Meet Austin Matzelle | Documentary Film Maker & Media Manager

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

Hi Austin, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
Curiosity has always been a driving factor in my life. It’s been an extremely rewarding process to move beyond the surface level of what I’m doing, and to learn about how I can specifically do things and most importantly, why I would choose to do them.

Being curious also serves as a way to combat perfectionism, anxiety, and stress related to projects or work that I’m holding onto. Putting too much pressure on making my work look a certain way keeps me from being productive, and curiosity helps me open my mind back up to be flexible and engage with possibilities.

Lastly I would say that through curiosity, I’ve been able to connect with people around me. If you’re in a curious mindset, and in a place to truly listen to someone else, you can learn about their perspective and understand more about the variable ways we can all exist.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is a reflection of my worldview and lived experiences. For photo-based projects, being at specific points of time or collaborating with creatives helps make moments that originate from the unique individuals and environment that converge at that space and time. For video and documentary based projects, I’m looking to share perspectives of individuals who have gotten to the place they are at in life, and hope to share that knowledge with others who may be wanting to learn how they can engage with life in novel ways.

To me, the act of creating art brings forward the perspectives of whoever is involved. It is a labor of love and it can be a very community-based, and community-building process. Challenges with working in groups is getting everyone on the same page and to work on following through on necessary pieces.

For anyone else responding to this story on art, I hope they consider what types of things they can make with their loved ones, their communities. I truly believe that the emergent energy that comes from collaboration, and community helps fuel what is possible for us to achieve and create.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve been enjoying some of the social clubs and events I’ve found for artists, LA Photography Club, The Great Film Club, have been places I’ve found amazing creative friends who fuel my interest and provide wisdom and knowledge about the film and photography industries.

I also spend a lot of my time at coffeeshops in West Hollywood and towards Silver Lake, so Javista and Sightglass in WeHo, Stories in east LA, have been some of my favorite places.

Being here for under a year I’m always excited to find new restaurants, art galleries, and all the events this city has to offer.

If I were to plan out a day for a friend, it would involve a favorite coffee shop to catch up, going to a gallery or museum in central LA, catching a jazz show at the Baked Potato in Burbank, and then ending up at Bossa Nova for late night Brazillian.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m so appreciative to the community of creatives who have welcomed me in as a collaborator and friend here in Los Angeles.

Website: matzellemedia.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-matzelle-27a580bb/

Image Credits
Austin Matzelle for image credit on images included