Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Luna.
Hi Carlos, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
It all started back in San Ysidro High School in 2014 during my junior year. To graduate, I needed to take a year of extracurricular classes, so I chose video production. I had handled video cameras before, like my parent’s old videotape cam, but in this class, I got to use a boom mic, lights, and video-editing software. It was so fun that I took it my senior year too! I got to make videos with my friends, and I loved that I got to show them off to the entire school. Sure, they were rough, but they got a laugh out of people and friends.
Most importantly though, for the first time, I felt like something clicked into place. From planning to filming to editing, I enjoyed the entire process. I especially enjoyed our classroom screenings; it was great seeing all of our work on a big screen where we all got to enjoy and feel along together. It was then that I knew I wanted to make a career out of this. So, when I finally graduated in 2016, I went straight to college to study film. I went to UC Santa Barbara and joined their Film and Media Studies program. There I met great friends and learned about amazing filmmakers and artists that still inspire me and my work to this day. My creativity grew, and so did my appreciation for filmmaking as well as art. In 2020 I graduated and earned my bachelor’s degree with a minor in arts. Since then, I have been working on personal projects, as well as projects with close friends, and I’ve been uploading it all to social media for the world to see. My goal is to continue creating and to continue growing as a filmmaker and artist.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Well, even though I realized I wanted to work with film and video from a young age, it was difficult deciding what to focus my energy on. I got good grades in school, but all of that work left little time and room for me to express myself creatively.
My family moved to the US in 2008, so English became my second language. It was hard to adapt at first. I had taken English classes when we were living in Tijuana, where I grew up, but nothing could have prepared me for the real thing. Still, I was young, and I managed to pick up the language quickly. Somehow, however, I felt like something had changed. I got quieter and more anxious, and the world around me suddenly seemed intimidating. Even though I wasn’t that far from home, since Tijuana was just a 10-minute drive across the border, I still felt like I was out of place. So, I focused on school, like I always had, and I worked hard so that I could get a higher education. However, that nagging feeling still bothered me. I think that’s when video production helped me. It was schoolwork, but it allowed me to have fun with my work. It gave me the creative avenue I was seeking. It was the spark.
Still, it was only recently that I truly began to feel like myself once again. I adapted to life here in the US. College gave me the confidence I needed in my work. Now I find that I can focus all of my energy on my photography work, editing my videos, and discovering new media to inspire me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I mainly make videos for my YouTube channel and TikTok that range from music videos to original video art, to montages of my own images. I create with the belief that the right sound and the right visual put together can enhance one another, so I have fun with the different methods I use. They range from shooting video, taking photos (both digital and analog), to coding, to drawing to sometimes even creating my own sounds. In the end, the aim is to scratch that little itch in my mind that tells me “Oh, this sound feels like it would look like this.” I play with different mediums, and I love to see the outcome each and every time.
Lately though, I’ve also been focusing a lot more on photography. For example, ever since I studied abroad in Japan in 2018, I have been uploading photos to Instagram of all the places I went to. Which was new for me since I never had the desire to do that before this trip. I sort of realized that there’s something cool about taking pictures in that they capture a moment in the present time. Photographs freeze that moment and let it linger as if to say that “this is how this place and people look at this time.” I think that when landscapes and people change over time that it’s hard to try and remember how they used to be. Therefore, once I came back home, I grew to like taking pictures of the mundane, like my neighborhood, my college campus, and wherever else I happened to roam. I’d like to think my photography work is an archive, or some sort of log, that when I’m older and different, I can go back and look at these things and see how much things have changed and how much they haven’t.
Professionally, I’m seeking to work as a video editor. Just this past year I worked on a web series with my friend’s production company, Lot1 Productions, called Redacted. I edited a few episodes, and it was a great experience. I grew closer to my friends because of it, and I got to meet a lot of wonderful and hard-working people who also shared a love for filmmaking. It was the first time I’d ever worked on something this big of a scale, so it was a good step forward in my career as well. Additionally, during my time studying abroad, I worked for Okayama Denim, a clothing company that sold Japanese-made denim jeans. I helped out around the office, though mainly I created videos for them that advertised their products and brand. It was my first experience working in an office, so it was a huge learning experience. It was already great that I got to visit and experience life in Japan, so working closely with them was the cherry on top.
My work varies, so it’s hard to say what it is that sets me apart. Just this year I took a chance and applied to an art mentorship program offered by my local art gallery, The FRONT Arte Y Cultura. Through this program, I got to work closely with accomplished and experienced artists so that I could create a piece of art to show at the gallery’s next exhibition. I created a sculpture even though I had little background and experience in that skill. To me, it just felt like the right approach, even though it wasn’t my main discipline. It almost feels like there’s a feeling I’m trying to evoke that I haven’t fully reached yet. So perhaps there’s a thematic cohesion in my works that sets them apart.
Nonetheless, I am proud of what I’ve accomplished so far, though it feels like I’m just starting. Although I struggle to explicitly describe my own voice, I do hope it becomes louder as I keep working. There are a lot of years ahead of me, and I have a bunch of projects to fill them with.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I think, ironically, COVID pushed me to overcome my social anxiety.
Transitioning from one culture to another, with a different language, different people, and different places, I think affected me growing up. I was able to adapt, yes, but it was at the cost of not standing out. So, I think that’s when I adopted this shy and quiet personality that only recently I’ve tried to overcome, and COVID was part of that. Somehow being plunged further into the “shut-in” lifestyle made me realize how bad it was affecting my psyche. So, I began to make an effort to text my friends more, play online with them, and sometimes we would just chat. Once restrictions were softened, I made an effort to go out more. I’d take walks whenever I could, bringing my camera with me, but I would also just go out and hang out with friends. I don’t think I’ve ever been more social. It has taken some of my shyness away, and it allowed me to meet people I otherwise wouldn’t have. I’ve also seen myself change bit by bit. I’m not as afraid to speak out and to reach out to others.
I’m happier than I ever have been, and I have the people around me to thank for that. They support me and make me feel welcomed. They also see the potential in me whenever I have a hard time doing so.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://absentinosaka.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/absentinosaka
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/absentinosaka
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AbsentInOsaka
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCw18jNB9dTK0xlfkpoP-zw
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13632609/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Image Credits
Kip Fulbeck
Noah Brumfield
