Lights… camera… action!

A performer strides across the wooden stage with their voice reverberating through the venue as a kaleidoscope of brilliant beams illuminates the audience. Within the screaming crowd stands senior Ryder Hewitt, his camera poised and eyes following the artist’s every movement. Having attended over 50 concerts since his sophomore year, he prepares to preserve his experience through his lens.

As a young child, Ryder was drawn to photography and captured noteworthy moments on his iPad and iPod Touch. Yet growing up in the STEM-focused Silicon Valley, he did not realize until entering high school that he could turn his passion into a professional endeavor that helped him better understand himself. Specifically, a photo he took at an artist’s concert in San Francisco was reposted by the artist and their team, which revealed to Ryder that his work truly affected others.

“A creative field allowed me to change the way I saw myself because there’s no one thing you are if you’re doing something creative,” Ryder said. “I don’t define myself by individual aspects of my personality. I look at myself in a more holistic way and appreciate different aspects of myself that create who I am.”

Since then, Ryder has expanded his creative outlet to include not only photography but also filmmaking and directing, working with artists throughout California to produce music videos. He values not only actively filming but also the collaborative conversations with artists beforehand, whether in the form of cold emails or exchanges of shared ideas, which impact the outcome as much as the shoot itself.

Visual Arts Department Chair Joshua Martinez, who has taught Ryder in photography class for the past two years, recognizes his effort and the depth of his work.  

“He’s been doing music videos for musicians, just really throwing himself into it, and it’s very cool to see someone who looks at art holistically like that,” Martinez said. “It’s not just about what you’re doing, but it’s about who you’re talking to, who you’re inspired by, and who you’re collaborating with, and that energy is really important.”

Although Ryder takes inspiration for his work from artists he admires to learn creative techniques and concepts, he also strives to inject his own style. He acknowledges that learning from experienced professionals is part of his journey of developing a unique voice.

“There’s something that we each as individuals uniquely possess, and it’s our creative vision,” Ryder said. “We’re all blessed with this innate sense of inspiration for what we want to create in the world, and I know what I want to create. Anything that I create artistically is my own work. It’s my own thing. No one can take it from me.”

The process of creating has impacted Ryder personally. Through experiences like attending a University of Southern California filmmaking program and collaborating with artists, he discovered the many bonds created through shared passion. Engaging with so many individuals through a creative lens encourages him to keep an open mind and appreciate the contributions everyone can make in an environment.

“If you work with enough people, you stop feeling the same sense of premeditated judgments that I think we all feel towards each other,” Ryder said. “The beauty of art is that we all share it, that we all have it, and when I’m able to share that with people and when they share it with me, those barriers of judgment or questioning of others are completely broken down.”

Close friend senior Aarit Gupta emphasizes Ryder’s personability as a creative. The two have traveled together to both local and farther locations like Santa Barbara to take photographs, making memories and strengthening their friendship along the way.

“He is always fun to be around,” Aarit said. “Whenever we do something, it is always an adventure with us. It’s pretty playful, but it’s nice that sometimes we can talk about more serious things. He’s very articulate — if he feels a certain way, he’ll make that clear. He’s good with his words, but he’s not afraid to let go sometimes.”

Ryder ultimately hopes that the videos and images he takes will bridge connections and conversations between individuals from diverse backgrounds. He reflects that one of the most worthwhile aspects of being an artist is seeing others respond positively to his creations.

“One thing I’ve learned for myself is that if I sacrifice my creativity, I’d be sacrificing myself,” Ryder said. “I’d let go of what it is that I know I can do, and what I love to create — this means everything to me. Being able to create something uniquely my own is so important to me, and if I ever gave that up, I don’t even know what type of person I’d be. I don’t think I’d know myself.”