Daily Inspiration: Meet Josh Perez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Perez.

Hi Josh, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started by using creative outlets as a way to express myself and connect with others. And being in a great community, investing in relationships, and saying yes to opportunities is how I got to where I am today.

I’ve always been drawn to creativity since I was a kid — writing stories, drawing, being in plays, stuff like that. This continued through high school and college but it was always a passion and a hobby, not my main focus. I wanted to work for a nonprofit and studied Psychology in college, while always working on something creative. It was my friends and community who always pushed me to keep at it and believed in my artistry. I started to say yes to opportunities even if I didn’t know how or didn’t think I was capable of doing something, especially as a way to make a living.

I started posting a lot on Instagram and people would ask me to take photos for them. My friend Jordee encouraged me to write a short film even though I had no idea how to write screenplays. I googled it and that jumpstarted my filmmaking path. My friend Ray said he wanted to start a podcast and wanted me to edit it even though I didn’t know how but he insisted I edit it and he would pay me. After going back to the University of Google.com, I learned about the podcasting space and added it to my toolbox of creative works that allowed me to make a living.

I worked for a nonprofit until 2019 and the whole time I always did the creative work on the side. After I left my full-time job, I freelanced more consistently and did some part-time work. In 2021, I went full-time as a freelance creative based out of Albuquerque, NM, and at the beginning of 2022, I relocated to Denver, Colorado. During the time between then and now, I fell in love with storytelling and continue to learn and grow in the different ways to tell stories — whether it be through photos, filmmaking, podcasts, writing, etc. And I know I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it wasn’t for my community and relationships. These people believe in me and I’ve been able to work on a lot of cool projects and grow in my craft because of them.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been an easy road. Imposter Syndrome has been there the whole time, and still lurks today. I have a hard time trusting and valuing myself due to, what seems to be, the unconventional path into these spaces. I didn’t go to school or have any formal training in a lot of what I do so I often feel like I don’t belong or truly know what I’m doing. Although most of the people I talk to echo the same sentiment — we all at times feel like we don’t know what we’re doing and are all just trying to figure it out. It’s still difficult though. And then the business side of making a living freelancing, forming LLCs, money, all that is not my strong suit. That’s always been a struggle.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think the throughline in what I do is storytelling and I do so through photos, filmmaking, writing, and podcasting. I enjoy working in different mediums because some stories are better told through different mediums. I focus more on editing and producing podcasts for people but photography and filmmaking are still something I do for work on occasion. I think depending on who you ask, you would get different answers for what I’m known for since I’ve done work in a variety of creative spaces but I think photos and photography have been more of how people have connected with me as it’s what I post the most of. The last few years have been a shift to more podcast work.

I think I’m most proud of the short films I’ve been able to work on. I tend to pull in a lot of my friends into my passion projects and vice versa. I love collaborating on film projects and having made something with good people. I’m also proud of the work I get to do on a podcast called Make Something Cool with Alex Sugg. He’s a great friend and getting to build a podcast made for creators and to help others fight through insecurity while encouraging them to create, is something I love being a part of. Creating and putting yourself out there for others to judge and critique is terrifying so working on a podcast that aims to come alongside people on the creative journey is something special.

I think what sets me apart from others is I incorporate everything I’ve learned about creating, people, community, and storytelling, into everything I do. So when people hire me, they aren’t getting someone who loves to have a camera in their hands or someone who only cares about the technical side of the project. You’re not getting photo Josh, or People Josh, or Podcast Josh, you’re getting all of Josh and I believe I’m someone who really cares about the person and they’re why. While working alongside people, I hope we can collaboratively help each other be better people and more ourselves at the end of it.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I think I learned the importance of investing in relationships during the Covid-19 crisis. Time is the most valuable commodity we have and we can’t make more of it. How we spend our time and who we spend our time with are important. I tend to focus on money and stress about it too much when I should be focusing on time. During this crisis, I have been able to have an income from learning and diving into podcasting, and most of the time, I haven’t had to market too much. I’ve been able to have consistent work through my network and by word of mouth. It wasn’t easy by any means, but I know it could have been more of a struggle if it wasn’t for my network and willingness to invest time into adapting, pivoting, and learning.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://justjoshperez.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justjoshperez/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/justjoshperez
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpnn2LPGGo4k1IcY2Qu9YmQ
• Other: https://justjoshperez.substack.com/p/welcome-to-my-newsletter-?r=6mjcn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&s=w