We recently connected with Justin Gum and have shared our conversation below.

Justin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I think the anxiety is always there, from the moment you start the new year, to the very last day of December, you always know the stakes are a little higher because work is not consistent, or has the potential to change on a dime. So part of finding how I can earn a lifestyle from my work is really developing the networks, and then building upon that through projects.

I have worked on several documentary films and series throughout my career and much of that, I owe to developing strong relationships with people I’ve worked with in the past that love the work I do. They wouldn’t consider me if I wasn’t a friend, and they wouldn’t hire me if I wasn’t capable. And so there’s this synergistic experience that manifests with the bonds that build over time.

But that synergy is also fueled by a constant peaking into the peripheries of where my work is taking me, where I may need to go, and what stakes are at hand. I’m always driven by the knowledge that I cannot rest on my laurels, and I am sustained by the relationships I develop along the way.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’d say I’m always on that journey of trying to get to where I want to be, particularly as a creative. I’ve worked as a cinematographer for about 10 years professionally, and I find myself learning where I need to grow more than what I’ve accomplished. I knew from an early age that I wanted to get into a film career, but it wasn’t until high school and college where I was discovering how much I love to light and find beauty in everyday experiences. Out of college, I built up enough video/film work that landed me a full time position at small film production company operated by The Salvation Army and from there I moved on to FOX, where I worked on a documentary series for their flagship streaming service. All along the way, I established ties, spent many weekends, and took vacation to do outside work. All these experiences helped discover and hone my artistic proclivities as well as my relational ones.

Part of my job is actualize the vision of a story, before it’s on the cutting board. And so with all my clients, I do my best to land, what I believe, is the heart of the story, the emotion and the message. And with the help of my colleagues on-set, we work on how to make that happen, putting out fires and celebrating wins along the way.

I think the other part of my job is to just enjoy what I do and get others to really rally around that. I care deeply about those who help make stories come alive and I find myself really connecting with everyone who is collaborating toward this singular goal of ending each day feeling accomplished.

I think what I really pride myself in doing is aligning myself with work that I am artistically or intuitionally connected to. That alignment allows me to focus on the most important aspects of how I compose a frame, how I light, how I draw viewers into what I am seeing. As an artist, I think one of the struggles we all have, is being able to be understood. Not in a societal or cultural way, but really as someone who finds comfort in talking with the way we love to express ourselves. And I think one step getting closer to that is finding projects that I am emotionally invested in. It makes me work more efficiently, more goal-oriented, and with more clarity because it sets the stage of how I want to present the story with the respect it deserves.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think there’s this constant friction between what is practical and what is possible. Both in careers and in problem solving.

I think it’s learning to give space to both things, as they can co-exist without causing detriment to each other. There needs to be sustainability, and that’s where pragmatism can be valuable to growth and consistency. But there also needs to be risks, and taking chances. And that’s where creatives thrive off of, because it’s not about the bottom line. it’s about the vision. They can complement each other in a way that builds up versus tearing down.

And so I think culture and society as a whole would benefit from having a mindset of properly discerning where we can balance and where we can go full send on practicality or risk-taking.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is getting to realize what you planned for, and getting more than what you asked for in the happy accidents. It’s just incredibly powerful to see your vision come to life and to bring people up with you on that journey. I thoroughly believe in the sharing of the success of accomplishing our goals, because you couldn’t have accomplished any of them without your teammates. So it’s that collaborative spirit and seeing the final produce paying off from the hard work you put in.

Contact Info:

• Website: justineverettgum.com
• Instagram: shot_by_justin
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9U0r4oIDeAD4jacZMMtBVg