I share, it’s a hard path because as an artist theres always something i don’t like and I know I can improve on the next one.

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

I received my first camera as a christmas gift when i was a little kid, it was an instant polaroid, immediately knew i could stop time in pictures and tell stories, so i started documenting life in photos, latter i when technology let us record video i fell in love with that and started to use it more and more. But i didn’t know it was going to be my business in my future, i studied Air traffic control back in my country and computational programing, i started my professional live as an Air Traffic Controller, something I fell in love with, something i thought ill do till i die, but once everything started go bad in Venezuela and my life and my family was threatened i had to scape and leave something i knew i wouldn’t be able to do in USA. So i transformed my photographic skill in my business, i had some professional works done already in Venezuela as a photographer so i knew how to do it as a business and thats what i’ve been doing here, letting know the people my art, getting known by my new surrounding community and i keep going and going without stopping.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started this journey when social networks were something new, it was something fashionable, trendy, I started to photograph partys, weddings and all kinds of events and I tried to take as many photos as I could of all the guests, participants, I was always trying to catch candid moments, being some kind of paparazzi. After the event, I started sending photos to everyone I could find on social media and I used to share them with my watermarked logo on them so people would start sharing those photos on their social media sites. I didnt make any direct income with that kind of pictures but it brought me a lot of leads and new clients.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I come from a place where I made a living, had a successful career as a top air traffic controller, I was an instructor teaching others to master their job, was about to retire and my photography business was mostly a hobby, even having continuous clients, I had the mortgage of a house fully paid, I had everything I planned for the time I lived, but the Venezuelan crisis was not part of that plan, my family and my personal security were so compromised that one day I decided to leave. everything and I knew I had to start over. So that’s what I did, pack myself in a couple of suitcases and take my family to the land of the free and the home of the brave and start over, from scratch as they say. So I got here and started learning things I haven’t done before, I started working however I could to support my family and be successful, I started promoting myself as a photographer as well, making new clients, showing my art, familiarizing myself step by step, I’m I keep growing, I’m on my way, I’ve fallen, but I always stay on my feet and keep going because it’s the only way to succeed. So I’m as resilient as any other migrant with a pack full of dreams.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.efraimagen.com
• Instagram: @efraimagen
• Facebook: Efrain Arocha
• Twitter: @efraimagen
• Youtube: efraimagen