Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Henry Truitt Harshaw. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Henry Truitt, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

It was definitely not like that from day one, but I’ve steadily been able to grow my business (Harsh Studios) and earn a living. I’m a filmmaker, and I’m planning to make my first narrative feature soon, but in the meantime I’ve been able to earn a living doing creative work adjacent to my eventual goals: shooting commercials for small brands, doing headshots and video reels for models and actors (and anyone else who needs them), renting out my studio to other photographers and filmmakers and assisting on their shoots (a great way to make money and connections) and taking short term jobs in film/commercial production. I have big dreams, but I’m very happy and grateful to be able to make money within the professional field and the art form, doing things that sharpen my own skills as a filmmaker, meet some very talented people, and let me pursue my passion projects in my spare time.

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

I started out as a filmmaker/writer with almost no connections. I didn’t go to film school. I was lucky enough to fall in with some people who did and also converted my apartment into a photo studio. At first I invited some talented fashion photographers (Sivan Miller, Eugene Manning) to shoot there for free so I could learn studio lighting and shoot some video with the models when there was time. Eventually I started renting my studio out through sites like Peerspace and made relationships with returning clients. I became pretty good at studio lighting almost by accident by watching what they did (and Youtube videos, of course) and started shooting more video on set and eventually their clients started hiring me to shoot ads.
I’ve maintained my passion and commitment to my personal/fine-arts work and my short films and music videos have played at a number fo festivals across the U.S. You can check out my artistic work, commercial work, and my acting work on my website. I recently won Best Director at the Brooklyn International Short Film Festival for my film ‘L’aura’. It also played at the Big Apple Film Festival and was selected to be featured for distribution on their channel. You can check it out here:
https://youtu.be/WHodTas5jQA?si=iVsFak7-OfwJFgy3

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

There’s a unique relationship between art and commerce that doesn’t quite exist in other industries. I’m a filmmaker, and consider myself an artist, but like many artists I also do commercial work. I’ve never seen this as a problem, since it gives me an opportunity to make a living and improve my technical skills and craft. However, I take the art form very seriously, and when I’m doing serious work, I put my whole mind, soul, and body into it. You need to have that kind of passion to make art.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

It’s not a resourse per se, but I would encourage young artists to pursue any opportunity they have to meet other artists or people in their industry. Go to free and paid workshops and make friends with the instructor. Volunteer to assist on shoots in exchange for the knowledge gained and possibly getting a little time to shoot at the end. Messaging people you respect and admire on Instagram and see if they have any advice or opportunities. Just be respectful and don’t ask for anything unreasonable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.henrytruitt.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henry.truitt/
• Other: Short film “L’aura”:
  https://vimeo.com/980245394/6d31a6b100?ts=0&share=copy