We had the good fortune of connecting with Robert Cook and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robert, what do you attribute your success to?
In order to thrive as an artist I rely on support from those around me. The power of this support ebbs and flows, so it should not be thought of as, say, a stage for me to stand on, but rather as an invisible force generated by my interaction with the world. Another way of saying it might be, I didn’t find the support, pre-existing; I generate it with those around me. This begins with my wife, who works a full-time job, while I run the household and work on projects. Next is my family, who have been supportive of me all my life. Then my friends, current and past, my community and clients, and ultimately my world. I benefit greatly from support by my community, friends, family, and spouse. Which brings me back to myself. It is important, no matter who you are, to generate support for yourself–stay healthy, maintain good nutrition, sleep well, have fun. Your productivity and success depends on it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I like to make things up from a blank slate. Sometimes that means putting words on a page, sometimes making images, and sometimes making music. At the moment, I’m polishing a favorite screenplay for market, looking forward to returning to a film photo project shooting portraits of Los Angeles artists, and excited about an upcoming album release with Winostrut and Friends. I wish I had some golden nuggets of wisdom that would inspire and delight, but the truth is, it’s just about doing the work. Everyday. I am a bricklayer.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love the diversity of LA. The beach: I live 6 blocks from Venice Beach, so we like to stop in at the Figtree for brunch/lunch http://figtreescafe.online/ . Heading towards Venice pier you get more locals, heading towards Santa Monica pier more tourists. Both make for interesting people watching. The mountains: I love to drive up to the mountains to rent a cabin in Twin Peaks, at Arrowhead Pine Rose Cabins https://www.pinerose.com/ . If people are more energetic, we head up to the Santa Monica mountains via Las Flores Canyon to the Saddle Peak trailhead for a great hike. The art: My fav gallery: LA Louver https://lalouver.com/ and for museums, the Norton Simon https://www.nortonsimon.org/ The music: The MintLA https://www.themintla.com/ I’ve been on stage and in the audience, always great either place, and for big events, Disney Hall https://dola.com/venues/walt-disney-concert-hall and for small events — again, Disney Hall, but downstairs at the REDCAT black box space https://www.redcat.org/ The food: Abbot’s Pizza https://www.abbotspizzaco.com/ on uber-hipster Abbot Kinney Ave, but still cool and great pizza (was there long before the hipster boutiques), Clutch is a fusion of Californian and Mexican dishes, many from the owner’s mom https://www.clutchcalimex.com/ , and forget those Seattle coffee corporations, Groundworks is where you want to go for coffee https://www.groundworkcoffee.com/ Try the breakfast burrito with chorizo. The traffic: freeways are my favorite spots to avoid . . .

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Definite shoutout to my wife, Dr. Lorie Goodman, for keeping me going. Check out her hand-made jewelry: http://www.vbadornments.com/

Website: www.cobaltmedia.us
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-cook-2984847/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/rwcook
Other: https://vimeo.com/cobaltmedia http://4kdirector.blogspot.com/ http://cobaltmedia.myportfolio.com/

Image Credits
Me on Dobro: Guy Welles Me on Upright Bass: Matt Miller Me on location Caddo Lake, TX: Scogin Mayo