We recently connected with Brandon Ricketts and have shared our conversation below.
Brandon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I’ve been a photographer and videographer for almost a decade and I’ve had plenty opportunities presented to me and made plenty decisions to move the needle in the right direction for me. I struggled sharing my work as it felt to risky and opened me up to criticism I didn’t believe I was strong enough to take on. I was blocking myself for a long time and just casually sharing my work here and there with no real expectation of growth and playing it passive to avoid the harsh criticisms I could face. I knew I needed to truly take a risk and jump off the deep end to see true growth in my career field.
On October 16th 2023, the day before my 25th birthday I made the decision to begin my content posting journey at the drop of a hat. I made it a big deal to hold myself accountable and locked myself into a challenge of posting everyday for 365 days. I had no initial plan just the need to release this creative tension in me and unblock myself, being free to become the true creative I am and express what i’m passionate about. I took the leap and have seen explosive growth come in many ways, I’ve been in the creative space almost a decade at this point and I’ve had ups and downs as we all do but this recent stint has given me a new perspective in teaching me lessons I needed more than anything. I continue to release myself from fear and walk the path of my purpose. I have been sharing my perspective and it’s opened doors I couldn’t initially fathom. As a cinematographer and photographer there isn’t a shortage of things to learn and discuss. Every day I wake up with something new to say and I just focus on saying it as authentically as I can. My audience size has grown and it just reminds me what I say is of value and my actions provide me more to teach and learn and provide to my audience.
The risk of being vulnerable online and sharing my perspective of a field I’m passionate about has opened me up to criticism but it’s also presented more opportunites to grow than being blocked did.
Brandon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Brandon Ricketts, a multidisciplinary artist with primary arms in the fields of cinematography, photography and writing. I’ve been a writer forever now but in 2016 I had the urge to buy a camera and I haven’t put it down since. It went from hobby to career driver and I haven’t looked back. My primary service is video strategy and commercial cinematography as that is where I feel the most useful in this time and find my talents truly stand out in the highest magnitude. I help brands speak to their target audience in a language they understand and drive results through brand recognition and highlight unique offers on social media. What sets me apart is my attention to detail and my actual practice of the things I provide, to clients, in my personal content journey. I’m most proud of my resilience in such a time where I’ve been limited in the time I have yet I’m finding the brightest spots in what I am doing consistently. Life is never run on easy mode and to succeed at a high level in my field is a true accomplishment.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being a creative and artist is the peace of mind I receive when partaking. I genuinely feel a direct correlation in my mental health depends on how artistic I can be in a given time and how often i immerse myself in the art whether its galleries, street photography, books, movies, etc. The arts are my true calling, I feel, and I would give up a lot but art is not one. I don’t see my life in any aspect without my involvement in something artistic and creative.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I was originally a division 1 college football player in college with a major in business. I sucked at algebra and had a 4/100 at the midterm and dropped the class switching my major to communications. I picked up a camera and started shooting snd shortly after I tore my ACL, I was already in deep with cameras so I was shooting on crutches because of how much I loved it. Once I had surgery and learned to walk again I was on the field with my team on game day but filming. I didn’t intend on doing it forever but just until I could play again. Fast forward I’m cleared and ready to go and I tear my other ACL. This sent me into a spiral and made me question why as an athlete since the age of 4 the sport I loved did nothing but hurt me when I needed it most. I doubled down on photo and video as an escape from that pain and it turned into not only an outlet but my new purpose and driving factor. I left football behind as the curtain closed on that chapter and I locked into the arts from then on. Losing my identity as an athlete showed me photo/video and I found my identity there and have since refined it and grown to love it more with every breath. I’m forever in love with the arts and will continue to dedicate my life to it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.6randonslens.com
- Instagram: 6randonslens
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/6randon/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCow1uxhYsM8CnTBqAXHDBgg
Image Credits
Valerie Applebee, Kayla Fitzgerald, Rashan.