John Gutierrez
John Gutierrez
Photographer / GIF Animator / Retoucher / Content Creator
Orange County, Middletown, NY
www.johngz.com
instagram @j0hngz
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I am a Multimedia Artist. ”
I work in the areas of Photography, Videography, Video Editing, Image Retouching, GIF Animation, and Graphic Design. Being able to work with such a large variety of art forms allows me to bring out my fullest potential. This also leads to no limitations for both the Client and me.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
Years of self-discipline brought out who I am today. I enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology two years ago to perfect my craft in Photography. In doing so, I have taught myself to make Gif animations from my own photos. However, it didn’t stop there. I continued to branch out, because of my thirst for knowledge, into different mediums such as Videography and Graphic Design. I am and will continue to do so for the next two years, while pursuing my Bachelor’s degree.
How do you stand out in your field?
The odd aesthetic style my pieces of art give to my audience. That gives me a higher standing point in the crowd because that is not normally what Artists tend to make. However, I bring a sense of tranquility to the strange that is my art. These character traits lure an audience that wants to satisfy their need for exploration of something foreign and unique.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
While working on my courses and their assignments, I am improving my portfolio and adding Product Photography to the list of things I am capable of. I am able to keep track of all my projects and future projects in programs such as Notion and Google Calendar.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
I do not have my own established taste of art just yet. As of right now, my portfolio mostly consists of work that I personally like and experiments I try out to better my craft. Tyler Mitchell, a Brooklyn based Photographer, is someone who creates work that I am inspired by and would like my work to emulate. His work is truly stunning and soothes my whole being. Until I have reached that point in my career, I will continue to go through trial and error.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I would love to focus more on Content Creation for brands on their social media platforms. I say this because I want to know and be a part of the process of working with a team in different departments. It will also help me know what the audience is seeking and would want to interact with, which is the knowledge I need if I want to build my own business in the near future.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
My frustration is like a double-edged sword because while it discourages me, it makes me want to continue forward and push through. I noticed that I do not want to publish my projects on social media. This is mostly due to insecurities of my work not receiving a lot of interactions and responses from people. However, I know if I do not push through this frustration then I will just receive something worse than what I feared in the beginning.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
An assistant I would like to hire for in-studio and outdoor image/video shoots. It will make the process to get the necessary materials I need easier when editing/retouching it. Having a second set of hands will also help the decrease of time needed in post-production because there will be fewer mistakes while obtaining the footage.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
I would like to travel back to February 2020 to tell myself to start applying to jobs related to my profession. During this time, I would tell myself that I couldn’t do so because I do not have what they’re asking for. If I could, I would slap myself with my own art to prove that I am more than worthy to apply to jobs with the skills I have worked endlessly for.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
Building an audience for your art instead of building your art for an audience. If I had the chance to talk to an expert it would be about this topic. This is a difficult situation to understand for Artists that want to build a supportive community for their portfolio. I am continuously trying to work through this issue due to discouragement that I have received.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
I am interested in working with brands/companies of all sorts no matter the scale they’re in. I would love to have opportunities to bring my GIF Animation and Photography skills to a creative work environment. Such as working with products, clothing, or content creation. Also, the chance of collaborating with other artists to deliver the end product to the Client would be greatly appreciated.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
My ideal job as I mentioned in a past answer is being able to be a Content Creator for brands. I say this job position fits me the most because the title alone does not have limitations for the one that is occupying the position. As similar to my art, I do not allow it to be only limited to one thing and one thing alone. I would be able to bring in all the mediums I work with altogether in one place that welcomes it.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Having a mutual, professional, kind attitude towards each other would be a great way to approach me. The budget and scope of the desired project will be needed to be included in the intro. This is to have a strong understanding from both parties from the beginning and avoid consuming time. My preferred form of communication in the beginning would be through email, however, I wouldn’t mind changing it if the client wanted to later on. A hilarious GIF is not needed but would be a nice touch!
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Experiments lead the way for me.
This member profile was originally published in October 2020.