We were lucky to catch up with Irvin Rivera recently and have shared our conversation below.

Irvin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

The first thing that came to mind was an insatiable sense of tenacity and uncanny mental, emotional and (for the most part, physical) flexibility. Tenacity- so you can keep moving forward no matter what circumstances life throws at you; and Flexibility- to navigate the vast unknown, which is pretty much a huge chunk of life. Success is such a subjective word, but I think no matter what your definition of success is, you need to have both tenacity and flexibility.

I mean, my life is an amalgamation of a lot of unknowns. Being an immigrant coming from The Philippines to America, there are lots of unexpected moments and things that happened to me that led me to where I am today. There are curveballs everywhere, there are unpleasant and pleasant surprises, but I kept going and learned that it always works out for the better.

Irvin, 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?

Irvin here, a professional Fashion, portrait and Entertainment photographer currently based in Los Angeles, California. My love for the arts started as early as pre-school, as far as I can remember. I love sketching, drawing, and then photography was introduced to my life sometime in college when a friend allowed me to play with her camera to take portraits of our friends. The interest grew exponentially since then. My real discovery and exploration of photography, what genre I gravitate towards, the subjects I like to photograph, the different styles, lenses, and the whole business of it all started when my dad brought our family to Los Angeles.
Fast forward to more than a decade of trials and errors, learning through my mistakes and immersing myself fully to the ins and outs of photography, I was able to ground my business and establish meaningful connections along the way. Throughout the years, I learned that I specialize in creative photography. I dabble in magazine editorial and commercial work. My affinity towards fashion, music, films and the arts have influenced the evolution of my style. And through my photography, I collaborate with my clients to help interpret their visual identity. I like to help solve their dilemmas and problems throughout the whole production process- from the conception of the idea, to the execution, to post-production and delivery. I have to consider all elements involved in any production to ensure the best possible output.
In its core, my business is about guiding my clients and helping them figure out exactly what they need, why they need something and to build and bring the creative vision to life together with them. It is important for me and my team that the client also fully understands the whole entire process, and that we’re all aligned together.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

The consistent inconsistencies in various aspects and elements involved in this creative industry is something that I find a lot of non-creative people struggle to understand.
If it’s inconsistent, then why stay? If it’s chaotic, then why do it? If it is not secure, why take the risk? You’ll be surprised at the number of times my family asked me to get an actual real job (i.e. nursing, law, etc)

Several answers popped up throughout the years. But my most recent answer to these questions is that all the inconsistencies of this realm, of this business, pushes me to be more creative. I’m a creative problem solver. Risks are scary, only if you’re not prepared. The failures I experienced throughout the years have strengthened me and forced me to be resilient and flexible. There is no problem, no challenge, and no trial that you cannot solve. Also, aside from all the challenges you’ll face as a full-time independent business owner, you get some sense of undeniable freedom to craft whatever you want; however you want, in your own time and space.

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

Speaking of challenges and struggles in this creative industry, one aspect that will usually (and persistently) try to test you and try to break your spirit and will is – money. If you decide to embark on the journey of being an independent business owner, where you have to do a lot of things and take care of several layers and aspects of your business yourself, expect money inconsistencies. THere will be abundant moments and there will be dry spells. There are days where you’ll have to really force yourself to be creative in order to push yourself to find ways to make things work for you.
There were moments where you get client cancellations, or just really quiet months where business is just slow for everybody. For instance, during the global pandemic of 2020, when things halted, it was a bizarre and crazy moment for everyone, yet you have to find and create ways to survive.
Challenges like these pushed me to the edge a lot of times but it never deterred me to move forward. It taught me to pivot, adjust, and be flexible and open with my business- to find and tune in to that frequency that can bring me to the path of more abundance and stability.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.irvinrivera.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graphicsmetropolis
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irvinrivera/

Image Credits

Irvin behind the scenes, on-set image photographed by Brian Kim
All other images by Irvin Rivera