Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Frijia.
Anthony, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a musician and photographer from Maryland who moved to San Diego at the beginning of this year in my van for a number of reasons: for change, to further pursue my dreams of making a living with my art, to get out of my comfort zone, and to be closer to the places I love the most- the pacific coast, the desert, and the mountains.
Here in San Diego, I’ve continued what I had started and established for myself on the east coast: a consistent schedule of gigs, and a heavy dose of photography fueled by road trips into the wilderness. I’ve also started a new side business as an engagement/elopement/wedding photographer.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road to where I am now has been much tougher than I’d imagined it could be when I first had the idea to move to San Diego a few years ago.
Two years ago I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and experienced a downward spiral over the course of a few months, beginning while I was on a cross-country tour. I played the first show of that tour in California and had to cancel the rest, fly home to Maryland, and immediately head to the hospital. Those few months included three separate, week-long hospital stays- the last of which ended in a highly invasive emergency surgery that I needed in order to save my life.
Life hasn’t been the same since then, and I doubted for a while that I could ever move away from my doctors- much less, to a place where I had very few friends, no family, and planned to live in a van. But here we are.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Photography- travel/lifestyle photography, as well as my newer dive into engagement/wedding photography- has always been more of a side hustle type business for me.
I see myself as a musician first, and I put more of my energy into that creative field. Around San Diego, I play solo acoustic the majority of the time and have a pretty primitive, old-school setup. No pedals or amps or anything, although I’ve started to add a little foot percussion and harmonica to the set. I’m most proud of the songs I’ve written that I believe in, and my friends who come to see me play and encourage me to sing those songs.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I have no idea really, but I guess I’d say that I think success is when you love what you’re doing. There’s the easily quantified ‘financial success’, but so many financially successful people are unhappy…I think it’s too often skipped over, how lucky all the people are who have combined the discovery of a passion with the courage to do it.
Pricing:
- Music: $50/hour
- Engagement Shoot: $100/hour
- Wedding Shoot: $1000/day
Contact Info:
- Email: anthonyfrijiamusic@yahoo.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/vanthonyfrijia
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