Meet Kevin Argueta | Videographer/Artist

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

Hi Kevin, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is part of change, and life requires constant change. Most people are afraid of taking risks, I was too, but I taught myself to enjoy it. The way I see it, life is very short, and it can be taken away from us at any moment no matter how safe you live your life. What else are we supposed to do during our lives other than try our hardest to make something of the short time we have? Of course, things usually don’t always go as planned.

When things have gone wrong in my life I do regret those risks. I ask myself if it was really worth it, but I have surrounded myself with friends and family that support me, even when I have given up on myself. I recently had an injury where I wasn’t able to walk for months and it took a whole year for me to recover from the surgery. I lost all momentum and it felt like starting back from zero. I finally realized it was all worth it, I started with a clean slate and I was able to get my dream job after this, along with a better ability to think critically.

I always trust my inner voice now, even when things go wrong. Pain and suffering is part of the process, and we all have to go through it to come out even stronger.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Although I am still very early in the stages of the career I want, I have already achieved some of my goals that seemed impossible not long ago.

I consider my passion my art, because however I choose to express that passion is a little piece of me. I have picked up many forms of expressing myself but the one that stuck with me the most was filmmaking. I knew I would pursue it as a career since the day I started, recently I was hired as a videographer/photographer for a candle company.

At 19 my resume isn’t that long, but I can’t say it was easy to achieve what I have. I would be out everyday trying to build a resume going to every restaurant on a bike offering my services, while at the same time applying to jobs. There were weeks where I only had 5 bucks and I had to wait for the day to end to go home and eat something, but it worked out. I was offered a position, and after that I was able to get my first car, as well as better gear.

Simultaneously, I was producing documentaries and videos for my YouTube channel, as well as making meaningful friendships/connections.

The biggest lesson I learned was that I enjoyed the journey as much as I did the reward. It is true when they say “Life isn’t about avoiding suffering, but finding something worth suffering for”. For someone else what I did probably wouldn’t have been worth it, but to me it was worth every second of it.

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?
I was blessed to grow up in LA, where we have everything at arms reach. There’s so much to do out here in Los Angeles but I’m not one to party. I would enjoy a day at The Getty, or an early morning bike ride around Venice, Santa Monica, Marina del Rey, these are close to my favorite place to eat, “Sharky’s Mexican Grill”, which is my second job as well. A nice hike around any of the many trails here in sunny LA would be great too. Usually I enjoy a good “Sope”, a Latino dish. I would consider this dish something that couldn’t decide whether to be a taco or a burrito, its right in between. There are so many great taco trucks around LA, but the restaurant that does it right is called “Carnitas El Artista”. As a filmmaker/storyteller, I also love a night at the movies or at the improv center.

This might be the complete opposite of what most people come looking for in LA, but I enjoy leaving the house without a plan, exploring, and never denying an opportunity to try something new.

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?
Out of all the amazing people in my life I have to shout out my Mother. The most amazing human being I was blessed to have in my life. She raised me by herself, and she gave everything for me to be happy, never asking for recognition, always working hard. Before my teenage years I saw her work two or three jobs so me and my sister had a carefree life. Now she is my inspiration, I would want to give her the world if I can afford it one day.

She led by example, she never used violence and raised me in a loving home. I realize now, it’s almost impossible to do what she did. She balanced being a loving mother and a strict father figure so well. When people ask how I became so mature at such a young age it’s all thanks to my mother who was the perfect example for me to follow.

My Mom deserves all the credit because she taught me the greatest lesson in life, and that is to do everything with love, always be kind to others, humbly, without waiting for anything in return, and at some point God will show you the same love. My Mother never told me this, all I had to do was watch her, I cannot describe how thankful I am towards her.

Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE3Ie_JdOLzti-xUZPnDIlQ

Instagram: kxv.argueta

Youtube: KXV

Image Credits
Silas Mazariegos, Mario Realegeno, Christian Amaya