Katrina San Juan in person is as lovely as in her Instagram feed. You may know her through @kattsanjuan and as the creator of the The Daykeeper (@thedaykeeper) datebook. She’s charming, friendly and full of optimism. From those qualities, we know what made The Daykeeper as wonderful as it is. These are what she brings in as well when she’s working as a wedding videographer for Mayad Studios.
In this interview, we learn more about Katt, her creative life, and what keeps her inspired.
How did you start doing videography?
It started out as a hobby in college. I enjoyed making videos during my free time. My course was actually BS Nursing, so I didn’t really take up a creative course. When I graduated, I took a year off to figure things out. Then I realized what I love doing and that’s how I landed in videography. You know, you just have to start somewhere and improve on it. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by people who were passionate about it. I met with the owners of Mayad Studios when they were starting out. I interned for them and learned more about it. From there they took me, and have me on board today.
Tell us about your job in Mayad Studios.
I do wedding videos, which is what we mainly do. We rarely do commercial. So I shoot and do the editing, whether its prenuptials shoots, wedding photos or same-day edit videos. Mostly I handle destination weddings so I get to travel in and out of the country. Right now I’m based in Boracay for the first half of the year.
What’s a normal day like for you?
The very first thing I do is read for 30 minutes, but that is if I haven’t hijacked my phone. I really try not to. After that I get coffee and think about what I am going to do for the day. Then I exercise, or at least I try. I use Nike Training Club or go to the gym. For the rest of the day, I either go to the office or to a café. Or wherever my work will be for that day—these are when we have shoots. I prefer working in a café, though, for my editing because I get to focus better. If I do it in the office, I just end up talking to my coworkers/friends. But it’s great because I get to exchange ideas with them. It’s all a creative process.
I have a lot of free time; I get to relax and choose the time when I’ll work, as long as I get the job done. This is why I have the time to do other projects, like The Daykeeper. But it’s not all easy; there are times where I have to focus. We know it’s not very easy to just focus right away.
How did The Daykeeper start? What inspired you to create it?
The Daykeeper is like my own journal that I want to share with others. It’s filled with what inspires me every day… the beauty I see. That’s what I wanted to share, the appreciation of what we have in life—that even the simplest thing matters, and we shouldn’t take it for granted.
It’s also about the journey. It doesn’t have to be grand travel; it could just be a daily commute. You live in those moments and experiences. See life through rose-colored lenses. Be grateful for the new day, what lies ahead, or what has occurred. One example is, what made me smile that day? I love writing it down and looking back. Overall, this is about gratitude in life.
What’s your favorite place that you’ve been to?
From work, it would be the Maldives, where the water is very, very clear. From my personal trips, it’s Alaska. I stayed in Juneau, which was a beautiful small town surrounded by nature… magnificent mountain with snow caps as a backdrop. I loved how you could easily explore the outskirts and just follow trails. It was my first solo trip, which I really enjoyed because I was forced to get out there and meet new friends along the way.
Do you have other passion projects aside from The Daykeeper?
I create lifestyle videos or lifestyle films. It’s where we do some casting, make story lines. It’s somewhat like a travel video also. We’ll have a girl walking around a city or a guy going on a road trip. Then there’s Camp Courage, because we like to inspire young girls.
Camp Courage—tell us more about it. Will there be another one?
I do it with my sister and with some of her friends. It’s really a group effort. It’s fun to meet with the girls who have so much passion and dreams in their hearts. I get to meet them, know more about them and their “Why?” in life. We’re having the next Camp Courage in Cebu this May and another one in October in Cagayan de Oro. We plan to do it in provinces, because we feel like there’s a lack of it. So we’d rather do it there, plus we’re from Cagayan de Oro, too.
What’s your advice to the youth?
Be willing to be inspired and accept that there’s nothing original these days. Everything is inspired by something. So, being more aware of what inspires you can help. Figure out why it does. Ask, “Why does this move me? What’s your purpose, or why are you doing this? Sooner or later you’ll find your direction. Then, moving forward, constantly ask yourself “why?” Stop once in a while to reflect and know the reason for it.
In our company, we like to “inspire others as you aspire to be someone.”
What’s your favorite quote?
“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”—C.S. Lewis
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