#86 - Alex Lopez - From Creative to Creative Director

25:55Alex Lopez:Like, what does an art director do? Like, I don't come from like a family of artists. I didn't go to school for this. Like, I'm all like making this up as I go. And I think I kind of joke to myself, like I fooled everyone thinking that I'm good at what I do. Obviously you have to be good at what you do, but like, that's kind of the joke I have. Like, why is everyone so nice to me? And it was just like, I don't know, like putting yourself in those situations and like doing the best that you can. And for me, when it came to that kind of title, like, hey, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm going to figure it out.

26:29Alex Lopez:And I'm going to ask questions and I'm going to go lean into my resources. And I guess like now, yeah, creative director, why not? Organization is very important to me. Google Sheets are great, but for someone who likes to see things visually, I switched over to Milanote. It has become the absolute only way I'm able to organize my podcast and film projects. I needed a platform that was designed with that in mind. With Milanote, you are able to freely design your boards that best aligns with your taste and creative workflow. There are literally no limitations to how you can create your own Milanote board.

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27:30Milanote is available for free with no time limit. Sign up and create your account using the link in the description. What do you think that you have grown into as a creative director since that sort of initial ownership of that title? I think it's just like, I don't know, like leaning into collaborate,

27:49Alex Lopez:like collaboration for most of the stuff that I grew up doing and how I kind of got my intro, like I had to do everything. And I think when you're in that kind of position, it's just like finding like the right people to collaborate with. Who are you going to bring on? And I think like being able to just communicate kind of what's in your mind. Cause you know, now I have to make decks and like, you know, and it's like, I have to communicate this idea that I have to a group of people. So I think that's the difference is like kind of sitting on your laptop and just learning how to like speak and, and put your ideas to paper and like getting everyone on board.

28:30Alex Lopez:And, you know, for the stuff that we do with cadence, like Ross has a huge influence into what things look like and feel. So he makes my life a lot easier because I, you know, he has really great direction as well. So yeah, I think that's, that's mostly it. It's just like being able to like be a collaborator. Do you feel like your confidence has also increased? Yeah. Yeah. And I think that just comes from like doing the thing and just putting yourself in those positions and like getting those shoots in your belt and like campaign after camp, you know, and, and like I said, like I don't like, yeah, we're like selling a product and we need to kind of like do that thing.

29:14Alex Lopez:But for the most part, like I just do it the way I want to do it. And like, if you don't like it, quite frankly, like I don't care, but there is like a level of like, you're not going to win every battle. So you have to kind of like be able to be flexible and know which battles to fight over. stepping into this role do you feel like you've had to learn how to become a bit more of a a leader a manager of people in like you said collaboration i know that that's a huge part of it is figuring out how to get your ideas across understand other people's ideas other people's perspectives and figuring out the best way to move forward and, and including people.

30:04And I think that's something that a lot of us, myself included, have had to learn is that leadership aspect moving forward. Like once you step into bigger roles.

30:14Alex Lopez:Yeah. That's like, I mean, I'm learning every day. So like, I just picked up a book on like how to like communicate better and like how to like do it in a way where you're not just like turning people's, turning people down, you know, Like, how can you be someone who could give constructive criticism? Right. So like you might share references with me and I might not like, like them, or I don't like the way things are going. Like being able to then redirect what you need and what people's wants are and making people feel heard is super important. Like, like it all comes down to every, everyone, everyone needs to be working together.

30:54Alex Lopez:Um, and it's kind of up to you to kind of facilitate those, those relationships and like that workflow. Um, but yeah, like it being, being a leader, I think is something that is very important. And, um, there's a few books out there, um, that really helped me kind of build that up, build myself up to that. And I think also, you know, when, when you're someone who I wouldn't like someone that's just coming into it. Like you really have to do your due diligence on like understanding and being compassionate and come from a place of compassion when you're speaking to people. Because like, you know, if I just start throwing things out and not really understanding how things are like, you know, like if you're working with a director and he's trying to do all these things and you kind of like, no, like, Hey, like with the budget that we have, the equipment here, like the things that you're asking for isn't actually doable.

