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I grew up moving almost every year.
Mandaluyong —> Marikina —> Antipolo —> San Juan —> Mandaluyong —> Antipolo
We never really settled down until I was already 11. Every move meant another cardboard kingdom to unpack, another set of faces to memorize, and another reminder that roots were optional.
My compass became whatever fit in the family van: a folding chessboard, a scuffed basketball, a pair of ancient boxing gloves, and Dad’s battered Nikon from his Manila Times days. Those were the only constants my brother and I could count on—tangible proof that the three of us still spoke the same language even when our ZIP code kept changing.
Dad’s photos of 1970s landscapes and protest marches taught me early that a single frame can land harder than any headline. His stories gave me an itch—an itch that carried me through fifteen years of poems, photos, and the odd film, even while I flirted with the idea of law school so I could “give a voice to the voiceless” like Matt Murdock or Marshall Eriksen.
Eventually I realized the courtroom has rules; storytelling lets you break them.
The pulse of everything I make is story. While boxing trains my timing and teaches that grace under pressure isn’t poetic—it’s practical. Motorcycles remind me the world looks new when you lean a little farther than comfort allows. Sleight-of-hand keeps me honest; a good flourish only works when the audience feels respected, never fooled.
Filmmaking was my first real big romance, a widescreen playground where words, frames, and music held hands. I’ve parked that dream in neutral for now—marketing departments need steering—but its grammar still guides every photograph and line of copy I draft.
And after more than fifteen years of chasing light, I thought I’d shot my last frame in 2022. Burnout hit, gear got sold, and I decided silence might be safer. Then, mid-move, I found a dusty Fujifilm X-E2 buried between chess pieces and bubble wrap.
Why the hell not?
One charged battery and a stray sunbeam later, the itch was back, louder than ever.
This still isn’t my full time obsession. But it still is an obsession nonetheless.
If want to tell stories and chase light with me, let me know.
william roberts | iammrthirty@gmail.com
