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

Teri, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

In fall of 2021, I’d just resigned from a position as a chief officer of operations for a small franchising company and I was recovering from surgery to repair a herniated spinal disc. As part of my recovery (from both, really) I started walking daily on the north shore of Utah Lake. There I encountered so much life: aquatic, plant, animal. I also came face to face with the cultural narrative that says this lake is damaged, toxic, and not worthy of our attention. A narrative I believed until I took the time to walk the shores and ask questions. I quickly found that the truth is very much the opposite of what most people know.

The more I learned about the lake—the restoration projects, the strange development threats, the life-giving ecosystem—the more I knew I had to help re-write the collective memory. Using my nature photography and writing, I’m now deeply embedded in the community working to respect and protect this central feature of Utah Valley.

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

My big goal as a writer and nature photographer is to help my readers/followers recognize the wonder in the world. To slow down, pause, and encounter the magical nature all around us all the time. I started as a novelist, writing fiction. And even in my novels this is a theme, a thread. So now that I’ve shifted to nonfiction nature writing, I’m telling the story of real places but still cultivating wonder.

In the last 18 months, I’ve spent over 500 hours on the shores of Utah Lake documenting all there is to know about this lake with a bad reputation. I share photos, videos, and information on my Instagram account every week to spread awareness for this place, to tell the truth and erase the old facts that no longer apply. I write letters to the editor, speak at public conservation events, and volunteer for organizations with similar goals. One day, I hope to write a book about Utah Lake.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a nature writer and photographer is when people tell me, “I didn’t know that!” It’s a simple thing but really speaks to my mission of spreading truth and awareness. A fact they’d never heard, a place they didn’t know existed, an old lie they now know isn’t true anymore—that is proof I’m doing my work well.

The other thing I love hearing from readers/followers is when my work has helped them slow down and pay attention. Taking a walk, noticing the trees. Watching the birds in their yard or taking a picture of a small wildflower. Going out to a lake or river to have their own experience with the water.

All artists wish to make an impact, leave a mark. These small moments of feedback are gold to me. I hope my legacy is wonder and inspiration.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

In this pivot to nature advocacy and work, I had to unlearn fiction and re-learn nonfiction. Both as a person and as a writer.

A huge part of my journey to being an Utah Lake advocate was learning how to question everything I’m told. I had to purposefully unlearn the old narratives and dig up the truth. I had to unlearn the easy acceptance of what I hear from others and discover how to research and ask the right questions. In my writing, I can no longer make up the details of fictional people and places—I have to tell the story of real places and real things.

It’s not an easy thing to re-write an entire cultural narrative based on a very real history of abuse and mismanagement. So I learned to work in a whole new way.  

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.teriharman.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teriharman/

Image Credits
All images Teri Lyn Harman photography