31:56Alex Lopez:And so you're just like running it in a circle, uh, you know, being able to like understand that and like have that knowledge behind your back. It also helps you when, when, when it comes to like leading, leading the team or being able to like give, give, give proper feedback. For sure. Yeah. I want to go back a little bit to your, I want to get a little history. Um, how did you find photography? um i'll give a big shout out to my homie caesar okay um we went to high school together and he had a camera and we're just kind of getting into trouble after class like going doing little like photo missions or you know we would we'd love hiking and and so he would always bring his camera and it got to the point where i would tell him like yo like you should go stand over there and then put the camera low to the ground and I'll go stand over there.

32:49Alex Lopez:And he just looks at me and he goes like, get your own camera. And you did. And I did. Like I took that and I was like, you know what? Like I will. And I went and I remember took my, my dad took me to Best Buy. I had, I took all the money I had. I bought myself a Canon T5. Nice. T5i. Like, like starter lens kit. Yeah. And we would go on these photo missions and I'm bringing my camera around now. and I remember we were shooting like um so funny like steel wool where you would put steel wool and like light it on fire you could do like long would you do like the light yeah like a light trail and I remember being like yo like do the settings for me so like I'll just hand my camera over he'll put the settings and then I'll take a picture and then I'll point it this way and the settings are completely different and then I'll give it back to him and he would just like reset at the settings so like that's how i kind of got my start into it and um yeah started getting obsessed with it and then i bought like a better lens i got like a sigma lens and i was like f 1.4 like look at the bokeh on this thing just like like you know like just like that's how i got got into it and then i guess like call it like high school like senior year came around and i'm looking left and right and like everyone's like getting accepted to like harvard or like going to these big conglomerate schools.

34:11Alex Lopez:And I'm like looking at myself, like, what am I going to do? And I had a buddy who I grew up skating with and he's like, yeah, I'm going to go to this community college and take film classes. And I'm like, fuck, I'm going to do the same thing. So I started going to a orange coast college and I took like a few film classes there and, um, did all my G GED stuff there. And like, didn't really like the film classes that they offered. I was already doing the thing and I was just kind of like, like I can't sit in these classes. So, um, I applied to go to film school and I realized how expensive it was.

34:50Alex Lopez:And I was the one fronting college and I just decided not to do that. And I did something else. And, um, that's kind of like the start of it. And I remember in high school we got, we like sold ourselves to shoot this wedding like photo and video me and caesar and it was like the most money we made like ever in our cameras and i remember like getting the the the wedding job and it was kind of like one of those things where we've never shot a wedding and they kept they were like down for us to like shoot the thing but they kept asking for like a portfolio and we just kind of kept pushing it and pushing it until it was like the day of the wedding and they're like all right Well, like, I guess you're here.

35:31Alex Lopez:And I remember with the money that I made from that wedding, I bought my first laptop to edit the wedding film. Wow. And then from there, it just kind of kept going and going and going. And we kind of fell down that hole of just shooting some weddings for a few years and use that to kind of like level up the equipment. And, um, yeah. And then for, I think the rest has just been kind of like self-taught, you know, like I enrolled to this place called YouTube university. Yep. Haven't dropped out yet. For sure. So, yeah. It feels like listening to all the different stories that you're sharing, the different avenues, you have this level of like, I don't care what it takes.

36:14I'm going to do it. I have to do it.

36:16Alex Lopez:Yeah. I think I have a similar ambition because I don't have a backup plan. I don't have a plan B. I don't have anything. do you feel like part of that is the fact that you don't have something behind you to fall back on yeah i mean i think so i think like we share that similar mindset of like there's no plan b like this we're gonna make this work um i i also think that it's this idea of just like Like when you have, when you have this, when, I mean, I think everything comes and goes. My plan B, I feel like I don't want to, I don't even think about that. Like I just think about like the, the, the things that are available to me and the, like just being present.

