Meet Tristan Stuart

We were lucky to catch up with Tristan Stuart recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tristan , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I developed my work ethic early in life through playing sports. Growing up in Prescott, Arkansas, where sports are taken very seriously, I became a multi-sport athlete. To excel as an athlete, I learned that a positive mindset and discipline were crucial. This discipline was instilled in me by my coaches, teammates, and the team environment. Being a part of Prescott Football taught me the importance of hard work and the drive to be a winner. This foundation in sports has significantly shaped my approach to work and life. Perhaps the most influential piece though is my Mother. I watched her work day in and day out for 30 yrs, none stop. She made no excuses, she just made it happen .

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Currently, I’m a wedding videographer and photographer, professionally and internationally. I also have a photography studio, I am co-owner to Studio Dream Photography Studio in West Little Rock. I’m leaning heavily towards wedding video and photo right now. That’s my bread and butter. That’s what I really love to do the most. I feel really special about capturing those valuable moment. It’s my favorite thing to do other than spending time with my family, my wife, and my children. My brand is Tristan Stuart Visuals. I’ve had several names before. I’ve went by several different titles. I’ve had several different roles. I actually started out a rapper. I come from a group, called LockBoyz, L-O-C-K-B-O-Y-Z. We were rappers. We started that in junior high. The reason I picked up a camera is because we needed video work. We ended up having to pay our first video cost us like, I think, $900 or maybe $1,000. I said, well, hell, if we buy a camera, then I can learn how to do it. I got a camera and self taught. Within a year I went from doing our videos to doing everybody videos in southwest Arkansas. This was around 2008, 9, 10. Between 2008 and 2014, maybe I’ll say, I was doing everybody music video. Then one day, my cousin said, hey, man, can you take pictures at my wedding? They just know me for having a camera. I didn’t have any photography experience, but I said, yes. I did it. I didn’t do so well, but they didn’t care. It was a thought that counts, and they just wanted a few photos. Fast forward to 2018, I had a child, and I had a camera. I began taking photos of her and posting them on social media until one day someone asked me how much I charged to do it. That’s how my photography journey began. In regards to video, I never stopped doing video. I started doing wedding videos because I wasn’t happy with my wedding video that I paid for. I said, well, I think I can do better than that. That’s what I started doing. Since 2017, I’ll say, I probably did my first wedding video in 2018. Since 2018, we’ve been the most consistent wedding videographer company in Central Arkansas. I don’t know anybody else doing more than we’re doing. Last year, we’ve done 49 weddings. This year, we’re on track to around 40, but who knows what may happen. The years before that, we did several as well. We’re just continuing to grow. I love doing it. That’s what I want to do forever. Well, I won’t say forever, but I’m going to train some guys to keep the name alive. We enjoy capturing the memories for folks and having it accessible to them for many, many years to come.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I don’t really have three qualities other than My desire to do great work, to win and succeed in all I touch. My advice is to discipline yourself. Respect the game. Be mindful of others and to stay caught up on all work.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

I’m always OVERWHELMED. The only remedy I have is to keep working. Complete tasks in a timely manner so that you have time to breathe. I balance a Business, a 40hr a week day job, two toddlers, their lives and my life. Is always go mode. I try to make as much time for everybody, including myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tristanstuartvisuals.com
• Instagram: tristanstuartvisuals
• Facebook: Tristan Stuart Visuals

Image Credits

Nelly Hernandez took the photos of me