We recently had the chance to connect with Chet Pajardo II and have shared our conversation below.
Chet, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day are a blessing. I wake up next to my beautiful wife Dayziah and we pray together and thank God for allowing us to wake up (Psalm 118:24). We normally do our daily devotional and then I write down the tasks I get to do in my planner. I attempt to (but often fall short) finish my morning workout, but lately that’s been getting pushed back until the afternoon.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey guys, last time, I’m pretty sure I introduced myself as a web-slinging superhero that got bit by a radioactive spider…I wanna let y’all know my crime fighting era is over – my back hurts these days. All jokes aside, my name is Chet Pajardo II and I’m a video editor/content creator for Loop Digital & Bashful.CR8 respectively.
In Loop Digital, my brother Chris and I specialize in photography, videography, and most commonly video editing for clients that would like to enhance their social media presence, capture precious moments, and improve their content quality. Basically, that’s a semi-fancy way of saying we help clients with photos and videos.
Bashful.CR8 has 4 main FAM members: my sister Cheyenne, brothers Malik, & Malcolm, and myself. We write, produce, participate in, and edit all types of videos on different platforms, but primarily on YouTube. These videos range from basketball games to reactionary clips to even faith based educational sermons.
I don’t wanna bore y’all with every minute detail, but I would love to say that I’m truly blessed to be able to work alongside my family members and if any of those topics interest you, come join the fam! (Proverbs 15:22)
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5 NIV)
Honestly, Jesus Christ saw me clearly before I could see myself. I was one of those lost sheep, mindlessly roaming around, thinking that I had all the answers before He found me. In the moments when I saw too highly of myself, He was there to humble me so He could do the exalting in due time. In the moments, when I looked down on myself, He was there to remind me I was created in His image for a purpose. I could probably spend hours on this topic alone, but for the sake of time, Jesus sees me for who I am and He sees you for who you are too.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5 NIV)
Although it may seem counterintuitive at times, suffering can be one of the biggest blessings. Suffering has taught me to rely on God and His strength rather than my own. It continually reminds me that I’m weak, cannot do everything, and will, unfortunately, one day die. I know that may sound heavy or maybe even overly extreme, but that’s the harsh reality – we will all suffer and we will all die one day. So, what’s the point?
Well, I believe the main point of life is to love and serve God and to treat others how we want to be treated. In order to successfully do these things, we must develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. In short, suffering has taught me to rely on God and that He will use my suffering to help me or somebody else get closer to Him. Suffering has reminded me of the One who suffered the most brutal, undeserved suffering so that I, and the rest of the world, would suffer no more. Praise Jesus!
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness (1 Corinthians 3:18-19 NIV)
You know the Apostle Paul wrote about this very thing about 2,000 years ago and it’s still relevant today. Smart people rely too much on what they think they know. The world will say, “If you just get enough money… If you just become famous… put your faith in your intelligence, your skills, your talents, your beauty… then you’ll finally achieve everything you want in life and be happy”. Unfortunately, all of the fame, money and intelligence will ultimately fade away. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul? (Matt. 16:24)
Obviously, I’m not saying that certain things like money, power, and your knowledge aren’t important. In fact, these 3 things are good things. However, we (myself included) often take short cuts (or sins) to get them and these short cuts will lead us to our own destruction. So then, when conducting business I must always ask myself and my team, “Why are we doing this?”, “What does this promote?”, and “Who are we serving?”. So if “smart” people are telling you to serve yourself, become dumb.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)
Yes to both. My two main purposes of life are as followed:
1) To take care of my wife and family and
2) To spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible.
Now, obviously, although these are 2 simple instructions given to me by the Lord, I’m not suggesting they’re easy. There have been (and will continue to be) times where there seems to be a conflict of interest in my faith and work. For example, some of the people that I work with aren’t believers and conflicting faiths can be difficult to navigate. Regardless, I do my best to approach everybody with the same love and respect Jesus has given me and we typically come to some type of understanding.
Ultimately, I couldn’t do either without Jesus. He has blessed me with the ability to do both tasks with my loved ones, church, and career path. As a video editor and content creator, I have the privilege to express the love of Jesus and provide for my family through my art. Whether it’s an Instagram reel, documentary, or photo shoot, my FAM and I can incorporate faith elements even if the main focus isn’t about God. I am forever grateful to Jesus for the calling He has given me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://loopdigital.space/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bashful.CR8 | https://www.youtube.com/@Bold.Cr8tion
Image Credits
Photo (9): @Free Grace International
