Today we’d like to introduce you to Ricardo Rodriguez
Hi Ricardo, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raise in Puerto Rico. I lived most of my childhood and adolescence in Mayaguez, a west coast municipality of PR. After graduating high school in 2005, I wanted to attend a Communications College in San Juan, but growing up in a less than middle class household, with 3 other siblings, I didn’t have the money to pay for tuition. After enrolling in a community college and completing one semester, I realize that this was not exactly what I wanted. Especially not the program I would have prefer on completing. So after dropping college on my second semester of my first year, in 2006, I enlisted in the U.S Army as an 11X recruit.
After infantry school and more advance training, I was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. I served there from 2007-2010. I deployed to the Philippines, Japan and Iraq. In 2010, I moved from Alaska to Colorado Springs, Colorado. There I served from 2010-2012, deploying to Afghanistan and Kuwait. I also spent some time training cadets at West Point, one of the US most prestigious military academies. In 2012, I moved to Northern Virginia, close to DC area. In 2014, I got Department of the Army selected to attend the US Army Drill Sergeant School. In 2015, I moved to South Carolina to serve as a Drill sergeant.
While serving as a Drill Sergeant, I had a pancreatic flare-up, or “pancreatitis” that left my pancreas necrotized. I spend 14 days in the hospital, then another month on convalescence leave to recover from it. During that month, I reconnected with an old friend from PR. Alexandra Miranda (Spoiler alert, she is my wife now). We began a long distant relationship. That helped me to continue training, so I could get back in shape to finish my military duty at Ft. Jackson. In October, I got diagnosed with Chronic Pancreatitis.
After being diagnosed, in a span of 8 months I continued to have more flare-ups, open surgeries and medical problems with my pancreas, resulting in a medical board (examination) of my active service. During this time, Alex would fly from Chicago to help me during my surgeries. While recovering from them, I would fly to Chicago to spend time in the care of her. While going back and forth for 8 months, Alex decided to moved down to South Carolina were we rented an 2-bedroom apartment together. After a year-long review process of my military career, the medical board decided that I was un-fit to continue serving in the military. I ended up getting medically retired after just short of 12 years of service. During this time we had our first son, Rafael. My service ended in Dec. 2017. So I was in a state of panic, shock and I felt defeated, especially not knowing what I would do next.
After overcoming a bad depression and a state of pure hopelessness, I enrolled at Midlands Technical College to finish some of my general education courses. After spending a year and half there, I enrolled at the University of South Carolina, in a journalism and mass communications program.
I picked up my first DSLR camera in the fall of 2019. As a non-traditional student, my time at the university was only 2 years, so I was taking multiple photography courses to help me understand the medium better. At first, my focus was photojournalism, but after taking some courses at SVAD–School of Visual Art and Design–I gravitated towards the fine art aspect of photography. I wanted to share my experiences of military service, ptsd, overcoming chronic illness and overcoming depression using a poetic lens to create such images; to create art!
In the Fall of 2021, I graduated from USC Columbia. Before Graduating I finished a body of work called, “Mi Familia; Mi Hogar; Mi Salvacion.” I focused on capturing the mundane of the environment that have made me find peace, my home. I also depicted the precious moments or “daily anecdotes” of my family. They have saved me from myself.
After graduating, I got a job in Marketing at a private company. In 2022, Alex and I had our second son, Roberto. During that time I started a new job in communications and marketing at USC. In January of 2023, I got diagnosed with late onset Type 1 Diabetes, due to my not so working pancreas. After spending almost 2 years working at the university, I quit my full-time job and enrolled in the MFA program at USC.
My family and I live in the northeast area of Columbia, in a quiet and pleasant neighborhood. We enjoy our time hiking, riding bikes and taking weekend getaways to other states. Alex works as an early childhood interventionist at Epworth Children’s Home. Our children, Rafael and Roberto, are growing faster and faster. They are both loving and caring. I continue to battle my medical conditions, and PTSD through the view of a camera.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No at all. I have moved from place to place, especially leaving my childhood home, being in some sort of isolation from what I’ve known. I have to made other families, whether they were old army friends, or current friends along the way, just to find a support system.
Dealing with my medical illnesses and conditions, they have taken a toll on my mental health. I have had suicidal ideation, to include bad depression that comes and goes. Not knowing if one day would be my last, can take a toll in the mind.
After being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and Chronic pancreatitis, I felt defeated, like I was paying for my sins. I had to learn new ways to mitigate going back to the hospital, and educate myself on best practices to overcome such things.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a photographer/artist. I used medium format (120mm) black and white film to capture and create new photographs. I generally shoot with an older camera, a Yashica 124g, Hasselblad 500 and or a Mamiya C330. I process my own film and scan it. The central ideas that I try to convey are fatherhood, salvation, PTSD and my environment—in a poetic way. My genre can be categorized as poetic space/lyrical documentary.
My signature images are of Rafael and one from my wife, Alexandra.
Currently I am also learning to teach art and art studio classes so I can pay it forward and help other covey ideas, beliefs and bodies of work. I’m hard believer in giving back to the art community.
My experiences have shaped me in way that I can try to empathized with anyone,
But also share my experiences that hopefully could help someone else dealing with the same things I’ve dealt with.
What’s next?
Yes, once I graduate from the MFA program, I would like to teach in higher education. Especially helping others find meaning, sense of self and direction. A way to pay forward to a community that helped me find meaning.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ricrodz.myportfolio.com/bio
- Instagram: @ricardrodz
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ricardo-rodriguez-092069188
- Other: https://ricardorodz.myportfolio.com/
