Meet Alvaro Morales

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

Hi Alvaro, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
As hard as it is to point to one single factor, I’d say more than anything else it’s persistence. It takes a long time to develop an intuition for your craft. It takes a while to learn new tools and integrate them into your practice. Crucially, it’s taken me many years to organically grow a network of clients and collaborators. The path of successful artistic practice is often littered with moments of heartbreak, disillusion, and frustration — knowing how to keep my eyes on the horizon and move on despite setbacks is probably the most important skill I’ve had to learn.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I certainly wouldn’t say it’s been easy, a sentiment I’m sure is shared by every single person making a living in the arts. This is not a very linear path, so protecting the things that light a fire in me and being true to my curiosity have been key lessons I’ve learned along the way. I believe there aren’t any secrets or shortcuts: you consistently, mindfully and lovingly practice your craft for long enough — eventually your instincts will sharpen, the tools will become second nature, and a unique sense of taste will develop.

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to work as a composer and sound designer on projects across a wide range of media, genres and aesthetics, something I’m very proud of and grateful for. This breadth of experience has given me the foundation to build a unique aesthetic sensibility and understanding of audiovisual language. A distinctive voice and the means to execute it effectively are fundamental to the success of my practice.

One thing I’m particularly proud of is my affinity for education and mentorship, which I’ve been developing and cultivating ever since my days as a college student. I believe that we can only thrive as creatives when we are part of a healthy substrate of practitioners who feed and inspire and challenge each other. All art is group art, even when we’re working by ourselves in our studio. I’m always proud and excited to contribute my skills assisting others in developing their own distinctive voices as sound artists, and helping them bring their visions to fruition.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For anyone visiting my hometown of Cali, Colombia, I would take them for a stroll around the San Antonio neighborhood, probably grab coffee in the breezy courtyard at Tierradentro and a bite to eat at Baraka Café. I’d take them to Flores y Lechugas to catch some live music, and of course no trip to Cali would be complete without some salsa dancing at Mala Maña.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Again very hard to narrow this down! I’m a big believer in community and will always be grateful to my own community: all my loved ones who enable me to thrive emotionally and creatively, all the amazing creatives with whom I share this artistic substrate and who provide endless inspiration and revelation. If I had to narrow it down I’d give a shout out to my own family, for instilling in me the courage to pursue what I love.

Website: https://www.alvaro-morales.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajmorales/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%C3%A1lvaro-m-74925413/

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/73Xq963gnPYrg6jgceEnFS?si=i7DcFdyMTTe5IFntaxPGng