37:07Alex Lopez:But yeah, like, I don't know, like plan B, like never thought of one, never. And I think it's just having that kind of like, call it delusion, you know? I think that's a great word. You know, like, you think we started cadence thinking it's going to fail? Like, no, like you have to just have that kind of mindset. And it's a tough place to kind of be. But yeah, I've never really thought of like a plan B or an exit plan. No. But I, you know, I am always fearful that I could end tomorrow. So I think. And that is a part of what fuels you to keep pushing. Yeah, 100%. I know that you're starting this new brand, Twin Studios, right?

37:59What do you think you're going to take from the lessons that you learned watching, you know, George and Ross build their brands to hopefully give you some sort of knowledge to act and build your brand in that way? What are some things that you've learned from them?

38:15Alex Lopez:Yeah, it is not like my brand. I didn't want to start it. So I wanted to kind of share some light. Twin Studios kind of started during COVID. My friend Cesar Luna and his cousin started it during COVID. And it's kind of been built into this production company, creative agency, whatever you kind of want to call it. but just attaching like our work to it. Um, but I think what we're going to take and, and then like, I think it always just comes down to like our, our upbringing and like the places we're from. And I think, I think where it all comes from and where it stems from is, you know, I didn't grow up with much.

38:57Alex Lopez:I had to work for a lot of the things that I have. And I think one of the things that was very discouraging kind of starting this whole thing was like, I remember thinking that like photography, the creative industry is like a rich man's industry. It takes a lot of money to get the gear. You know, you kind of look around and you see the people who are probably in the positions you want to be in. And maybe they had a cheat code or maybe, you know, like they didn't have to go and get a regular job during their teenage years. And they use that time to travel around the world and to go to vacation and to build that like you know like I we had to work you know it wasn't like this easy path and I think that like starting off like that was very hard you know having to get the the the gear and the equipment you think you might need to start doing the thing so like you know all of us kind of share that same upbringing and twin studio stands for take what you need and that comes from that very similar mindset of like hey like you know when you kind of grew up in like i'm not gonna say i was ever poor you know because like my parents gave gave us a lot and like we did grow up with like a lot of like a lot of things that you know some people i know maybe didn't but it is very much Like you don't over, like, you know, you share what you take from the table, what you need.

40:25Alex Lopez:You're not going to just like fill up your whole plate and not eat it. Like, you know, whatever you touch, you have to finish. So it's kind of like that mindset. And I think like when it comes to then like taking all the stuff that we've been learning and bringing it into this production, it's just like working with individuals that we want to work with, putting on our homies that we grew up with and like giving them work and like kind of building this kind of ecosystem of like working with friends. Like, you know, you know how it is. Like when you get to, when you have those opportunities to put your friends on or to like give your friends work, like, I think it's just been kind of that.

41:03Alex Lopez:And we have another friend, his name's Juan. He's like a, uh, works in production and he's been doing amazing work. So working with him and like bringing this whole ecosystem, because I kind of like, even like cadence and like the rep boys, like it's all just one big family, you know? So it's just like kind of that kind of energy going into, into twin. And like, we don't know what we're doing. I mean, it might look like we do, but like we're figuring it out as we go. So what is your hope for building twin in the next year or so? What do you, what do you hope to grow into in the next year? i think just like shooting cooler stuff working with cool brands um right now i'm i'm 100 % focused into cadence yeah that's like where i'm like that's where i'm at and i think this is like why it's been taking so long for us to really kick start anything for twin um even caesar like he does all this stuff for represent so it's just like this thing that's happening right we're gonna to see where it goes.

42:11Alex Lopez:Like, I don't think we're in a rush to do anything. Um, and honestly, like Caesar has the vision for it. So I trust in him, you know, and I'm just, I'm here to help anywhere, anywhere I can. Focusing on cadence. I feel like with the amount of inspiration that is out there on social media, you know, thousands of mood boards and decks, how do you find uniqueness with so much inspiration out there. Yeah. Um, yeah, I think, I think with that too, it's like, we, you know, as humans, you know, we're programmed to become like, to be observers. It's just in our DNA. We, we look at things and we, we're constantly looking and receiving images and messages and inspiration.

