Meet Kendal Bernardez | Creative Director, Model & Production Designer

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

Hi Kendal, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?
A book that absolutely changed my life was “Think Like a Monk” by Jay Shetty. The book itself was introduced to me at a pivotal part of my life and my career when I felt like I was losing sight of who I was and what I wanted to do. The book is a well-rounded book that greatly contributed to my self-improvement. I found so many valuable principles such as breathing techniques, asking myself questions to discover my purpose and identifying my values. When I read the book not only did I launch an internal assessment of myself, I also translated that growth into my career path. I began a journey of identifying who I was, what I wanted to do, and what my life’s purpose was. I discovered that I am meant to share my talents with the world and inspire people along the way.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’d like to consider myself a round artist, which is basically a term I made up myself! There’s no definitive line as to what I do because I do a little bit of everything. I’m a muralist, I paint grafitti-like images and turn inanimate objects into personable creatures with their own story to tell. I also have modeled in music videos for some of the biggest names in music today. In that, I found my passion for the production side, and sometimes work as a set designer/production designer for music videos and I was even lucky enough to be a set designer on a TV show! I got to where I am today by not having a plan. While this sounds crazy, I allowed myself to just go with the flow of life and network into different positions and test the waters. I could always paint, but the production aspect happened when I accidentally did a music video for one of my friends, and continued to meet people and one opportunity led to the next. It was definitely not easy, as I made many mistakes along the way. I had times where I lacked so much direction that I was just taking multiple opportunities that didn’t align with my brand, I sold myself short a good amount of times, and even lost sight of my goal. I overcame these challenges my having tough conversations with myself. I rebranded several times, I spoke to people in positions that I wanted to be in and asked important questions, and most importantly I listened to myself. I learned it is so easy to feel like there are so many things you should be doing because you see other people doing them, but everyone’s path is different. Especially mine. I learned to persevere, redirect, and adjust as needed. I learned that humility and connecting with people as a creative is extremely important and I put that at the forefront of everything I was doing. I cared more about other people than I did about the money at times. I want the world to know that I am still going. I am still uncovering layers of myself, finding my purpose, and exploring all the aspects of creativity that are inside me. Where I am today may not be where I am tomorrow but I am constantly evolving and perfecting my craft. There are so many exciting things coming that I can’t wait to share soon!

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 always love to show my friends a good time! I would definitely start out with getting strawberry margaritas at the Sidewalk Cafe at Venice Beach, then hang out there for an hour or two. We’d then go to Escuela Taqueria in West Hollywood because they have the most amazing wagyu and lobster tacos. Their drinks are pretty strong so we would be good for that day! I’d follow up with either a nice dinner or nice brunch at Rush Street in Culver City. At some point we’d have to turn up at Fin & Feathers in Marina Del Rey or Broken Shaker in DTLA which is a cute rooftop spot with really good vibes. I tend to thrive on adventure so aside from my go to places, I would be open to finding new spots that hopefully become my new favorites!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
While I would love to shoutout one or two specific people, my village is too big! I absolutely have to shoutout my mom who always encouraged me, and always lended me a listening ear after a long day at work when I would come home and talk for what seemed like hours about productions, artwork and just life in general. Thank you mom for always being my number 1 supporter and best friend! Also, I want to shoutout every single person that has shared my work, mentioned my name in rooms that I wasn’t in, referred me to projects, gave me advice, showed me love, encouraged me & hyped me. My best friends Mikhail and Kay who constantly are there for me and love on me when I need it the most. Love Ya’ll!

Website: kendalmaxdesigns.com (Under Construction)

Instagram: @kendalcupcake_

Twitter: @kendalcupcake_

Image Credits
Randolla