Check Out Christopher Farris’ Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Farris.

Hi Christopher, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Christopher Farris. I’m a Colorado native, and I’ve been creating almost my entire life. As a kid, I used to make home movies with my friends on the old family camcorder my great-uncle Alvin gave me. That lead to me making comedic YouTube videos with my older cousin Linda, and this was back when YouTube was still fresh, so not many people saw them outside of family and friends, but it further cemented my love for creating things that made myself and my loved ones laugh.

As I got older, making videos kind of fell by the wayside as my love for music started to grow. I started learning how to play drums from my dad, who was a drummer himself when I was around 10 years old. I ended up joining every kind of band program I could at school, all the way from elementary to high school. In my early teens, I had some friends introduce me to music in the alternative rock vein like pop-punk, emo, and post-hardcore. I fell in love and dived headfirst into that culture, going to as many shows as I could and playing in bands myself.

In 2017, I graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with an emphasis in video production, and that experience reignited my fire for making videos. I learned to combine my two passions and started using my skills in video production for the bands I was in, including my current band The Ragetones, but eventually, I started to get the itch to make comedic videos again. I spoke about this with some friends, so when TikTok was starting to rise in popularity a few years ago, I was encouraged by my close friend Alice to start posting on there.

I started posting videos based on short skit ideas I had, the pop culture I enjoy, and some of the funny and surreal experiences I’ve had being in the pop-punk/emo scene as both a musician and a fan of color. Eventually, some of my videos started to reach a bigger audience than I’ve ever had before, and that has led to me connecting with so many new friends and even creators and musicians I admire. Creating this content and making music with The Ragetones has given me outlets to practice my biggest passions, and I’m very grateful for everything.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest struggles I’ve had along the way is trying to balance my growing responsibilities as an adult while trying to still pursue these creative endeavors. I work a regular 9-5, and sometimes that creates conflicts with opportunities like playing shows with The Ragetones, especially shows that are out of town or out of state.

Unfortunately, the bills come every month, so there are times the music has to come second. Another big part of this struggle is making sure I make time to take care of myself. I tend to completely throw myself into a project, so there are times I have to make myself stop working on a video or writing a song so I can eat, sleep, or just have some time to decompress. I’ve burned myself out more than once before, and it was extremely hard to come back from.

The internet is so fast-paced, so it’s easy to feel pressure to keep turning out content as quickly as possible to try and keep the momentum going or to finally be able to break through all the noise, but we’re all only human, so taking care of one’s self still needs to take priority. I still have to remind myself of this!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I play drums in the alternative rock band The Ragetones. The band itself is over 10 years old, and it has roots in ska, pop-punk, and post-hardcore. When I joined the band a few years ago, we decided to revamp the sound, but we still feature saxophone because rock music needs more horns!

We still lean into pop-punk, but we also take inspiration from emo, indie rock, and pop rock. Our taste in music we enjoy listening to varies from member to member, so other influences find their way into the music, and that’s what I love about the band. We do not put ourselves in a box and make the music we have fun creating.

Ultimately, we want to be a band that connects with people and helps them through their struggles but also helps celebrate their victories and encourages them to be themselves, and we can only do that honestly by being truthful with ourselves. As I mentioned before, a reoccurring theme in my videos is how being black has impacted my experiences in pop-punk/emo spaces. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at a show, scanned the room, and thought to myself, “Wow there is no one else in here that looks like me.”

A lot of times I try to find the humor in the absurdity, but experiences like that can make a person feel like they’re in a place they don’t belong, but when I do post content surrounding that subject, having black folks and other people of color say things like, “I know exactly what that feels like!” and “I thought this only happened to me” makes me feel less alone and reaffirms that it is a subject worth talking about. Thankful that these kinds of spaces have become more inclusive over the years, but there’s still work to be done, and I hope I’m helping with that through my content!

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting.
I already said it, but I’ll say it again, take care of yourself! Your creative output does not equal your worth. It’s so easy to feel like you’re not doing enough by comparing yourself to other creatives, but everyone is different. Listen to your body, and make sure you are doing what it needs to keep you healthy both physically and mentally.

Also, make the art that you want to make! The temptation to follow online trends so more people will see your work is ever-present. There is nothing wrong with participating in a trend for a little bit of fun, but constantly trying to chase what’s hot and constantly catering to that is so draining and can end up feeling hollow. When you create honestly, eventually you will attract like-minded people that will be in your corner!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/XSaveFarrisX
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xsavefarrisx/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theragetones
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/XSaveFarrisX
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@xsavefarrisx

Image Credits
Avery Lewis