43:01Alex Lopez:And, you know, when we started this, you know we would look at like what's what's what's the noise out there and personally what i do is i would just run the opposite direction so like you know you know at the end of the day we're a beverage company that has performance nutrition so we have like other product lines but like when you look at a drink and like let's say like most most like brand companies like when they launch a new flavor it's like fruit falling from the sky and like the can's sweating and it's like churning like we would look at that and be like let's do the opposite and i think that's kind of how we've been leaning into it's just not necessarily taking like the path that's been paved and kind of having this approach of like more of a lifestyle approach and kind of something that everyone could relate to.

43:58Alex Lopez:You know what I mean? And like, we kind of started the company with running, you know, the, all the founders have a background in running. I grew up running. So when we look at some of these things, some of these campaigns or ideas, like we kind of like try to paint experiences that we've all lived, you know, like the moment, like, you know, like you just finished a run with your friends and like, you guys are going to the cafe and like hanging out. like we try to just create moments like that and um not necessarily like pay attention to what everyone else is doing you know there's a lot of like copy and paste out there yeah for sure and i think it's just like at least for me like lean into my lived experiences like we all have a different perspective and like we you know listen to that like and then honestly just not like for me like not wanting to do like lame stuff like i just kind of want to do i think that's part of it as simple as it gets make cool shit yeah like you know even like the running stuff content right now like there's so much like whip pans and like the camera's gonna like do this and tilt this way.

45:11Like I kind of have like more of a simple approach, like less is more.

45:17Alex Lopez:I love a camera on a tripod. Yeah. Just static. Yeah. Good composition. Yeah. So like, I, and then at the end of the day too, it's like, you know, when it comes to certain, you know, things that we need to do as a brand, that's going to inevitably be good for us. Like it's very hard to balance like the artistic direction that we want to take things to like what consumers gravitate towards. I think that's a fantastic sort of transition because I was going to ask, how do you balance this sort of creative ambition? Because you could be as creative as you want, but if it doesn't help sell the product, it's almost meaningless.

45:54Alex Lopez:Exactly. And that's like a big learning curve for me too. It's like taking a step back and being like, at the end of the day, we're here to sell this can and get this to be consumed hopefully by every household in America. And I think that is like the balance there is like, again, being able to like be collaborative, think out the box, like, you know, inherently when you're launching into mass retail, the content that's behind that, like the, the kind of creative stuff that you you're allowed to even do isn't cool and you know a lot of the times when when brands launch into these mass retailers all the content or like all the the the visual language that you see is like someone coming into a store opening a fridge right and doing that and it's like okay like very cookie cutter yeah and it's like how can then how can we think outside the box and this is where the brand like all of us at cadence do a good job of like pushing for that and like trying to communicate to these retailers and our partners, like what we bring to the table.

47:05Alex Lopez:And I think that's kind of some of the, um, the sauce that cadence brings to the table of like, Hey, you know, like, let's not just do what's black and white, you know? And, um, it's a fight and a balance it is. Cause you're not going to win every, every battle. Do you think it helps having a partner and like you know someone like ross that also will fight for that creative as well yeah even to this day like ross approves half of the stuff that i mean all of this he has his voices on and everything he touches everything so yeah he he is someone who you know will die for the brand. Like when it comes to every, like most of like everything that we put out is run, ran by him.

47:55Alex Lopez:And like I said, that's what makes my life a lot easier is that like Ross has really good taste and, you know, he's the mastermind behind the branding and everything. So, um, yeah, kudos to him for, for really just, you know, making something cool. This next stage of your, uh, part of your journey with Cadence, because I feel like there's one part when you get, you know, named creative director and you're starting to find your voice in that, what is, what is something that you're looking forward to learning more and diving into deeper maybe this year, specifically with Cadence and your role as a creative director?

48:29Alex Lopez:I think like understanding a bit, because when, when the brand first launched, it was literally like, we have four weeks until this thing launches and we need to start to build this brand visually. So it was very much like from one shoot to the next shoot, from that shoot to the next, And I think where I want to really like focus on is like understanding what it looks like five years down the line and how does all of this interplay with it now. And for me, I think that's in storytelling and really diving deeper into those stories. And like, you know, I think looking at, you know, a company like Red Bull who like, you know, you go on their Instagram, like they don't have a single can.

