Alexis Rosas De La Luz is a man of many artistic talents. He plays three instruments, writes and makes films, and even designs and sews his own clothing. Right now, however, those aren’t his main concerns; rather, he is focused on winning the title of Mr Norristown.
Rosas De La Luz believes Mr. Norristown brings the community together, but more importantly, gives Norristown and its high school the respect it deserves.
“There’s so many negative stereotypes about Norristown in Norristown,” Rosas De La Luz said. “This is one of the biggest events, probably the biggest event, that the district holds all year. And, I just want to show the positive side of Norristown.”
He credits Norristown with helping him discover his favorite hobby, filmmaking, which he was introduced to by his screenwriting teacher, Ms. Boyle.
He finds film a visual, emotional, and expressive form of art. Rosas De La Luz writes his own screenplays and posts short films he makes on Instagram. His inspirations are Christopher Nolan and Robert DeNiro. Some of his favorite films that also inspired him are Citizen Kane and Shawshank Redemption, both of which are classics.
“All the things you can put into a film, like all the messages, all the feelings,” Rosas De La Luz said. “Everything you can put into film, that’s what, to me, makes it so special.”
Another talent he has is playing three musical instruments: guitar, piano, and drums. Of the three, Rosas De La Luz actually started with the drums because he believes that drums are the foundation of almost every genre.
“[The drums are] such a big piece in making music. Almost every genre: jazz, rock, hip-hop,” he said. “Almost every genre there is, they’re a key centerpiece of music.”
While drums are the foundation, Rosas De La Luz also appreciates the guitar for its versatility.
“It just showed how much potential an instrument can have and how many different sounds it can have,” Rosas De La Luz said.
His love for music runs deeper than just playing instruments; it can also be found in the unconventional music he listens to. Rosas De La Luz enjoys shoegaze, a genre of alternative music characterized by bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. He also likes Aphex Twin, an ambient music DJ. He suggests that Aphex Twin is great to study to or just listen to when you need a break from the world.
“It just helps me when I’m reading a book, helps me concentrate, and not be like ‘oh, I gotta check my phone,’” he said.
Rosas De La Luz could be caught anywhere discussing what makes a compelling scene transition or grounds a beat in a song, but something unknown to most is that he’s taken up fashion design.
“When I started sewing, I realized how hard it is to make clothing,” Rosas De La Luz said. He feels that fashion is an important form of art and expression that people don’t credit enough.
Rosas Da La Luz also believes that calling someone’s style one thing is absurd. He believes that people should wear what they feel comfortable in. To him, it doesnt matter what you wear, as long as you look and feel good about yourself and your outfit.
“I just like it when someone puts something on and is confident with their outfit,” he said.
Rosas De La Luz draws most of his inspiration for creativity from his mother, who encourages him and his talents.
“As long as you’re doing something, it doesn’t matter what it is, that’s all I want. At least I know you’re taking a path you want to follow,” Rosas Da La Luz said, quoting his mother.
Just like his mother, Rosas Da La Luz has a piece of advice for people who want to let their creativity flow: “Don’t be too harsh on yourself, ’cause everyone was new to what you are doing at one point.”
Rosas Da La Luz was once in the same shoes as many artists, but unlike many, he’s tried and succeeded.
“If you didn’t try, did you really want to do it in the first place?”