Meet Eric Wood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Wood.

Hi Eric, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved creativity. I love music, film, literature, and everything in between. As a child and a teenager, I longed to be involved in music, but I had one distinct problem. I lacked the self-confidence to ever ACTUALLY see myself in front of people. I started learning guitar at the age of thirteen, but I was so full of self-doubt and fear that even if the opportunity presented itself to play in front of anyone besides my family, I would avoid it like the plague. As I became a junior in high school, things began to change. I started daring to think that I might possibly be able to pursue my dream and share my own creativity with the world. There were a few factors that contributed to this, but three distinct reasons stand out in my mind.

The first is that my faith was developing and becoming stronger, and I felt that I was being called to use my gifts to make an impact on this world. I had been blessed with some musical and creative ability, and I felt that God wanted me to use those gifts to make a positive impact on this world. The second was that, in a huge step out of my comfort zone, I began to work at a summer camp in Asheville, NC called Camp Cedar Cliff. I was petrified of becoming a counselor as I felt that I didn’t have anything to offer at the time, but my time there grew and stretched me in ways I could have never imagined.

I became more confident and more sure of myself. And the last reason that stands in my memory is my best friend, Denver. We had met freshman year of high school and he was one of the first true friends I had ever had. Denver was the person that loved everyone and made everyone feel like the most important person in the room. He was effortlessly outgoing and confident and constantly pushed me to come out of my own shell, usually with some well-meaning teasing and lecturing. Even though he sadly passed away last year, he continues to be an example to me of how to treat people and be myself.

So, the time came to go to college, and I made the decision to head to college to get a worship leadership degree. I was sure that that was exactly what my calling was, and was taking the leap to pursue it. And then, after four years of college, I realized that that was only a part of what I was going to do with my life. Throughout college, I had the opportunity to be a part of several worship teams and retreats, both as a leader and as a band member. I grew in confidence, musical ability, and stage presence. But something else happened at that time. I started to become an audio engineer. I took a work-study with the tech team at my university, and after a year I had become promoted to audio manager. I had gone from barely knowing audio to being responsible for the sound for all events on campus and training others in how to mix sound in a live and a post-production setting.

This was never part of the plan. I was going to do music, right? While I wanted to know enough to get by, I didn’t plan on becoming so heavily involved in the production side of things. But it felt right. It was fun, and challenging, and exciting. And so now I had two things that I was pulled towards. And it only got more complicated from there, because in the first job I got out of college, I was suddenly learning videography, graphic design, and photography.

I loved it. While I had never done ANYTHING with those fields before, I loved learning all the ins and outs, and it scratched a creative itch that I didn’t know I had. And thus began my journey of becoming a freelance creative. Since that time I’ve worked in all five of those fields for several years, and I’ve loved every second of it.

I’m humbled by what I’ve gotten to do since then. In the six years I’ve been doing creative work, I’ve gotten to perform for hundreds of people, direct music videos, run production for Grammy award-winning artists, shoot live concerts at iconic venues like the Ryman Auditorium, and so much more. And what made the difference is that I finally reached a point where I was willing to just take that step into the unknown and make myself available for the opportunities that presented themselves. Have there been difficult times? Sure. Have I wanted to give up? Plenty of times.

But through it all, with the support of friends and family, and the knowledge that I was doing something I was meant to do, I’ve been able to do things that that scared little kid would never dream of. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that if you’re willing to take the risk to step outside of your comfort zone, you’ll be amazed at what you’ll accomplish. I still have a list of goals I’m working towards, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to where I am today definitely had some potholes. While I had the confidence to finally step out and pursue my dreams, that confidence has wavered and has still been a constant struggle that I work on. It’s very easy to fall back into the same mindset of “I’m no good,” “No one wants what you have to offer,” “There’s no way you can do this,” etc. In times like that, I’ve found it important to take a step back and view the facts. I’ve been beyond blessed to get to do what I’ve done.

I’ve got the most supportive spouse in the world, parents, and siblings that have my back and cheer me on no matter what, and friends that believe in me when I don’t believe in myself. It’s so important to surround yourself with people that will support you when you’re weak and challenge you to be better when you might become complacent. In addition to the people around me, I try to remind myself of where I started and where I am now. I worked hard to learn the skills that I have, and I try to remind myself of that when that old self-doubt starts to creep back in.

On the practical side, gear is expensive no matter what creative field you work in. While we always had enough and were able to do many fun trips and activities, my family was not the most affluent. My dad worked hard to provide for us while my mom had to deal with three boys at home. They both sacrificed a lot for us, but even when things were tight they put me through college, bought me my first guitar, and showed unwavering support that I could achieve my goals. I’m humbled by what they’ve done for me.

All that is to say that when I first started out both in music and in videography/photography, I had to make do with what I had. I didn’t have the nicest camera, I didn’t have a fancy rig for my electric guitar, and I continuously would be borrowing equipment from friends. So, I had to start small. I did what I could, saving up my money from various projects to upgrade things here and there. It’s a process, y’all. It’s funny thinking back just a few years ago to when I was just starting out and looking at where I’m at now. I’m really blessed.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a videographer, photographer, graphic designer, and musician based in Nashville, TN. What sets me apart is that I’m passionate about telling stories. I want to know your story and help you get that story out there. Everything can tell a story about who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going. So, when I work with someone, I want to get to know them, know the reasons that they’re doing the project, and help them convey that story in the most genuine, creative way possible.

I would say that I’m most known for being a videographer. I’ve gotten to work on a wide range of projects, from music videos and short films to event promos and a documentary. I love planning out exactly how a video will unfold and then executing that vision. Getting to put it all together in post-production is definitely my favorite part.

I’ve gotten to do a wide variety of photography and graphic design as well. I’ve worked with several artists to design album artwork and do promotional shoots, as well as shooting live concerts and events. I’ve shot weddings, engagements, families, and everything in between, and love to partner with people in capturing those special moments.

I’ve been a musician for over ten years and always love the opportunity to play. I’ve played a wide variety of events, from camps and weekend retreats to concerts and special services. I’ve had the opportunity to play a wide range of genres, including pop, rock, country, and worship. I’m a trained vocalist and play the guitar, bass, and mandolin.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned from Covid-19 is that you have to be flexible. We’ve been blessed that neither of us lost our work during Covid, but so many were not so lucky and they’re still recovering. With artistry and creative work, so much had to shift as society shifted to stop Covid. Many things moved to a mostly online format, and if something was in person, you had to learn to work in a socially distanced way.

It was a challenge to learn to work with these new standards because many things that worked before did not work now. The limits on distance and the number of people that could be around each other meant that you had to plan further ahead and be more creative in making everything feel cohesive.

When a project is solely going to be online, you have to give even more thought to how to make it feel as “live” and unifying as possible to combat the overwhelming feeling of isolation during that time. I think in the creative industry these things will be lessons that will forever impact how things are done from now on.

Contact Info:

• Email: ericwoodcreative@gmail.com
• Website: ericwoodcreative.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/ericwoodcreative