We recently connected with Collin Strachan and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Collin, thanks for joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

This has been a pretty consistent question for me over the past couple of years. The answer, simply, is yes. I am content with my decision to be a business owner, but it wouldn’t be fair to see that’s the reason I’m happy or unhappy at any given moment.

I’ve been self-employed since 2017, and my wife and I began focusing on Lifestyle & dventure Photography and building Every Mile Creative in 2019. Over the years, we’ve had our ups and downs, and income hasn’t always been consistent. The last few years have been really good for us, but even the months in between seasons where contracts slow down can be unsettling.

Most recently, we’ve taken 3 months off from shooting because we had a baby. We set aside money for that time and typically always have a good winter season, so things are good. But that lurking question in the back of your mind, “Will this business provide like it has? Is the market changing?” never really goes away.

When those thoughts arise, I certainly find myself wondering what it might be like to have a “regular” job. Knowing that the paycheck is always there would be nice, but at the end of the day, I believe I would resent the freedoms I gave up to get that paycheck, like I did last time I had a regular job.

As such, I would not change my decision to be a business owner. Because we live in an Airstream and travel full-time, I can be where I want, work the hours I want, and be fully present for my family at any time during the day. I can hop on a helicoper on a Tuesday and go explore a glacier, or take a long mid-day walk on a Thursday, without worrying about anyone else’s schedule. And even when I am working, I’m generally in some of the most beautiful environments on earth creating imagery for my clients.

The flip-side to that is our life is pretty much defined by uncertainty and the discomfort of knowing you have to get out there and make it happen if you want to survive. But that’s what makes us stronger, no?

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Canvas Rebel Interview

Hey, I’m Collin Strachan. My wife, Kendal, and I are Alaska-based lifestyle and adventure photographers. Along with our Son, Milo and our Husky, Bailey, we live (mostly) full-time in our off-grid Airstream exploring this awesome state we call home.

We started our business, Every Mile Creative, in 2019 and have travel the southwest USA and much of Alaska capturing epic images for over 100 brands globally.

Our mission, beyond capturing epic landscapes, is to create immersive images that draw you into the landscape when you see them. If you open a Land’s End magazine (one of our regular clients over the last few years) and find a full-spread image, we want you to feel like you can see yourself standing on a mountain in Alaska looking out over the Fjords wearing that jacket.

Before becoming an entreprenuer in 2017, I worked in a number of marketing roles, incluing for a firm in Dallas texas, then spent a couple more years contracting with marketing firms and larger organizations creating multimedia before moving into the outdoor space.

During those years, one of my most consistent experiences was watching design teams struggle to source great imagery for brochures, ads, web heroes, product pages, social, etc. We’d usually get one set of good, or maybe really good images, then be expected to spread those acros 100+ different needs. It was incredibly frustrating.

So one of the best ways we serve our clients now is really digging into understanding where their images will live and how they will convert. Are we shooting ultra wide for those crazy ad banners? Gorgeous, textured details for product page swipe-overs? If I know how my clients will actually go about getting a return on inestment into my photography, I am able to shoot so much more intentionally.

We’ve seen a lot of our clients get really wide usage from our images and report higher engagement as a result, so we’re proud of that.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

We’re heading into our third winter in Alaska. Sometimes I feel like I could stop right there and let that be its own story! I’ll share a bit, however, about how winters have shaped us.

For the last couple of years, winters have been just as strong as our summer season for us. I think people are mesmorized not only by the stunning white mountains, northern lights, and ice caves, but also by the strength it takes to endure the type of weather we get here.

Last year, for example, we spent two months living off-grid in temperatures as low as -20 ferenheit. We cut all of our own wood to heat the Airstream with our wood stove, and every day, we chainsawed through 18 inches of ice to filter 30 gallons water out of a nearby lake. Yes, you read that correctly.

All while fulfilling photography contracts in the mountains, around the airstream, and even by hopping in a helicopter to get out to remote glaciers.

Between the endless struggle with the environment and pushing ourselves to deviver exceptional imagery on time, we were complete exhausted by the holidays. But also stronger, and more resilient.

Perhaps Kendal and I are a bit crazy, but every time we’ve put ourselves on the edge and chosen to overcome a huge obstacle in front of us, we’ve come out better for it.

As humans, we’re all incredibly resilient. Today, you don’t have to live in a frozen wasteland to find your inner strength. Just choosing to stay mindful on the 405 (we lived in LA for a while. I get it) during rush hour is as great an act of inner strength as anything I have accomplished. Resilience is living intentionally in today’s world, wherever you are.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Man, this one is a doozy. For me, the biggest thing I had to unlearn in the idea that talent matters.

Talent will get you in the game. From there, the only thing that matters is skill.

I have always been an inherently “talented” person when it comes to creative pursuits. I can pick up a musical instrument and become proficient fairly easily and I’ve always been good with design, photography, whatever.

But in business, good doesn’t cut it. My contemporaries are SO much more than good. They are mind-blowingly amazing. Follow any photographer at the top of his game on Instagram and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

In my early years, I thought that I could just go out there and shoot and it would be great, because I’m talented, right? Heck no. I’ve had to break down every part of the creative process – planning, choosing scenery and gear, framing, shooting, culling, editing, touching up, everything, and learn and re-learn. Kendal and I have invested a ton in to education to push ourselves to be better.

The pain has never been learning the new skill. It has always been letting go of the idea that I’m doing something great and pushing myself to develop the skills it takes to be actually great at what I do.

If there’s any single lesson I would tell an entreprenuer, young or old, it is to never stop learning.

Contact Info:

• Website: everymilecreative.com
• Instagram: @kendal.strachan
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/collinstrachan

Image Credits
Collin Strachan Kendal Strachan