Meet Israela De Guzman | Videographer/Photographer

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

Hi Israela, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I’d say I’m very open to risk, I fear challenges yet love facing them at times just to prove to myself that there’s nothing to fear regardless of the outcome. I started an eyebrow business before my videography one. I paid a lot of money for it, took the class, bought extra equipment and supplies, got clients, did it for a couple months and decided to stop because I realized I wasn’t passionate about it and instead was just doing it to make passive income. After that, I spent a couple thousand dollars on nail supplies from every website possible and did one set and thought to myself I didn’t want to do that either. Everything I’ve done up until the point of realizing what I truly wanted to do, was a risk. Every step. But with the business I have now, I have always thought of and even talked about starting a videography business but only to a few people. I kept hearing the advice of just starting something even if you may not have everything in order yet. If you start something and fail, then you’ll know sooner than later and possibly move on to the next thing but if you’ve been thinking about doing something for a while and end up never doing it, I feel like that’s an even bigger risk you’re taking that you will just continue to wonder what could’ve been. So when I started doing videography, I didn’t have the best equipment or editing software, but I knew that I just wanted to start. When you’re a beginner at something, there’s always room to progress and grow and since I’ve started, I’ve learned so much from so many people I’ve met and collaborated with and I love that feeling so much. I admire the feeling of being teachable because we just have to be. Taking risks is the only way to live, it’s basically what life is about.
 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I feel like (besides being a Pisces), ever since I was little, it has always been in my nature to choose a more artistic path. I have always had a creative imagination and was drawn to anything artsy and musical growing up. That’s all I cared to pursue. I believe I was drawn to that all my life because when you find what your purpose is here, you will forever have this tug that will pull you closer to it and I’m one who doesn’t like to feel as if I’m moving away from my true purpose. I believe what sets me apart is simply how my mind works. I mean everybody is different in their own way and if you incorporate that into your art and what you do, you will naturally stand out. If you just get all your inspiration from people who are doing the same thing as you, you will never get to explore your own creativity. You have to figure out what you like and what you’re good at within your niche and make that your style. I am most excited about collaborating more and learning from different creators. I feel like when you find interest in something, you just kind of get better at it and aren’t just like “yeah I’ve got everything down!” you can learn something from ANYONE even as a pro. I keep this mindset not only in my career but my life because it has taught me to keep an open mind and to always observe lessons that life is trying to throw at me. I don’t want to ever limit my thinking because that’s what stops me from evolving. Where I am today in my business is not something I expected to take on this early. Quite frankly there wasn’t much thought process into it as ridiculous as that sounds it just kind of made sense the way it unfolded. During the beginning of quarantine in 2020, I created a page of some cartoon edits I’ve done of celebrities. I saw a couple or youtube videos on how to do outlines and it was fun for me and I wanted to share my work with people. That quickly turned into me doing those type of edits for friends and family, getting their photos, and turning them into video edits but I was only charging $5 at the time. I’ve always had joy editing videos. I’d do it whenever I traveled somewhere or even with at home videos. I loved the process of creating a video from start to finish and replaying it over and over again because it simply flows together and is entertaining. That’s what consumed my time when I was bored and found out others needed that kind of service for when they don’t have the time to do it themselves. I turned it into a “side hustle” at the time since I couldn’t work. So overall I’d say I slowly found my love for editing videos and photos again and decided to turn it into a business! I feel like a lot of people are unaware of the sleepless nights, how many trial and errors are made for a video or photo, the patience and discipline that goes into finishing a project and the physical effort when capturing moments especially video footage. For someone who is in this industry as a single parent with a 2 year old and who also makes music, it can definitely be overwhelming at times but nonetheless I love what I do and I love making others happy with the results so it’s definitely worth it. I also have help from my family when it comes to me going out to do a shoot and just editing when I can find the free time while my child is asleep. Whether it’s midday or way past midnight, I’m always editing something.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout my family. They have always encouraged me to follow an artistic career choice and supported me through it all. They believed in me so much growing up and gave me the confidence I have today in what I choose to do.

Website: idmadestudio.com

Instagram: @idmadestudio

Facebook: Izzy Dani