49:12Alex Lopez:No. My friends and I talk about that all the time. And it's like what they lean into is extreme sports and really cool, really cool stories. And I think that's like a huge inspiration that we pull from. And like we recently shot a New York marathon film and it was my first time working with film. I think we shot like 16 mil and that entire piece, you're like, you don't even see an ounce of product. but instead like we're trying to encapsulate kind of like those lived experiences that most runners feel when like the feeling when they're training for a marathon you're waking up at 3 a.m and you have to go run and you're like dreading it it's i mean maybe you're not dreading it but it's not the easy it's not the most fun it's not the easiest especially when you don't want to do it right so i think for me it's like kind of sitting in that chair and just like envisioning okay, like how does this piece of content live for the next five years, 10 years?

50:10Alex Lopez:And like really trying to create like kind of those timeless evergreen pieces. And sustainability in pieces is important to you guys. Yeah, definitely. The fourth project spark is an international initiative created by Nanlux and Nanlite to help creators transform early concepts into fully realized short films, supporting bold ideas and emerging creative voices. This year, six outstanding teams will be selected and awarded up to$20 ,000 in total production support. Each selected global team will receive a$15 ,000 production budget, along with up to$5 ,000 in equipment rental support, fully provided by NANLUX and NANLIGHT, ensuring access to professional-grade lighting solutions while allowing teams to stay focused on storytelling and creative execution.

50:58Submissions are open February 28th, 2026 and close on April 18th, 2026. For full details and submission guidelines, visit the Nanlite website. Do you have any sort of insight into, like say for example, somebody's listening to this that is in the process of potentially working with a brand, they're interested in working with the company. What do you feel like needs to happen with somebody to actually really go all in with that company? Like, do you need, how, how obsessed do you need to be with what they're building? How much do you need to love the product? Like from your perspective, working with Cadence, what makes you so in love with working with them?

51:39Alex Lopez:Yeah. I'll kind of go backwards a bit and kind of speak a little bit on like how I got introduced to that. And, you know, I was sitting in the sauna and I got a message from Ross asking me to come shoot some photos. And, you know, I took the opportunity and I came out, shot some photos and he was kind of telling me a little bit about, you know, trying to kind of grow a personal brand. He, he built a really successful business prior to Cadence. And one of his regrets was like not documenting the process. So he asked if I shot YouTube blogs and hopefully he doesn't listen to this, but I lied. I was like, yeah, I shoot blogs.

52:20Alex Lopez:And I sent, I sent a link to a vlog that I didn't even shoot or edit. And I was like, that's me, you know? And then, yeah. And then I started turning up, shooting all the, the, like the business decisions, all the training sessions and just kind of being a fly on the wall. And, you know, I started doing that. So I was working strictly on his personal brand and, you know, sitting in these conversations about them starting cadence so cadence starts coming into the picture and it gets closer and closer to launch date and selfishly i'm sitting there like i want to shoot cadence like i want to be the guy that they ask to shoot for the brand and i didn't ask for it never once was i like let me do it let me do it and then ross had a conversation and he's like what's your long-term goal like what do you want out of life and then just you know we had a conversation at the time And it's almost like, I want to start shooting for brands.

53:16Alex Lopez:I want to get into bigger productions, whatever. And then the brand launches and there you go. Here's your opportunity. He's asking me to come and shoot for Cadence. And I started doing that project per project, just being involved. And I think like what makes me want to work with these people is going back to the fact that they're just good humans. You know, like when, when you meet someone and they're able to look you in the eye and have a conversation. Like, and like, I think for people who are listening to this is like, I always say this to people and it's that I'm in the business of building relationships.

