Meet Vincent Raymond Moreno | Multidisciplinary Artist, Author, Entrepreneur

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

Hi Vincent Raymond, why did you pursue a creative career?
Hi, My name is Vincent Raymond Moreno but i go by Vincent Black. I am a Latino indigenous man from the Southside of Chicago, IL, out of the Little Village neighborhood. I now live in the LA area. I am a singer, composer, actor, director, creative. I have a band by the name of De La Luz and own a production company called Life Flower Productions. The reason why i chose to have an artistic and creative career was to tell the stories of my life and my people and I love to create. I always wanted to create and build and have for many years. Since i was a kid i found a way to create. Through song and my imagination i was naturally drawn to hearing the sounds and seeing the colors all from the aether and the world around me. I create cause i have something inside me that wants to build a world of excitement, understanding, and bridge worlds and people together so we can all find more commonalities than differences. My objective in life is to bring people together using Song, film, and performance with a clear and concise message. i believe is the way to help people understand who cannot typically do so. to facilitate a place for loving others and myself. This i believe teaches patience and understanding and allows us all to see that we all are teachers and students of the world every day. I grew up in an artistic place where tagging, tatooing, underground rock, rap, hiphop, Dusties, country, melting pot of a society lived and breathed. Mixed with tragedy, Murder, death, sadness, family, and joy was a daily occurance. I was constantly in a rapid mood cycling state from this and hyperaware of my surroundings. There was always a way to see death and rebirth on a daily basis. To keep going no matter what was mission. I wanted to be a muse of this and now i am. For my people and people like me. For us all

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy?

How i got to where i’m at today is by many trials. I have been writing original music since i was roughly 8 years old but always could hear melodies in my mind and see colors in the world around me I believe since I was born. I went through a lot growing up and moved that all into my art and writing. Little by little as time went on i developed other skills in art. composing, directing, camera work, acting, writing and just living. I earned my SAG-AFTRA card performing on the hit NBC primetime show Chicago Fire and from there that was my ticket to move to LA and continue to build my brand and my big idea. During the covid lockdown I auditioned and was accepted to Berklee school of music for composition for TV and Film as well and that created opportunities with other amazing artists and creatives. I have a musical project called De La Luz that is a musical band and brand type universe i have been building along with writing a memoir about my life with the assistance of my amazing mentors. I am in the process of building this universe and branding out as i am also a part of other scoring and acting projects in the world of video games and other feature films in process’s. Nothing has been easy and understanding that it may never be easy is a part of these processes that I have come to love and appreciate. I had many challenges of unreliable teams and people who just didn’t see the “Big Picture”. It did tear me down at times but i always got back up and kept moving. No matter how long i was down. 90% of anything is just showing up. That has always been the truest part of my life. Always appreciate every opportunity and be grateful though sometimes it is short lived, i learned a lot.

If not, how did you overcome the challenges?

How i overcame a lot of these challenges was to stay present. To create short term goals and just do one thing everyday or every week and followed through. I also allowed myself to fail. In my “regular job” world i do sales and did door to door sales for many years. with sales “some will, some wont, so what, next door”. Along with the all the trials and tragedies i had This taught me that you will always have bad days, bad months, bad years, bad decades. That does not define you and you have to fail into success regardless. Its up to us to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I learned a lot of the practices by looking for others who had success and being in recovery and self development for years and comparing this with my own life. in the last 5 years is when i started to see the work show itself. always keeping it, a day at a time. Also, having a regular job helps tremendously. In this world we live in, it may be hard to find the balance between a regular job and building your career, but i believe that it is essential. Find a basic job that has the flexibility you need so you can care for yourself while you pursue your goals and alchemy.

What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way.

There are so many lessons i have learned, i cant fit them all but heres a few.
To trust my instinct. Trauma can always lead to not being aligned but trust your instinct and always live in both worlds. Their reality and my own. There needs to be a balance of that. Self care is so important to have the balance that give you the freedom you need. Another lesson i learned is to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the journey. Life is in the journey and not the destination. It helps me enjoy the work instead of dreading it and that is when i am at my best.

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

I want the world to know that my brand is the world and my story, and my story is the truth through my eyes.
I explore the pain and love that makes us who we are. What made me who i am. My brand is showing you my enlightenment and hoping you can see the world and learn to love deeper and feel deeper than you ever have been able to see. To see the struggles of our lower class and how we all aren’t any different from each other and that we need each other at the end of the day. We come into this world alone and and we leave this world alone, but our sprits are the engine of the universe and we are ultimately all drawn together through this and that togetherness is completeness.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When i have people in town i like to take them to hike up in the hills like the brush canyon trail and then make our way to the beach cities, Santa Monica, Malibu, the palisades. I love the desert and heading towards joshua tree as well. Then heading to LBC to take the catalina express to catalina island. We would stop at many different places to eat like El Toro, Carnitas El Momo, and no 1 chef chinese in gardena. For italian Amante is stellar and affordable.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First i want to dedicate this shoutout to me. For never giving up on my dreams and shooing away the naysayers and non-believers, for getting clean and staying clean and focused. For taking trauma and turning into fuel for the eternal fire that lights my soul up so that i can warm the souls of others, and be a beacon of hope for the hopeless and destitute. To also have the ability to have a clear and concise message and conscience that helps facilitate bringing people of walks of life together. Secondly i want to thank my amazing partner, you know who you are, good morning beautiful. My amazing kids and family who always dealt with the hard times when i was struggling with my trials. Third, i want to thank my mentors Daniel Joshua Rubin, Nadav Kurtz, and the many others who have mentored me through thick and thin. I want to thank my amazing team, extended family, and friends. Claudia Guajardo, Tiffany Nguyen, Alexandra Bruno, Ben Dinh, Ko Chandetka, Daniel Escobar, Peter Distefano, Wendy Burke, Omar Bader Jr, John Podlesnik, Ward, Jen, Joel Gradisnik, Rosalinda Reyes, Reyes Family, Andy John, Robert Schweitzer, Ako Mitchell, David Slama, Sean Williamson, David Sapp, Steve Vorass, Oscar Ramos, Emauel Zander, Eaamon Fields, Joseph Estrada, My entire teenage years friend group, Eric Labrosse, Mario Lanza, Rod Wortham, WAMI’s, Becky Willis, Jess and Mark Greenwald, six pack Sammy, Killer Clowns, Grounded Saints, Lucky Chance, Buchman Family, John Buchman, Babes and Beaus Hinsdale/Chicago, Chicago acting academy, Claire Simon, and Robin Vega. All these people and orgs i mentioned are friends who have helped me along the way. Thank you all! If i missed anyone, please know that if you’re in my life, i love you and feel the same. Thank you all for giving me the chance and for allowing me to be in your lives and for you all allowing my story to be entwined with yours.

Time not in Vain:
Thank you all
for the Late nights and early mornings,
bar fights, and loss without warning.
For the growth, pain, tears, and shame
My heart is full, my soul is stained
You left your mark, Time not in vain
Vincent Raymond Moreno

Website: https://www.dela-luz.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-raymond-moreno-b8588358/

Twitter: https://x.com/VincentRMoreno

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xvincentblackx/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@VincentBlack

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10425024/

@xvincentblackx

Image Credits
Photos by the amazing beautiful and extremely gifted: Robin Vega @therealrobinvega

https://www.instagram.com/therealrobinvega/