Meet Nevyn Matthews from San Fernando Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nevyn Matthews.

Nevyn, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When I was younger, having a single mom, she would send me to my grandparent’s house for the summers up in Ukiah, Ca, about eight hours north of LA. My mom would always give me packs of disposable cameras just so she can see what I did that summer or whatever the case was. My grandpa does hay sales so he was always working on these giant trucks which always interested me, so whenever I would go with him, I remember taking a camera with me. I think a large part of why I take photos was due to my having to occupy my busy mind in a place that was so slow like Ukiah. Even back in LA, my mom was a super social person and we would always have parties at the house (which I was never allowed to be apart of as a kid) so I would always be called to join the party ONLY when my mom wanted a photo with her friends.

Photography and making photographs just always seemed to be apart of me even when I did not care enough to notice. Fast forward to my junior year in high school, I was very focused on wrestling at the time. I had just came off an undefeated season at home (until city finals) and was named the captain of the team for the first time. Although I loved wrestling and still do, I quickly realized that I had absolutely no idea what in the hell I wanted to do with my life. I knew that I definitely did not want to be waking up at 5 am to train every day when I graduated. Then, on the anniversary of my brother’s death, I posted a photo of him, where he, was holding a disposable camera.

Honestly, through that, I felt a weird connection where it seemed like I NEEDED to have a camera in my hands. I felt closer to him, I felt free, and I still feel like that. This shit has meaning to me, I do it because I love it and I need to. When I got to community college I thought “I’m gonna major in a photo and this shit will be a breeze”, but after taking a corny photo class with the classic ‘Hawaiian shirt & tan cargo’ photo teacher, I decided to switch to graphic design. I had never opened up Illustrator or anything at that point, but I was learning and that is what interested me most. Currently working on getting my design skills up to par with my photo skills.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. There were a good few months I didn’t have a camera and I felt like I was losing my mind. I was working two jobs, damn near homeless, still going to school full-time, and had to deal with a failing relationship, but the one thing on my mind was “damn, I can’t wait till I have the freedom to do what I love again”. Moved into my dad’s crib, saved up for a few months and got my camera back. Right then, I told myself that no matter how hard it gets or how badly I need money, I won’t sell or get rid of my camera.

Even till this day, I still struggle. I think every person that does freelance, struggles at some point. It’s more mental than anything. If you’re a good person and produce good work, good things will come. You just have to go get it but be patient at the same time.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m a freelance photographer. I am 1/3 part of the brand, Lavender. I’m a graphic designer. I’m a whole mess of things, and I strive to be that way.

I think I’m mainly known for/specialize in my portraiture work and lifestyle work. However, I shoot a variety of things.

What sets me apart from others is that I don’t need much to make magic happen. I’ll show up to an important shoot with just a backpack and handle it.

As far as Lavender, check us out. You’ll see what we’re about.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
That I genuinely love creating. There is no other feeling than putting an idea to life. I also do love maintaining and creating new relationships I’ve made. I understand when things are genuine, whether it’s an idea, a person attitude towards something, or even the way someone feels about me. I can tell whether it’s genuine or not.

Contact Info:

• Website: nevynmatthews.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nevynmatthews/
• Other: lavender.studio

Image Credit:
Rox David
Kyle Bautista
Dale Majaba
Nevyn Matthews

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