53:56Alex Lopez:And when you're able to build relationships, like that's, what's going to take you a long way in this industry, you know, being pleasant to work with, not complaining and finding people who value you, who actually value your time, your effort. That's really important because as soon as someone doesn't value you and whether that's, whether that's like them not wanting to pay your rate, them trying to like skimp you out of money, like that's clear signs that people don't respect you. Right. And I'm not saying that you need to go and charge everyone like your rate all the time. you know like a lot of the things I used to do to kind of test people I'd be like oh like I'll kind of do this shoot for free you know I normally charge this but let's just run this first one and if you like what you see like let's let's figure out a price that's fair for both of us in the future and then most of the times people will be like oh sick and they just wouldn't pay me and then they wouldn't hit me up or whatever maybe they didn't like it but some other people would be like oh no like here's your here's your thing here's your rate and you're like okay like they value your time and effort and yeah once like once we started getting into it boom started getting more involved into the brand and and started developing those friendships and yeah like i think that's the biggest thing it's like just working with good people that's that's basically it.

55:28Alex Lopez:Like I just could be the coolest brand, but if I don't want to work with you, I don't want to work with you. Right. Do you feel like you're more passionate about the act of being a photographer or the overseeing of a creative project? Uh, both. Yeah. Like I kind of say, i think i'm like seven out of ten in a lot of things you know like i edit i do video i do photo i help with like creating some of these these campaigns but like i want to be good at one thing you know and i think that's photography for me like i want to be 10 out of 10 i mean i'm just ago. Yeah, you're good.

56:23Alex Lopez:But, um, yeah, I think like being 10 out of 10 photographer, like photographer is like where I want to be. And I want to like own that first before I start to like call myself anything, anything else. Outside of cadence, because I know that you on your Instagram have done, you know, some of the work is like portrait work. Where do you feel like you're, you're extending yourself creatively outside of cadence to further your craft deeper. How are you, how are you doing that? Yeah. So thankfully, you know, Ross is very forward thinking and the brand is, and they allow me to like get into certain projects and obviously needs to be kind of worth my time.

57:09Alex Lopez:But I think it's just, um, being able to like develop your skill and keep honing it. So I just been focusing a little bit bit more on like doing personal stuff. Sorry, uh, reaching out to people I want to meet, asking if I could be of service. And a lot of the times, you know, I got my start shooting portraits. So I think being able to just continue that and just like lean into like old habits and, and, and build those kinds of routines. But, um, yeah, like just practicing the eye, getting out there and like just staying sharp is, is like what I've been trying to do. Um, but it's, I mean, it's hard to take up any other work right now, but maybe down the line, things open up.

57:56Do you believe in finding a style?

57:59Alex Lopez:Oh yeah. Do you feel like you found yours? Um, yeah, I think so. Like I kind of edit every single image the same way. Like I have a process and I think that's what kind of like you know like developing a style is like maybe the way you light a person so like every time you light a person you might go with a top and I'm not saying like you invented top lighting but like you know there is an approach and I do think I have that like I've been doing the same kind of editing I was doing back in 2016 to what I'm doing now with cadence like nothing's changed absolutely nothing so i think that's kind of like how you build that style is like staying kind of in that lane that that you might build for yourself and like like doing it and repeating that look you know you look at certain people and like you could tell like that's a a certain person's image you know and i think cadence has that right now where like you kind of look at that brand and you could kind of start to see some of my kind of tastes go into that.

59:06Alex Lopez:So yeah, definitely building a style has been something that I've been trying to learn. It's not easy to do. No, it's, I think it's also a combination of like looking at, looking at the work that you do and seeing why you like the work that you're doing. And also if you're doing work that maybe you didn't like asking yourself why you didn't like it as well. I think there's both that play into it. You know, with your work and with Cadence and going deeper into your style and repeating a sort of process to find more depth in that style, how do you find that you are still creative and you're pushing and you're developing new ideas, is, but also still maintaining that sort of original or that sort of driving force behind you, that, that, that voice behind you, that style behind you.

59:58Alex Lopez:Yeah. I think it just comes back to like what, what grounds me. And, you know, it was a long time since I took a vacation or retreat or took a few days off and I didn't even call it a few days off, but I had the privilege to go back to, to Guatemala and revisit some of my family. I mean, last time I saw my grandma, I was five years old, you know? So it's been over 20 years, 20, 23 years since I've been back. And that was recent. That was early this or end of December, early this year that I did that. And I just, when, when I go back there or when I went back there, it kind of reopened up this perspective of like so much of my past or so much of my family's past has been like struggle.

