Meet Ulises Gonzalez

We recently connected with Ulises Gonzalez and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ulises, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?

My generosity comes from my family. I was raised in a very loving and supportive family. With both of my parents being immigrants to this country, I feel like we see the world in a different light because we understand that opportunities may come and go, but the one constant that we have is each other. With that in my mind, it’s allowed me to value the relationships that I have with people I come across.

Maybe to my detriment I could be TOO generous, but I’d rather be known for my generous heart than for ever compromising myself to conform to others in the room.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m currently a film student that is graduating this December. I have my own business, ULI’S.POV, and I do about everything from photoshoots to video shoots. I write scripts, produce and direct my own projects as well as collaborate with other amazing artists and creatives.

Along with me taking pictures, I actually have a small gallery of film photography prints that I sell! I’m currently in the process of expanding this part of my business; I would love to have a coffee table book that have my prints as well as other smaller objects that people can have and utilize. (Mugs, Journals, T-Shirts, Hoodies, Ash Trays & Rolling Trays, etc.)

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I would say that the 3 things that were the most impactful in my journey are:

1. My willingness to continue to be a student of life.
– I feel that because I’m always eager to learn a new skill or to attack a new project that I’ve never done before has only made me more confident in my skills.

2. Being kind and respectful to everyone I’ve come across.
– People love people who are easy to talk to and that are genuine. Most of my clients or collaborators are people who I’ve been working with for a long time and it makes me feel good that I’m their first point of contact if they want to do a project because they know me for me and we have a relationship outside of the content creation. Word of mouth is your best friend in this industry and the impact you leave on people because it’s helped me expand my network.

3. Staying grounded in myself and my beliefs.
– One thing that I’ve grown up hearing from my parents is that I was born to be a leader. I was taught to never conform to the crowd and that it’s completely okay to have differing opinions from everyone, and it’s even better if I can communicate myself without ever shutting down or putting other people down to make myself feel heard.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

When I’m overwhelmed there are a couple of things that I like to do. One of them being retail therapy, haha. Another is just going out for a walk and listening to music to clear my head, I notice that when I am feeling that way it’s because I’m stuck in my bubble and haven’t really been able to breathe in the fresh air and take in the sun. Even if it’s a 5-10 minute walk or an hour walk, I just need to touch some grass.

Mind you, along with running my business, I’m still a full-time student and I work 2 part time jobs, so feeling overwhelmed happens a little bit more often than for the usual person. But I remember how fortunate I am to be having these problems and remember that there’s a bigger purpose as to why I’m doing all of this.

The best advice I’ve ever received came from a neighbor that I lived next to when I was around 10 or 11 years old, she was an older lady who had breast cancer and was going through chemotherapy, and she said: “Love the life you live and live the life you love.”

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Ulises Gonzalez of ULI’S.POV

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