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

Hi waves, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Taking risks is essential to success. There’s no argument against it. Because if you yourself aren’t willing to take the chance on yourself in order to achieve what you want to accomplish in life then who will? Taking risks on ideas or investing in myself has become a huge factor in the reason as to where I am today, because there were moments where I thought things wouldn’t pan out due to them being so unconventional and irregular that there was a fear that it wouldn’t connect. But being in those uncomfortable situations became the greatest teacher, since you learn more about yourself and what works best for you creatively, and how certain mistakes can be avoided in the future once you learn from them if they are made. Being a risk taker is one of the best qualities any creative entrepreneur could have.

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.
My art is a representation of many things. I consider myself to be more of a creative director on top of everything, whether it comes to photoshoots, directing videos or even editing, the final product is always the result of putting different inspirational pieces together. It took a lot of patience and willingness to experiment to get to where I’m at today, that on top of being as consistent as possible when it comes to creating on a regular basis. But it definitely wasn’t an easy task, there were definitely challenges I had to overcome in order to get here.

At one point I’d even given up on shooting and creating completely because I let the world dictate my personal narrative instead pushing through the negativity during a certain period of time. But that ended up becoming the greatest lesson, as I’ve come to realize that believing and having faith in your abilities is the most important attribute you could have when it comes to pursuing your purpose in life.

Outside of that, I have a whole bunch of projects I’m working on right now that I can’t wait to put out. But so far I’d say my proudest moment was coming up with a new photoshoot event/concept called “The Walk-In”. It’s basically a space for any and all types of LA based visual creators to come network and learn off of each other in a photoshoot setting. Photographers, models, creative directors and fashion designers all come through and shoot if they’re up to it, but if they’re camera shy then it can be used as a space to pitch ideas to any one else that’s attended in order to possibly collaborate with anyone else there! Be sure to look out for the next one, it’s coming soon.

As for anything else coming up, the only thing I can say is to look out for Otherworld.

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.
Lunada Bay in Palos Verdes easily has one of the best views in the city no doubt. It’s a perfect go to spot to chill and vibe out if you need a break from whatever you’re going through in life. As for food id say nothing beats C&O’s in Venice beach, its a super underrated italian spot and deserves more credit and recognition than it does right now. But naturally as an LA native it’d be a tragedy to not include going to the beach. Manhattan, Redondo or even malibu has the best feel to it, I’d highly recommend heading there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to give a huge shoutout to my mentor Scetch. He took a chance on me when I first started making videos and gave the encouragement to start learning from my mistakes and value the importance of consistency. To say that I wouldn’t be here because of him would be an understatement without a doubt and I just want to thank him for everything he’s done. I’d also like to give a shoutout to my parents! They’ve been extremely supportive of the direction I decided to move in and i’d like to say thank you for everything you guys have done up until this point. I’m gonna keep making you proud.

Website: shotsbywaves.com

Instagram: instagram.com/yvngwaves

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