Today we’d like to introduce you to Pat, the Visionary.
Pat, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
7th grade-12 grade: Photography was something that I’ve always been into since the 7th grade but I was also more focused on track & field. 8th grade, I torn my ACL in my right knee while playing soccer that eventually led me to getting a surgery on it causing me to miss out the track season.
During my recovery, that was when I spent a lot of time on Photography and went to an art program (Seesaw Studio). I was on & off with photography. I did a wedding back in 11th for a family-friend which caused me to get back into photography for good because doing so made me realized how much I missed/loved photography & I loved how happy people felt after seeing the pictures. The moment I took Photography serious & thought on more about the future for it, that was when I met my best friend and he helped created the name Pat, the Visionary because of the vision of that I possessed & the things that I wanted to achieve with my photography. Senior year in HS, I made the difficult decision to retire from track to focus on photography & creativity more.
2016: I was going through a rough break up and I was barely passing in College (My motivation for college just too low). I tried college because I wanted to give it a chance to see how it would work out but I then decided during the 2nd semester to be honest with myself on the fact that I didn’t like College nor cared for it. It was a hard decision deciding not to go anymore because I didn’t want my mom & step-dad to be disappointed but I had to do it with my mind & heart already being determined to make my photography & other business ideas work somehow, someway. At the time, I just knew that’s what part of my purpose was & still is to this day.
2017: I was being kicked out of the house (I couldn’t & wouldn’t stop smoking) & had just gotten my apartment but after three months in, I gave that up to move over to Houston, TX because that was where I truly wanted to be at. I moved to Houston by myself. I moved there cause I loved the cultures diversity of the city that were presented to me. I loved the creativity of different things & how so many different people got their own thing going. Seeing all different sorts of things & the things people made me feel like that I was in the right place & that I can do the same with the goals and dreams that I have.
2018: Moved back home to take a break from Houston & deal with the loss of my grandfather & more soul-searching.
2019: Made it back to Houston after going to my grandfather’s funeral in Arlington, VA. (It took a year for a funeral to happen due to a waitlist he was on.) Being at the funeral had me deeply thinking that tomorrow isn’t always promised. So whatever your goals and dreams are, start now.
2020: Spending time on improving myself, my photography, & making Vision Wonderland a reality.
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?
My road has never been easy from the time that I was born. The moment I was born, I had a stomach surgery performed due to me catching an illness from someone (That’s why it’s important to wash your hand’s people) n ileostomy and an appendectomy was performed – surgical removal of my small intestine and of the appendix. I was saved due to Antibiotic that was given to me. At the age of two, I was diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (moderate-severe to profound). Oct 2005, I went through a surgery to receive a Cochlear Implant in the left ear which caused me to repeat the 4th grade because I struggled to get used to the new sounds for a year (Fun fact: I have a magnet in my head).
While I have learned & believe that being deaf is a superpower for me, it’s still a struggle in my everyday life because people often think just because I can’t hear I can’t do anything else but I love it because it gives me the chance to prove them wrong. I don’t do sign language too much because I am more of a talkative/interactive person (I’m also truthfully lazy to keep up with all the hand signs 24/7). School was challenging in many different ways also cause I often missed a lot of important information even with me having hearing aids in although I was still able to get through it and graduate thankfully with the help of my family and friends. A lot of people do not understand the life that deaf/hard of hearing individuals go through everyday & that’s part of why I do photography because oftentimes, it’s difficult to put things into words about the struggles of my hearing-loss life. Because I am very talkative/interactive, people forget that I can’t hear.
From the time I dropped out of school up to this point, the road has been insane. I took a break from Houston to go back home to deal with the passing of my late grandfather which took me an entire year & some months to deal with (His funeral was held in Arlington, VA Summer 2019). Thanksgiving time, Nov. 2018 I was taken to jail while being back home in Nov. 2018 which extended my move-back to Houston (my hearing aid died at the time of my arrest, so I was completely deaf while being in jail).
But the things I’ve learned about obstacles / challenges, tough times never last long and the tough times builds you up and prepares you for the desirable things you have asked for. I am thankful for the challenges no matter how small or insane because they all made me stronger & better & I’ve also learned to always look for the good in every bad situation. A lot of things in life may not always get any easier (it maybe never), but it always does get better.
Please tell us about Vision Wonderland.
I do photography for the most part. I specialize in many different types but I truly love portraits, cars, buildings, & nature. What sets me apart from others would be my Acid Trap work/vision (my purple pictures). Purple was inspired from my first psychedelic trip. I hope to use my photography to help people in whatever/anything. Behind every individual that you meet, there’s always a powerful story behind them. What I’m most proud of is the impact that I’ve made upon people from photography. Every time they’re happy with the work I’ve put in with them to get our vision out thru pictures or videos, it makes me happy too because that’s when I know I did my job. I love how my photography has been able to inspire people to pick up a camera or inspire them to start something amazing for themselves.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The things that are important to my success is being happy with what I do for a living. I think it’s important to figure out/know what makes you happy & whatever that is, do it regardless of what anyone says, think, and do. Kindness & Compassion are important cause you know never what someone has going on throughout their day/life. Faith in yourself & the things that you do and are surrounded by. Anything is possible & things always work out. Confidence: Everyone is unique. There’s only one of you. It’s just a matter of figuring out what that is & going with it. The openness to learn from mistakes is vital because mistakes/lessons are meant to build/teach you things, not punish you. Teamwork is also important because teamwork makes the dream work. Always have and always will especially when there’s more than enough for everyone everywhere. Having that winning attitude, the determination, never giving up when things get rough & slow. Being a risk taker is important because there are so much unbelievable rewards & amazing results on the other side.
Pricing:
- I released my first photo book called Acid Trap starting at $50
- I offer photo sessions that starts at $50
Contact Info:
- Website: www.patthevisionary.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patthevisionary
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/patthevisionary
Image Credit:
Brenda Oyervides
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