Conversations with Andrew Lugo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Lugo.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I worked at a couple banks as a banker out of high school to save enough money to go off on my own and try to fund whatever life I chose in the creative space.
Simultaneously I picked up a 2nd job as a JC pennys portrait photographer because I didn’t know shit about photography but I loved the idea of creating a image that I can personally sculpt the feeling of and I just wanted to make things look “cool” , whatever that meant and means to me at any given moment.
After covid happened I said f*ck it and quit the bank, ( I f*ckin hated my life behind a desk ; and I definitely hated talking to people ) .
So I started assisting stylists for free just to get myself in these rooms where images were being curated with wardrobe and location scouting.
After I realized that assisting stylists was just doing pick ups and returns I said f*ck that again, learned a bit of what I needed to move on and finally pick up a camera and go shoot my own stuff.
Because I wasn’t working anymore I needed a way to make money and get myself more involved in the industry so as I was doing some creative work with a friend who is an upcoming artist “NAJ” I thought why not continue to bet on myself and make my next move based on my influences growing up. My favorite show was Rob&Big then Fantasy Factory growing up. So I thought ok I’ll open a photo studio AND a recording studio so the homies can come in, make music while people shoot on the other side of the studio and just have a creative space to let the ideas of others and my own fly.
So I designed and built NewVolume Studios.
No the name “NewVolume” has absolutely nothing to do with music , it just turned out that way.
I coined my creative shit under the name NewVolume because from the beginning it was always about me turning shit up in my life and ditching one chapter in life to step up into the next and continue too as corny as it sounds “chase my dreams” .

Had NewVolume Studios 1 open for about 2 years , made no f*cking money, worked everyday all day to keep people in the studio to either record music or do a photoshoot. It was great . I’m finally away from the desk job and doing whatever the f*ck I was able to bring to life from an idea in my head.

While I worked the bank and JC pennys I was going to college for business. So I have always had an underlining motive to be an entrepreneur simultaneously with this creative shit cause everyone who works in the field knows, there’s no money until you make a way for yourself to make money.

So after 2 years I ditched the studio completely and took a break from that for 8 months to focus on becoming a better photographer.

The break was cool but I had a vision to come back and better with a new design of a studio. This time ditching the recording studio part and going full photo studio. This is when I realized I just have a passion for creating and designing whether it’s a photo or a space , I love designing shit. A cool looking room is just sick and a cool looking photo , it’s just all in the same world in my head. So that’s what I did with this studio; NewVolume 2 . It’s a photo studio but it’s also an art studio with a gallery feel to it. I have all my art featured in it from my paintings ( besides one piece that I collaborated on with my favorite artist @jucifart) too architectural structure that sits in the middle of the space , breaking it up yet serving as a art piece with massive impact on guest right when you open the door. It also is a great piece to shooting with. So like I said if I do something or make something it all steams from the same place in my head.
And now the studio is so booked up I don’t even get too many chances to shoot my own work in there which is a blessing and I am extremely grateful the creative community in LA resonates with an idea that was just in my head. Banker andrew would literally day dream allllllll f*cking day about the life I have sculpted out for myself. It trips me out. May not be much to some but to me , oh man life’s amazing.
I am going to open a 2nd photo studio with another great design layout concept I have in mind that I’ve been curating for almost a year now.

I’ve got a lot of ideas for designing a spaces and creating a business out of them but the space’s purpose serves more that just making money it’s somewhere to go to provide inspiration, good vibes , great design and highlight art, which in turn also allows other just like me to make art around art.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth ride. Like I mentioned before there was times where there’s no money to sustain life for myself .

It doesn’t help that I am extremely critical towards myself and my decisions so I’m constantly in a fight in my mind .
I had to learn about blind faith. To me it means really following my gut and my ideas in my head and trusting in my ability to by on my shit and handle business.
I’m a pretty secluded person so I don’t have many friends or make many friends in the industry per se. I always find myself staying to myself. I definitely feel that it hinders the potential success in the creative industry for myself but then I think about why I started doing all of this in the first place. It was not to make friends, but to follow my dreams of creating a platform that allows me to bring my ideas to life, whether that be a photo, a piece of furniture, paintings, or architectural sculptures.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I kind of went on a tangent and answered some of these questions already.
But if I had to say what I do, I am a photographer and entrepreneur, and not at a point where I would call myself an artist, not sure if I ever will call myself an artist it feels weird.
Not sure exactly what I’m known for like I mentioned I don’t talk to many people so I don’t know what I’m known for by others, but I will say I did build a studio in LA that seems to attract a lot of creative artist in the city and in the industry. There’s a lot of times where I’m scrolling through the for you page on IG and I see a shoot that took place in my studio by respected artists and I’m like oh shit that’s sick that’s the project that was done in there.
I think what sets me apart from others is that I strive to be taken seriously. I’m not the type to make memes out of what I do or what I want to do.
I also keep my head down and focus on what I like and what I’m into I don’t really give a f*ck about the “” others. Hopefully that doesn’t come off aggressive. I mean that in the most peaceful way possible.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up I was very social and had a lot of friends. Actually its kind of a complete 360 of how I live out my life today.
I was always interested in the same things that I am today, but I was definitely more secluded in speaking about them and sharing them with others.
My interest were always in clothes, skateboarding, snowboarding, music, design, food, movies, and most importantly art.
I just have always loved the idea of a creator. Someone who can sculpt an idea into reality. And as I get older I’m even more hyped because I see that not just in the profession of photography but in art, architecture, culinary arts, music, entrepreneurism etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.newvolume-ap.com
• Instagram: @newvolume.ap / @newvolume.studios

Image Credits
All of these photos are self portraits I took of in my studio @newvolume.studios

My photo/art/personal page is @newvolume.ap