Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Evan Naka. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Evan, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I think staying creative is challenging for anyone. We hope to always have new ideas flowing, but it can be difficult, especially if you are doing similar types of projects every month. It can dry out that creative muscle, and feel like nothing new is happening in your work. This can sometimes lead to burnout or even feeling like there is a lack of fulfillment in the work you are producing and putting out. Over the years I have cultivated different ways to help me stay creative and allow my work to always feel fresh and inspiring. As someone who does product photography, I can find inspiration throughout my day in many ways, and once I started looking around I realized other people and things can help spark new ideas. I love getting inspiration from magazines, TV commercials (yes, I still like to watch TV commercials for inspiration), grocery stores and new products on the shelves, billboards, going on runs to clear my head and to have new ideas come to be more organically, and recently I even got inspiration on one of my flights to a work event, from one of the ads they were showing before the flight took off. If we take the time to look around and take in our surroundings, there is always something that can be interesting and help build that idea muscle. Another way I keep my creativity alive is by working with others to brainstorm new ideas and concepts, Whether it’s for social or a new project, bouncing ideas, and layering concepts help me to pump out ideas more easily. When you hear how others think it challenges your perspective and allows you to see things from new angles. So, day-to-day, I try to stay open to new things I am seeing, people I am working with, and even just getting in the studio and playing around, I try to keep working that creative muscle to keep producing work I feel good about and even have others be inspired by.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
If you take a look at my Instagram or TikTok you will see my style of work with product photography, and even though I look like a one-man show, I have my own production studio, Naka Studios. We do shoots of all sizes and work with different brands to create visually satisfying content from social posts, marketing ads, e-commerce, and even larger campaigns. It has been an exciting journey over the years, from taking my work from social to my own studio. Naka Studios has grown from my garage to now a studio location in Los Angeles. We continue to grow but always want to maintain our mission, which is to create high-quality work for brands of all sizes. If you are in need of bringing your brand to life, me and my team, at Naka Studios, want to help you!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Persistence, curiosity, and adaptability are three qualities that I think, looking back, have impacted my journey. Persistence to keep going when you feel like you want to quit. Staying curious, to maintain creativity and industry awareness. Plus having the ability to be adaptable to people, budgets, social media trends and needs, and even different brand styles for different projects. I think if anyone can have these qualities, they set you apart from most people and can keep you doing what you love longer.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I think it’s important to be strong, unique, knowledgeable, and ever-growing in your particular field. With that said, I think it is equally as important to have a strong understanding of the surrounding areas of work within your field. It is like the saying goes, “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” Focus on your strengths, but build up others to allow you to be more well-rounded, and this will help you to stand out and elevate what you’re able to offer. Even though I am a photographer and director, I have worked in other areas on a set, which has allowed me to see how other roles work/operate and what is needed as a whole during a shoot. It gives you perspective and widens your lane of work instead of switching lanes. Keeps you growing and aware of what’s going on as a whole.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nakastudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evan_naka
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@evan_naka
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@evan_naka?lang=en
