We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brian Carlson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brian below.

Brian, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. 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.

My work is visually based. And while it’s satisfying for me to look at it, I do it because I want other people to see it. I want others to enjoy it, be stimulated by it, and chuckle over it. But getting people to see it means putting yourself out there. There’s risk involved in that. Some will love it and some won’t. That’s difficult for anyone, particularly a sensitive artist like myself. But if I don’t take that risk my work won’t get better and I won’t grow more resilient. And I’d like to think my work touches people at some level, so not showing it is a disservice to them and how I was made.

Brian, 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 a photographer and director. But more importantly I’m someone who likes to think deeply about issues and solve them visually. I think I thrive when I’m able to discover the why of a problem and address it from all angles. Professionally, I’m most proud of my portrait work, my short films, and my personal work exploring various subcultures (shot with my trusty medium format film camera!). Personally, I’m proud of the men my two young boys are becoming, my wife for being incredibly patient and loyal, and my modest garden.

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

Ages ago my mom gave me a great piece of advice. “The worst someone can say is no.” That helped me unlearn my fear of asking for things or putting myself out there.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I’m curious by nature so I love meeting new people and having new experiences. I find the collaborative process really rewarding, I get energy from it. Thankfully, being a photographer and director scratches both of these itches.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.briancarlsonimages.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/bcarlsonimages
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bcarlsonimages
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/bcarlsonimages