1:00:51Alex Lopez:And for all that to happen, for something beautiful to happen, you know, like the, the lives that I get to like the life I get to live, the life that my brothers get to live really drives me and really motivates me. Like I don't take anything for granted. Like I wake up every day excited to open up. Like think about it this way. My stress in life is to think about images. What does this look like? How should we shoot this? Like that's my struggle. Right. Like I won. Like I won life. So that is what kind of fuels the fire. And then just leaning into things that aren't in the industry. Go, like I go for runs.

1:01:38Alex Lopez:yeah i'm i'm out do i live in the best city in the world i go run outside and i look at the way the light hits the ground or you know just things like that and you know spend time with like kids like i have a beautiful niece and i just love how truthful and blunt they could be like they'll be in a room and just point out the most odd like the most elephant in the room thing and just say it With no hesitation. And I think that's kind of the way we need to start acting in, in the sense of like trusting yourself, you know, like, what is that you like, stop looking for what the trending things happening or the trending audio or the, the transitions or the editing styles, like just listen to yourself.

1:02:27Alex Lopez:And like, yeah, like, I think that's the biggest thing too, of like finding like to stay creative Cause like it's hard, especially like the thing too, that people don't understand is cadence has three people, two people that do all the creative. We're not like this big team of like, dude, like I talked to other people who are in different brands and they got like 17 people for sure. Like in the creative dude, it's just like, it's a handful of us. So like, and it's always me having to like, what are we going to, and then like, obviously I have help, but what are we going to do? what's this? And sometimes I get nervous.

1:03:05Alex Lopez:Like, I don't know, like I just got done with this shoot. Like, you know, you're asking me to think about this. Like, so I think being able to also find routines, finding some kind of passions or like hobbies that allow you to turn off and not think. So lean into that as well for like sources of, of, of, uh, inspiration where you're not on your phone. Right. This kind of leans into this and I'm curious if you have a process of sort of reconnecting with yourself when you feel like you're starting to doubt yourself.

1:03:43Yeah. Like if I, if I start to doubt myself, like, man, like I'm just blessed that I got good

1:03:51Alex Lopez:friends. Honestly, I give, I give a lot of credit to that. Um, I've had, I mean, they know who they are, I'll call them and I'll tell them like, yo, I'm feeling this way. And not to get like reassuring, no, but to really just like, Hey, this is how I'm feeling. Like this is where my mind's at. And I think that's it. I think just being able to be very vulnerable. That's important. Honestly, it'd be vulnerable. Like if you don't have anyone, I don't know, like go eat comfort food, honestly. Um, but yeah, that's kind of like how I go, go about it is just like leaning into my resources and my friends.

1:04:32Yeah. That's important.

1:04:33Alex Lopez:Yeah. Where do you think right now you're finding the most joy and fulfillment in your life? Um, I think just being able to like, obviously through the work I do, like I truly believe Cadence is a brand that's creating products that is benefiting people's lives, whether that's feeling their next run their next training session i think the the product ingredients themselves are really good for you and like we're not selling bullshit to people so i could get behind that that gives me like i get fulfilled by that um also just being able to come back home and tell my mom like all the stuff i'm getting into and just she's like what Like, like I, I didn't have a, I didn't have a passport last year and I had to get one because the brand was, were like a global thing.

1:05:27Alex Lopez:And, you know, I got my passport and I checked off like so many bucket list locations, Germany, France, Australia, just the list goes on. And being able to like share those experiences with my mom, even though it's through like pictures or through stories, like that gives me so much fulfillment because just like, like seeing how stoked they are and like they go back to their friends or, oh, my son's doing this and that, like that gives me a lot of joy. Amazing. Yeah. Dude, thank you so much for being here. Carlos, thank you. Yeah. Where can people find you? Where can people learn about Cadence?

1:06:05Alex Lopez:You could find me on social media at Alex, Alex always, Cadence at Cadence and Twin Studios at TYWN Studios on Instagram. or come out to New York and slap some miles. Amazing. Thank you, dude. I really appreciate being here. Thank you. Hopefully you enjoyed today's episode, everyone. Have a great day. Peace out.