We were lucky to catch up with Brenda Manthe recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Brenda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
What started as an experiment many years ago has turned into a project that’s personally meaningful to me. Every few years I go through a period of questioning the value and worth of my photography. I had grown a bit tired of abstract street photography and was completely lost. Should I quit? Why can’t I create beautiful photos like everyone else? Am I a fraud? You know, questions that run through most peoples’ minds at least once in their life.
On this one particular occasion, I was traveling in Asia. Talk about a creative crisis! I was there to explore and take pictures but had no desire to do so. Aimlessly walking through the streets of Taiwan and ruminating over my entire creative life, I found myself in an older neighborhood, filled with narrow streets and colorful homes. The neighborhood was so different from my hometown…not different for the residents of course. But for me, it was. Slowly, I started to wonder if there was a way to photograph this neighborhood without invading the privacy of the residents. That lead to actively seeking out interesting bits of architecture, color and ephemera. And finally lead to taking a photo. And another, and another. When I got home and looked through my photos, I realized that a new project had been started. I still seek out these types of photo opportunities when traveling.
I rarely show these photos to anyone because the subject is very niche. But to me, these photos are meaningful because they document a sliver of time on this planet that we all call home. Even going back the next day, the scene will be different – a bike gets moved, a plant gets put out on the doorstep…or who knows what. The ephemeral nature of everyday life fascinates me to no end.
But you know what else…this photo project is a constant reminder that creative purpose can be ephemeral too. It’s a reminder to embrace the next big shake-up. And a reminder to just go out and create, no matter how different, boring or weird the idea is.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I got into photography at about 9 years old. That was back in the film camera days! My dad let me take one of his old cameras on a trip out to South Dakota and little me was hooked from then on.
I didn’t have much of a focus until my mid twenties. At that time, I got very into urban exploration. One of the major rules was (and still is) to take only pictures…and that’s what I did! While exploring old buildings, caves and tunnels, I started to notice the little details. Colorful patches of rust…years of paint peeling from a wall. Pretty soon it was those details that I loved more than the abandoned buildings. So I started walking around the city looking for other little details, patterns and interesting colors. There was a lot more opportunity and a lot less chance of getting arrested! 20-some years later and I’m still at it, always on the search for the next little detail to photograph.
Abstract photography started to feel a bit “small” – literally and figuratively. Taking my love of composition and color, I expanded into architecture / street scene photography and general travel photography. In the same way that people travel for food, I travel for an interesting neighborhood or urban exploring opportunity (Keelung, Taiwan and Pripyat in Ukraine are two examples).
My photography is really just for me. It’s so wonderful when my work makes other people happy! But my motivation is purely from the inner need to get out in the world, walk around with no agenda and take pictures of whatever catches my eye.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn an old childhood lesson of “there are no what-ifs”. Apparently, I asked that all the time as a kid…as most kids do. But it was met with a lot of annoyance and scolding. After awhile, I stopped asking, which actually stopped me from even thinking in “what-ifs”.
With a lot of life and perspective behind me at this point, I can safely say that “what-if” is the foundational question to all creativity. It took a LOT of patience and relearning, but I’m finally to the point where that question is in my head all the time. Even for weird stuff like “what if my dog was just a head and no body, and I had to carry her around everywhere like a tennis ball or something”. Yup, I’m talking that weird! I always acknowledge those “what-if” questions now. They’re a gift and a sign of growth….even if some are very strange, lol!
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I think that creatives can get boxed in to a stereotype of being flaky, weak and hating math (or something like that). In reality, we’re each a whole human being with interests, strengths and weaknesses that run the gamut…just like everyone else on this earth.
My full time job is not photography, it’s in performance marketing. My answer to this question is through the lens of creativity in the workplace.
It’s incredible to hear the assumptions that “creatives don’t like spreadsheets” or “creatives don’t care about data” or “creatives just want to make pretty things”. In my experience, those assumptions are wrong…well maybe the spreadsheet assumption is correct some of the time. But anyway, most of us professional creatives desperately want to produce creative that’s effective and serves the customer…and that is aesthetically pleasing. So if there are any “non-creatives” reading this, give your “creative” counterparts the data, the customer research, your expert opinion! They’re all valuable and much appreciated. 
Contact Info:
- Website: brendamanthe.com
- Instagram: @brendamanthe