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

Kal, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think it takes to be successful?

It’s best to define success for yourself and not let others define it for you. Only you know if you feel successful. In this sense, being successful requires understanding yourself. For me, I find that success is both about results and process. For instance, I’ve always loved animation, but when I took an animation class in school, I really didn’t enjoy drawing the same thing over and over again, so I knew it wasn’t for me. Photography is something that I’ve always loved and loved creating. But even as a photographer, I’ve had photoshoots that resulted in amazing images, but were terrible experiences. I’ve also had photoshoots that were amazing experiences, but produced photos that weren’t great. Neither of those situations have felt entirely successful. Part of what drew me to underwater photography is that I love being in the ocean, and I love how beautiful the photos can be.

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 am a photographer specializing in commercial, portrait, and underwater photography. I’ve been practicing photography my whole life. I graduated with honors from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California with a BFA in film and lived in Los Angeles for fifteen years writing, directing, and producing independent feature films before moving to Hawaii and pursuing photography full time. Most of my business is underwater portrait and commercial photography shot outdoors and in the ocean while freediving.

I think my work tends to look unique because my first love was photography, and then I learned how to freedive. Because of this, my first considerations tend to be about light and color and such before thinking about diving stunts or physical feats. Sometimes individuals booking my services barely know how to swim and it’s my job to make them look amazing in the water with beautiful light and scenery. With commercial jobs, clients often send me products and it’s my job to book models and coordinate photoshoots that will feature their products in beautiful and unique ways that fit their needs.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

For my entire life, I have dealt with depression. It is a part of my earliest memories, including attempting suicide as a young child, and it is still a part of my life today. I have survived by the grace of God and the love and support of my family and friends, but also though persistence and discipline. Where I used to think of depression as a handicap, I see it more as an actual reason for any success that I’ve found in life. I’ve learned that in order to stay alive, I have to keep my life in balance. I’m an artist and always need to be productive and creating something, but I also need to spend time exercising, socializing, praying and meditating, serving and helping people, and being outdoors in nature. If I neglect any of these things for too long, the stakes literally become life and death within me. The discipline and persistence I’ve had to develop to function in life is the same discipline and persistence that has enabled me to pursue large scale creative endeavors like creating feature films and building a photography business. We learn and grow through tests and challenges, and my goal is to always be learning and growing as an artist and a human being, so I’ve learned to be grateful for the tests in life, even when I can’t see the purpose in the moment.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Being an artist has never been a choice. I have chosen to develop my skills and talents and pursue creative endeavors, whether it be filmmaking, photography, painting, sculpting, writing, or any number of other outlets, but the need to create is a compulsion. I am compelled to create in order to survive. It is a part of my being that I can’t live without. It’s not a blessing. It’s not a curse. It just is. Others may ask, “Why are you doing this? Why have you chosen this path?” The question of why can be a difficult one to answer. It can feel like someone is asking you why are you eating or breathing? I have come to realize not everyone feels the same compulsion. We don’t all have the same calling. Some of us are inclined toward the arts, others are inclined to math, science, engineering, teaching, cooking, carpentry, or any of an infinite number of paths, and that is okay. If someone can’t understand why you might pursue a creative journey, it probably tells you more about them than it does about you, and there is nothing fundamentally wrong with any of us. There is also a difference between chasing a dream and finding a calling. Personally, I might dream of being an astronaut. I’ve always loved space and exploration. But I know it’s not my calling. Others might confuse pursing your calling with chasing a dream, but that’s not for others to decide. It’s for each of us individually to know ourselves and determine where our talents lie.

Contact Info:

• Website: oceanlightphoto.com

Image Credits
Photos by Kal Sullins