Meet Isaac ( IAGUEMAR ) Martinez | Commercial Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isaac ( IAGUEMAR ) Martinez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isaac ( IAGUEMAR ), how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Work life balance has been a myth for many and few have really found something that works if they’re part of the Gig economy. I don’t like to call it a balance but rather a flow and have developed boundaries in my business to remain consistent.

I’ve broken my energy process into 5 parts. Relaxed, Restful, Flow, Go and Stressed. If imagined on a pin meter like one that measures a gas tank in a car, I like my pin to fall between the middle three phases ( Restful, Flow, and Go) and try to stay away from the outer two (Relaxed and Stressed). Flow is the easiest to explain, as you find that “balance” I try not to steer too far from it – flow is a state where I’m aware, I know the steps needed to execute a project and simply, just do it.

I can sense I’m most alive in this state and there are times where I have to put more effort that pushes me into the next tier “Go” whether from learning something new while under pressure, or from crucial deadlines. I’m moving, not stressed but my energy is being taxed a little more because of the demanding tasks at hand.

A restful phase is not fully relaxed – just moving at a slower pace or doing easier tasks that feel like play rather than work. Learning what it means to rest has been hard because I’ve developed a “Go big or go home” mentality and I couldn’t see the lines in between as I would bulldoze through projects with no breaks until I burned out. A totally unhealthy lifestyle (lol) – none the less I try to stay away from being relaxed or stressed to manage a more consistent energy output as a commercial director.

Lastly, I did mention I do have boundaries and these were key to helping me further become aware of my energy output and mental focus. I am a Christian and rest is a common topic in the Bible, without getting into the weeds too much, the Bible teaches the importance of putting aside one day of rest. Outside of not working on Sundays (most times, lol) as a freelance I’ve also developed business hours (9am – 7pm)  and I understand if I don’t get what I need to get done in those time frames than I’m going to fall behind and the snowball effect isn’t to far from there.

In summary, I’ve learned what taxes my energy the most and try to manage that output for a consistent flow. On top of this I stick to the boundaries I’ve set in place to allow my work days to remain in a system. Systems can feel like an icky word for creatives but productivity is important for a high producing artist and a system can truly be what help us to remain sustainable.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a commercial director currently focusing on lifestyle pieces – a lot my experience stems from being a previous business owner and long time artist.

There’s certainly a lot of work when it comes to becoming a professional in anything – they say when you’ve put in a thousand hours of something you’re then considered a professional. A thousand hours broken down over a year is somewhere around four to five hours a days, five days a week. So if you consider that on top of a full time job it’s a lot of work – and anyone looking to break into a new industry should consider the cost of what it will require of them, but sometimes you do just have to do it to find out.

As far as my brand’s story goes – I’m just a guy trying to create good work. I could easily break down the emotional storytelling perspective of how I’ve tailored certain aspects of my work to connect with an audience, but it’s at the end of the day I think we all just want to connect with humans.

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?
Given my wife is my best friend, as she was out of town for whatever reason and returned – If I had a week to just splurge on her here’s what I’d do

I’d start with a scavenger hunt of the most iconic places in southern California. Visiting Instagram worthy locations and creating a rule to take at least 3 different photos at each location (One that’s quirky, one that represents your relationship and the last has to resemble how the location makes you feel). While on this journey stopping at popular treat sights will be a must like The MILK Shop, Pinks, other hole in the wall goodness and maybe Afters Ice Cream for more ice cream, lol.

Second day – get out into the backcountry, do a multi-mile day hike with an incredible view, then end the day with a hardy meal.

Third day would be more casual – take her shopping, try different restaurants throughout Pasadena, LA area. definitely grab some top tier sushi and end with city lights and friends at the Griffith observatory.

Fourth day I’d hit the water, do some diving around Catalina Island, boating or kayaking, maybe catch a movie at the famous theatre and finish the day at a restaurant on the island.

Fifth day – bringing it back down to avoid burnout, lol. My wife being my best friend I’d certainly fit something romantic into the mix – Possibly stay on Catalina for the fifth day and lounge, give her a spa day, find the most tasteful and interesting snacks to try – Then ending the day, I’d certainly like to arrange a candle lit dinner on a private portion of the beach and depending on the weather stay out and star gaze talking about ideas and dreams.

Sixth day would certainly be leading up to a finale – instead of doing something epic I’d do something with energy. Probably visit an amusement park of sorts – try to ride every ride there and do it with people we enjoy hanging out with.

The last day – I’d do something epic, skydiving or hang gliding to spice things up the first day. Grab some awesome sushi next to a beach and hang out and leave the evening open for spontaneous finds.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I don’t believe I reached success yet, but I certainly wouldn’t be where I am with out God, Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit. My wife has been a huge support and by far for books – The Bible is most the underrated.

There are certainly a handful of content creators I learned a tremendous amount from over the years.

Website: www.iaguemar.com

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

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/iaguemar

Youtube: http://youtube.com/iaguemar