We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brenten Tolbert a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Brenten thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

The last time I thought about what having a regular job would be like again, was right before the holidays while on a family hunting trip. Business had been a little slow and a couple of my fall weddings got canceled relatively last minute. Overall these are pretty normal challenges; client’s change plans and business has an ebb and flow life like the rest of life. None of these things were actually detrimental to my business but some combination of them happening, holiday stress, and mental health struggles I’ve experienced since my time in the Marine Corps caused me to really question myself and what I was doing. I started romanticizing the idea of the “steady paycheck” again and thinking about my time working in retail, food service, behavioral health, and the military. When I spend time in solitude in the forest though it always provides a deep connection with my faith, perspectives I’ve been wrestling with, and it provides a different set of challenges that help me assess what areas of life I need to spend more time on. Time in the woods isn’t the only time I spend connecting with God and taking accountability of areas that could use growth in, but that time always takes it to a deeper level. I was blessed with a reminder of another dichotomy in life; it’s not like I hated my time working “regular jobs”, like I said I’ve done quite a few things in life from retail work to snake wrangling and crewing helicopters. But in many of those jobs I felt like I was pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into someone else’s dream while day dreaming about getting to do the things I am working on currently. No matter what our work is we will face challenges but I find a lot more joy with the flexibility and creativity being a business owner provides.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Photography and creative pursuits for most of my life were hobbies that I loved putting time and effort into but kept mostly to myself. I worked in a number of industries before pursuing my own business and did a lot of free work, smaller projects for family or friends, and gradually built my portfolio over the course of multiple years. My goal in pursuing photography full time is to provide my clients with high quality memories of their special moments, big events, and milestones by offering them digital and print products while making it feel fun to be in front of a camera. I am constantly working on my craft, to include going back to school for film production so that I can expand the services I provide. What sets me apart is my willingness to travel and create customized options for each client. I enjoy helping each person find creative solutions to their need whether their shoot is in the middle of the city, the edge of the Grand Canyon, or during the Alaskan winter under the northern lights.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Currently the most rewarding part of being an artist is that a big chunk of my work is what I really love doing. The fundamentals remain the same but the sights and events I get to witness regularly change which keeps work exciting!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission in my creative journey is to be an example to other veterans of how to shift their perspectives and struggle well. Not everyone is meant to work with cameras but for me doing so has developed a habit of physically looking at things from multiple points of view which has helped me greatly in other areas of my life beyond my craft. As I continue to grow and work with more people, lessons and philosophies like these feel more important to share than ever before. Sometimes we simply need reprioritize what we’re focusing on.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brententolbert.com
• Instagram: @brententolbertphotographyllc

Image Credits
Brenten Tolbert