Life & Work with Carlton Lockridge of Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlton Lockridge

Carlton, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
This journey begins during my final year as an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington— where I studied architectural engineering alongside behavioral psychology…which may very well have been one of the most challenging, demanding tasks that I have ever managed…and will ever manage to complete. Not to mention, my final year of college ALSO took place during the 2019-2020 era…within the midst of all of the chaos and anarchy that COVID-19 brought about— which increased the difficulty of my endeavors tenfold…but I digress.

I will say, however, that there was a bit of “good” that spawned from the depths of the COVID-19 chaos…a bit of “good” that we all know and love…TikTok. The global shutdown (along with the implementation of social distancing that followed) did a NUMBER on many of our social lives…and it is safe to say that TikTok is what kept the vast majority of us digitally connected to those who we were no longer able to connect with in-person.

Now…not only did TikTok manage to keep us somewhat sane during the social distancing era, but the substantial spike in TikTok users during this period of time also produced a slew of new online creators…creators that we now refer to as “internet personalities”. I vividly remember scrolling TikTok for hours on end, watching…studying these internet personalities, desperately trying to figure out how on earth they managed to create such funny, thought-provoking, engaging content on such a consistent basis…wondering whether or not I had the ability to do the same. I wanted to be the person who was able to make others feel the joy and happiness that these creative geniuses were able to make me feel. My solution? A pact! I made a pact…with myself. I would create one video per day for 90 days straight…with hopes that I could get into some kind of a groove…and with hopes that one day, I too…would become a well-known internet personality!

48 hours. 48 hours is the amount of time that it took for me to scrap that goal. Mission failed. Between work, finishing up with school, and partying…? I just couldn’t manage to do it…and just like that, the pact was no more…and my dream of becoming a social media personality slowly began to fade.

Eventually (three years down the road), I established that working, partying, sleeping and repeating was a DRAG as I began to feel a lack of fulfillment pertaining to what I was doing with my life. I felt that I was focused far too much on my own selfish desires…and that I wasn’t doing enough for others. I wasn’t making the difference that I wanted to make…the difference that I told myself that I was going to make three years prior. So I decided…again, that I was going to set time aside to try and become a social media personality. I’d also just (conveniently) lost both my job AND my relationship within the span of two months…leaving me with no obligations or responsibilities…which meant that I had all of the time in the world to focus on social media. We were back in business baby!

Seeing as I’d recently gone through a break-up, the plan was to upload a series of videos on break-ups…documenting my healing journey, touching on the psychology behind why breakups are so difficult, and theorizing on ways to make them hurt a bit less. I spoke primarily about the feelings that I felt during/after the breakup, how I managed to overcome those feelings, and how I planned to prevent myself from falling into the same situation again. Initially, I focused primarily on TikTok (as I had managed to build a small community there fairly quickly), while saving copies of the TikTok videos to upload to Instagram (with VERY low expectations). However, in a dramatic turn of events, my Instagram videos gradually started to attract more eyes than usual. After noticing this, I redirected my focus to Instagram…making a point to post once a day, every day, so that I could begin to study the algorithm.

Day after day I posted and saw slow yet steady growth…until one day, after upwards of six hours of continuous recording, I decided to make a quick throwaway video based on an analysis essay that I wrote during college regarding the relationship dynamics of those who suffer from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)…and let me be clear. Best. Decision. EVER. The video blew UP overnight…and I gained millions of views coupled with HUNDREDS of followers. It was a dream come true.

After witnessing the success of that particular video, I began to mimic the style of video while also using satire & hyperbole to keep viewers hooked and engaged…and now here we are— millions of views later…with a strong, tight-knit Instagram community comprised of thousands of followers…and to be quite frank, I am LOVING every bit of it.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I cannot begin to tell you how much I have struggled to reach this (great) point in my life. The journey has been tough…however, I choose to view the inevitable trials and tribulations that are thrown at us throughout our time in this world not as setbacks, but as learning experiences that are meant to aid in propelling us towards the achievement of the goals that we have set for ourselves.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in architectural design with a primary focus on commercial interiors. Our main goal is to create balanced, cohesive workplace atmospheres that drive productivity and efficiency.

I also build wooden furniture; this is where my heart is at! I began this gig towards the end of my undergraduate studies and have fallen in love with it. Being blessed with the ability to create something out of nothing is a gift that I will always be grateful for.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Consistency beats talent more often than not. If you can manage to find a way to stay consistent in whatever goals that you are looking to achieve…your likelihood of success will increase tenfold.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlonomy?igsh=MWF0cnByOTViaHE4dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr