Rise of the Reel

Last night was a truly inspiring event for me.

Together, with the help of our many sponsors, the community of Sacramento, the Crest Theatre, and the Shriners Children’s Hospital we were able to pull off an amazing event.

With grim expectations, doubts, and worries we would be having an empty event, we were surprised to see the amazing turnout of people that came from all over Sacramento and the Bay Area to join us with a vision Felipe drew up only a few months ago.

I think that the strength of our voices was evident last night. As artists, we constantly fight this fear that our work is just not important to the everyday person. It can seem like a dead-end road for many, with the worry that it’s impossible to maintain a creative lifestyle without blowing up to celebrity recognition levels. However, despite all of the other obligations we have, whether that’s work, school, families, or children, we still have the urge to create, because that’s what is important to us. It was amazing to see that desire and passion realized last night on the big screen, and even more rewarding to have been able to share it with the large audience that joined us.

Having our prints on display in the lobby of the theatre was also a great feeling. To be able to share your work with people in person is such a blessing. A lot of us have got our starts in photography through social media, sharing to a global audience that we rarely get to see or speak to. To have that physical presence last night really meant a lot to each artist. To see the faces and reactions people had when viewing a piece for the first time. You just can’t replicate that feeling anywhere else.

For me personally, I’m looking forward into displaying more of my creative works in galleries. I want to have people in front of my photographs so they can really get a much more direct connection with what I’m trying to show. Also, I am determined more than ever now to start working with video. I’ve always had a small itch and vision for it, with a couple of YouTube shorts I’ve posted in the past, and experimental things. After seeing the work from last night, I am convinced that it is time for me to take the next big step forward in my creative journey. I already have a story board completed for a music video I want to shoot, as well as a few other ideas for documentary style shorts. I hope to have something completed before the end of 2016 to share with everyone.

Finally, I just want to leave this post with another thank you to everyone that made last night possible. From all the support that our friends and families gave us, as well as from other artists and photographers, you guys gave us the fuel to do this. If you were at Rise of the Reel last night, I want to personally thank you for your presence. I can only hope that you enjoyed the event and you were able to take away something positive from it. At the end is a list of all the sponsors that donated to Uprise Collective. Thank you. Without your financial help, we would not have been able to produce and host such a tailored event, as starving artists, we appreciate and respect your donations greatly.

Sponsors: Seasons Coffee California Auto Body North Timeless Thrills Spitting Image Media One Way Recording Blue Lamp Sacramento Magazine Green Fish Unseen Heroes Haven & Florin Post Modern Marketing