Friends of The House
Name: Chris Mounts
Instagram: @itschrismountsx
When people ask you what you do, what do you tell them?:
I'm a photographer who also runs a wrestling promotion and can help grow their brand & band.
When did you start & what motivated you to take the leap into getting started?
I've been working in music since I was in high school. I started touring with bands a few weeks after I graduated and never looked back. I stopped for a little while to work a corporate job but after I realized it made me lose my shine, I decided I wanted to do photography (something I had been dabbling in while on tour) for real.
What has been the highlight of your journey so far?:
All of it. The ups, the downs, the lefts, the rights. I think it's a bit different for every project I do and honestly the fact that I get to learn constantly and pull lessons & techniques from everything I do is fucking awesome.
Who are your inspirations?:
My wife. She straight up is the most passionate, hard working, dedicated person who refuses to compromise when she knows what she is capable of.
My friends, not like my online friends, but the people who see me when I'm low and let me see them the same way. I'm so lucky to have a small but intense circle of friends who I can learn from constantly and motivate me to be the best version of myself.
What are you currently obsessed with?:
This computer game called, 'The Binding of Isaac' I've been playing / watching people play this game nonstop for about 8 months and it's one of the only things I can do to shut my mind off. Not sure what about it does it for me, but I'm not mad at it.
What are you most excited about right now?:
At this current second? Graphouse, the wrestling promotion I run with my best friends.
But also being able to photograph live music again. It was one of the last things I did before lockdown and I was really worried I wouldn't get to do it again for a long time.
What’s the next big thing coming up for you?
September 9th at Fergusons Downtown in Las Vegas, NV.
It's a wrestling show in one of the coolest venues on the west coast, but at the same time just calling it a wrestling show is not covering all the bases. It's also a night market with local & regional vendors/creators, there's food & music, it's an entire experience. What makes this one really special is that it is our 1-year anniversary show. Tickets available for purchase here.
What is your long-term goal?:
That's a tough one...
Graphouse: I want to keep throwing shows in venues that people wouldn't expect.
Photography: I want to do a touring portrait pop up, I've done a few of them in the last couple of years, but I'd like to be able to take a few weeks and do pop ups in a handful of cities for a few days at a time.
Where is the best place for people to engage with you & follow along your journey?
Definitely my instagram @itschrismountsx
I post a few times a week and my content varies between music, wrestling, and portraits, but I also started focusing less on sticking to just one thing and I post whatever I want. It's a liberating feeling.
SPEED ROUND:
What’s your current theme song?
Father Figure by Tobe Nwigwe
What movie do you watch over & over the most?
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
What book impacted you the most?
The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. Something about that book really spoke to me, I used to read it 2-3 times a year.
FINAL WORDS:
If we are being honest, I’ve been really down the last few months. Not sure what it is but I’ve felt like I couldn’t catch up with the world. I saw something on IG that really changed my perspective and had me feeling better.
‘do it anyway.’
The jist is this, don’t feel like doing something? do it anyway.
Doing it, even if you fail, is such a better feeling than not doing it and wondering ‘what if’.
do. it. anyway.