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

Rocco, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Everything I do is a risk, but I feel like that is what makes it interesting, fun and fulfilling. It is very important not to get stuck in a comfort zone and always seek discomfort, because the best moments in life are behind those phases of discomfort. I could be working a normal 9-5 job right now, but I would much rather be doing everything in my power to achieve my goals because I see no second option. Sometimes you have to take a risk in the form of working for free to open other doors, turning down an offer to work on something you believe in more, or even sneaking your camera into an event to film an artist to possibly work with in the future. It is very important not to take risks blindly, but rather to know what you can do and what you need to do to reach your personal goals as a creative and to follow that until you reach that goal.

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

My name is Rocco Caruso, I am 22 years old and I am currently a freelance photographer and filmmaker from Switzerland, who puts the focus on art in everything I do. I’ve been creative all my life, but when I was about 15 or 16 years old, I first got into travel and ski filmmaking. The whole aspect of creating emotion through art and bringing an idea to life fascinated me so much that I haven’t stopped creating my own art since. My photography started out as landscape and ski/snowboard action photography, but has recently evolved into a more aesthetic portrait style. For me, filmmaking and photography go hand in hand and I learn so much from both mediums. My filmmaking work ranges from ski/snowboard/skateboard films to music videos, where being different and maintaining my own style is very important to me. Comparing my art to others, I’d say my work is very stylized and unique, lives by the artistic principles of creating emotion and I do 100% what I think is best for what I want to create. I feel that a lot of (commercial) work in the fields I work in is very similar and rarely tries to push boundaries; I want to fill that void. By creating aesthetic and artistic photography and filmmaking work, I can help future clients stand out by showing the emotion of their brand within the work in a new and creative way.

Over the past few years, I’ve created and premiered several films. Bringing a community together for something you created warms my heart and I am currently planning more live events like that. A photo art exhibition that will be different from most exhibitions and a new ski/snowboard film that will show the subjective view of dying with a femme fatale type murder scene to try and push the boundaries of what such films can be are planned for this year. Keep an eye out for these projects. I can’t be boxed in, so I try to push the boundaries of everything I do in the hopes of inspiring more people to do the same.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Since I’ve been inspired by many artists and musicians like XXXTENTATION, Playboi Carti and Kanye West, who have pushed boundaries in their own way, I’ve been filled with an almost infinite amount of motivation to inspire people and push boundaries in my own way. Having an idea, bringing it to life and inspiring people is the most fulfilling feeling and I want to take that to new heights. I could never work a normal 9-5 job because I’d be thinking about my own goals all the time. Due to that I am bound to work professionally as an artist in some way. There is no particular goal that drives my creative journey, other than my inner motivation to keep being creative and getting better at what I do.

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?

Many people don’t see photography and filmmaking as art the way they may see music or painting. You can’t force art and it takes a lot of patience. I feel like non-creatives don’t understand how much time and effort goes into every little creative thing. I see all the photos from my photoshoots as individual pieces of art that often take hours to edit to a point I’m happy with. I couldn’t edit a video in half an hour even if I could, because I know there’s so much potential in it if I spent more time on it. So a lot of people don’t realize or understand the crazy amount of time and effort that goes into everything creatives do. Many creatives are underpaid and even work hours and hours on unpaid work because the art and personal style is so important. I hope some people realize this and start giving creatives more time to work on projects and are willing to pay much more.
As a non-creative trying to start working as a creative, I would say you need a lot of patience, have to be very spontaneous and ready for opportunities at any time, and remember to stay true to what you believe will make your art the best. Finishing a project is very fulfilling though and as mentioned inspiring people is one of the best feelings there is. Also, hearing the reaction of people who see what you have created makes it all worthwhile.

Contact Info:

• Website: roccolcaruso.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/roccolcaruso/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/roccocaruso/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/roccocaruso

Image Credits
Rocco Caruso