Meet Clayzo | Lifestyle & Music Photographer

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

Hi Clayzo, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
At around 16 i got my first job at a place called “Boys and Girls Club” and though it was short hours & relatively easy income especially at that age i just couldn’t see myself clocking in & out at a certain time EVERYDAY. That traditional “you have to graduate highschool and go to college to get a good job” was very off putting to me already at 16, so i was already on the path to avoid that life & find a passion that i could do full time if possible.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I personally think what sets me apart from fellow photog’s is my vision & creative process. It’s a little unorthodox but it works for me. So usually load up all the photo’s from the shoot and play certain music to get a vibe going and just flow with the music while editing so if i’m playing an artist like Bryson Tiller for example, the photos come out with a blue/dark tone because that’s usually the feeling the songs give you along with the visuals for his music videos.

I’d say things i am most proud/excited about is everything this lifestyle has to offer. There’s literally no limits when it comes to a camera so you can go from shooting for a clothing brand to pictures for a celebs bday party and shooting for a music festival the day after.

Getting to where i’m at currently was no easy ride at all. Having to want this life and to succeed soon as i left highschool was not the best route to take but i couldn’t wait i wanted to take over the world. You soon realize that theres alot of difficulties that you don’t see at first like if you want to go for this full speed, how will you make money while business is slow? do you have a car to travel if booked? do you have friends and family you can depend on if you need money or a ride? is there a corner of support to lean on when you lose the hunger & the grind? It’s so easy to quit anything in life because the things we want the most are always going to be the hardest to achieve. I was able to overcome these challenges because of how bad i wanted it. So if i had to id ask family for any odd jobs or any favors i could do for them so if i ever needed one in return i’d have someone to call and made alot of contacts in the industry that could link me with someone if they ever needed a last min photographer. I would do things that didn’t exactly hold me back so if i ever got a call to shoot something i could just go, you don’t have that same luxury when you have to clock in somewhere with a boss.

One of the biggest lessons that i’ve learned and that all upcoming creatives should learn is to never take someones word for anything in the industry. If it’s not on paper and signed no one is obligated to do a thing for you just because you guys verbally agreed on something. I fell victim to a similar situation with a famous artist that i cannot name, and I was young and didn’t really know the ins and outs to the business. But I loved those mistakes, because it has made me who I am today.

I want the world to know that no matter your upbringing, what camera you have or don’t have, what you see others accomplish on instagram or whatever the case may be, that it never stopped me from going after the things i wanted, it never discouraged me from my art, I always used all these things to motivate myself and you all should keep that same energy and mindset for your own art.
I also want the world to know that i came from nothing, I was broke, homeless, moved around households alot and did all i’ve done so far with no college degree. So if you can see yourself in my brand or story use it as fuel to keep yourself going and don’t let anyone tell you no or that you cant do something.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This answer varies person to person but assuming that my friend was the outgoing type i’d say to start off light with like maybe some rooftop vibes like Freehand over in DTLA or Mamas shelter over in hollywood, both for some good music/vibes/food and friendly people. Hangouts i’d say maybe any of the Crave cafes or rodeo drive/melrose ave. In terms of drinking aka my favorite part of the days out, Bars like Cabo Cantina or Barneys beanery is always a good time or you can hit my boys @T_rich_23 & @heshaam on instagram for the VIP nightlife experice all over hollywood & west hollywood or you can see @imchrisparis Dj the hell out of Arena nightclub in Ktown. (shameless plugs i know)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Any and everyone that i’ve cross paths with whether its friends, family, social media followers and other fellow creatives that have all pushed and inspired me to continue to do what i love. every like and repost means the world.

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/clayyyy

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/oVoTelevision

Other: twitch.tv/ciayzo

Image Credits
Alessandra Ameerah