Esther Martinez Answers the YabYum 7!

1. Who are you and what do you do?
Esther Martinez
My name is Esther Martinez and I’m a writer, photographer and videographer. I run ANY_STAGE PRODUCTIONS, a music video blog that features videos, write-ups and photos of local musicians shot in various Phoenix businesses and locations. In an effort to be a part of, contribute to and support Phoenix’s continually growing art and music community, I promote both the musician and local businesses. When I’m not doing the job I love most (running ANY_STAGE PRODUCTIONS) I happen to get paid at my other full-time job. I’m  a multimedia writer and photographer at Food for the Hungry, a international relief and development non-profit based in Phoenix. 

Dylan Pratt

2. How did you get your start?

I majored in photography in college back in the days before digital cameras were accessible to everyone. I’d say 98% of my work was done in the darkroom. With a strong love for film and a nostalgia for the darkroom, I was hesitant to make the switch to digital photography. But I finally made the plunge and bought my first DSLR. About a year ago, I turned my sights toward music/band photography. It wasn’t enough. I was obsessed with music video blogs at the time, like La Blogotheque and Look Sessions. I loved the artistic, raw quality of the videos blended with incredible musical talent. I wanted to create something just as intimate, but with the amazing musicians we have here in Phoenix. With no videography background, I flipped the switch on my camera over to video and jumped into the creation of ANY_STAGE PRODUCTIONS. In the beginning, I didn’t know all the technical aspects of sound or editing, but I didn’t care. I loved the process so much and I learned as I went.

3. What inspires you?

Avery

I’m inspired by anyone who has a creative mind and isn’t afraid to try something new or put their work out there. I’m inspired by people who continue creating regardless of failure or success, criticisms or praise. I’m inspired by people who make something out of nothing and who spend most of their waking hours thinking about or dreaming about their next creation or endeavor. I’m very inspired by people who do things simply because they love it, even when money is not involved. I’m inspired by talent, but even more so by tenacity.

4. What do you like about AZ?

I love that it’s my home. Being an Arizona native, regardless of where I live, it will always be my home.

5. Where can we see your work?

You can see my work at anystageproductions.wordpress.com or my Vimeo channel . My band photography can be seen at estherruthphotography.com.

Kristina Moore

6. What would you like to accomplish before you die?

I’d like to learn and speak at least three different languages (in addition to English). I’d love to live somewhere else in the world. Be a traveling photojournalist. Learn an instrument. Write a book. Actually, the list goes on and on…

7. What is your mantra?

I’m big on quotes so if I had to pick a mantra, I’d say that I read this quote anytime I’m about to do something new in my life. It’s actually a magnet on my fridge. A little cheesy, I know. I’m okay with it.

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…Do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Bogan Via

Michael Brian Patterson

The Bear and the Bird

The Cold Desert

~