Meet Robin Oldaker

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Robin Oldaker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Robin, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout

As a film and fine arts student I’m asked to constantly be creative which can be in itself very tiring but the way I try to avoid burnout is by trying new things when it comes to art. Like painting with a new medium, picking up a new medium completely, or consuming other forms of art. I like writing down ideas that I can come back to and act upon. I have a whole note on my notes app that is just script ideas, and film ideas. And when I do experience burnout because its inevitable, I take a break step back and just consume as much media as I can till I’m ready to create things again,

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

I grew up in a small city located 45 minutes south of Toledo in Northwest Ohio. Growing up I was constantly drawing, watching tv, watching movies, playing video games and being creative nonstop. I was the kid who had imaginary friends, I was constantly pretending I was an animal one day, then a superstar the next. My parents allowed me to run wild with my imagination and encouraged that I continue going down this creative path. Which made who I am today. I’m a trans film student who transferred to Ohio University back in 2023, in my 4th year of college, having to do an extra year and I’m already planning for what I want to do after college. I want to pursue music videos and short narrative films. I want to pursue and further my photography skills. And I want to make art for myself and others who also feel the same way that I do. I’m currently working on the pre-production for my short film that I have to direct this semester for class and I’m looking forward to posting it in the future 🙂

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Some advice I would give people based on my personal experience is; don’t stop trying, don’t let others drag you down, and make stuff for yourself. 1 and 2 sounds cheesy but it’s 100% true. Don’t stop writing, don’t stop filming, because if you stop trying you’ll never improve. It may feel hopeless and that you might suck at this but thats when you learn from those mistakes and off days. I didn’t film my very first thing until August of 2021 when I was given a camera to help film a music video. And since that I’ve improved significantly as a filmmaker and artist. Never stop trying new things and trying out new things, keep exploring and improving yourself as an artist. You’re going to meet people who may put you down for one reason or the other but don’t let them stop you. I’ve ran into people in my life who are just super critical about things and didn’t give me genuine feedback on how to improve as a filmmaker and artist. That when you ask several people for good criticism and feedback. There’s a different between good criticism and someone just being mean. And don’t stop making art for yourself. Make things that you like and that you know you’re going to enjoy making. If you want to try something new do it for yourself. Not everything you make needs to be published or posted. You can just make stuff for yourself sometimes.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

A challenge I’m currently facing is figuring out what I would like to do post-grad. Luckily I have one more year left of college but the uncertainty of not knowing where I want to go in the future is a very scary thought. There’s many options and paths I can take and I think I’m just going to go with the flow of things and see where life takes me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: robbie_oldaker003
• Linkedin: Robin Oldaker
• Youtube: LavenderMoonProductions

Image Credits

All production photos are taken by Luc Gilchrist