Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Ruch.
Michael, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Dallas, Texas in 2001. From a very young age, I was fascinated with building and creating things. I would constantly point out things and ask my dad how they were made and inevitably give it a try myself, with drastically varying levels of success. I was always running around outside, exploring, climbing trees, carving sticks, and building forts in the creek. I was interested in anything and everything; I’ve always been a collector of information. Another big part of my childhood was tennis, which is all about form over force. This taught me the value of repetition and the satisfaction of failing over and over until you finally succeed. I still maintain a constant urge to get things right, no matter how many attempts it takes. In high school, I thought my future was in computer science, and even toured my current university for video game design, but I’ve always been pulled towards film.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve always had a difficult time in school. My whole life, I’ve dealt with erratic behavior and an inclination to bend rules. When I was diagnosed with Bipolar at the end of my sophomore year of college, so many patterns were suddenly and clearly explained. Since then, I’ve felt as though I’ve been given a second life. Nowadays, I have the bandwidth and stability to express myself through projects that span many months; something that was far beyond me before. Even though I have it well managed these days, my illness will always be part of me, and I strive to let that duality inform my work. It would be a waste to bury those uncomfortable and painful feelings; I think reflection is the most important thing a person can do.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a maker. To call myself one thing doesn’t quite sit well. I love to use cameras, edit videos, write stories, and direct actors, but I also love designing, building, and shaping things with my hands. Whenever something interests me, I’m compelled to understand it all the way to its roots. In high school, I found a love for music, which in turn led me to learn the guitar. That wasn’t enough to satisfy me, and soon I was building my own electric guitars from scratch. I’ll never be comfortable with an incomplete understanding of something that inspires me. I think I’m known for making unconventional content. When somebody watches a video of mine and doesn’t understand how or what I did to make it, I feel satisfied. I’ll never be able to fully commit to rules and conventions, I just can’t do it. My first step with any project is to think outside the box on the most fundamental level possible. I want to alter whatever medium I am working with at its very core.
I’m proudest of my most recent work, “Position and Rotation”. It’s a music video where I combined stop motion techniques with an archive of scanned historical documents, an endeavor that required me to doctor and carefully place over 13,000 individual frames over the course of six months. What sets me apart from others is that I love tedious work and the idea of doing things that others might not be willing or have the attention span to do. I try to absorb everything around me at all times; everything can be a learning experience if you let it, and no information is irrelevant if you find the right way to use it. I hope to inspire people to put less stake in established rules and to push their creativity to the breaking point.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My grandparents lived on a farm out in east Texas, and whenever my older sister would need to travel to volleyball tournaments I’d be dropped off to spend a week or so there. Every other day, my Grandma would drive me into town and take me to a video rental store called Hastings. I was allowed to rent as many movies as I wanted, so we’d always return with a stack of 10 to 15. I’d watch all of them (sometimes more than once), and we’d go swap them out again. I’ll always have my Grandma to thank for a huge part of my passion for film, and I’ll never forget those quiet weeks on the farm.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michaelruch7.wixsite.com/michael-ruch
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/michaelruch_?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@michaelruch21?si=d0zpQBAnuEQsOUDN
