We recently connected with Brittany Ha-Nguyen and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brittany, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I’ve taken was very recent when I decided to leave my 9-5 job and pursue my own business as a photographer and videographer. It was definitely a difficult choice to make, but I knew deep in my heart that if I never tried to do it, I would end up regretting it later on. It took me months of going back and forth until I was finally able to make a decision that I felt at peace with. Through the process of trying to choose what path to take, I had the most incredible support system who encouraged me to take a leap of faith. Without them, I don’t know if I would’ve had the confidence to leave behind the comfort and steadiness of a full time job, but their love and support has continued to push me forward. Although the future is unknown and terrifying, it’s so exciting for me to start this journey and I can’t wait too see how it all plays out.

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?

Art has always been a huge part of my life. Telling stories and creating is such a passion for me and it is so rewarding to be able to connect to people through my work. I fell into film and photography a little later than most people. I wasn’t introduced to either of them until college, but through working on different projects and developing my own ideas, I quickly realized my love for both.

Since then, I’ve experienced so many different realms of photo and video. I’ve had the chance to capture content for weddings, restaurants, special events, birthdays, and so much more. It’s been so amazing to be a part of all these opportunities and create something that people can look back on or relate to.

Today, I am freelancing and working alongside other likeminded creators to bring stories to life. Personally as an artist, I am pushing myself to think outside of the box with every project that I am lucky enough to photograph or film. I tend to start with one prop or phrase and then hit the ground running. It has led me, so far, to some really fun and exciting twists on normal day to day ideas and I get to add my little dramatic flair.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is creating something that people can connect to. We all have stories that are relatable and being able to shed light on personal experiences not only allows me to process them, but provides the opportunity to create a safe space where someone feels seen. Being able to share my heart through my work and spark conversation with others is such a beautiful opportunity and I am so blessed that I am able to do that everyday.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn was that perfection is possible. Growing up, I had incredible role models to look up to and I thought to be like them, I had to be perfect. At a young age, I put this immense amount of pressure on myself to live up to a standard that I created in my own head and as I’ve continued in this career path, I’ve realized that perfection is subjective. In college, I started noticing how damaging it was for me to try to achieve perfection. I applied so much weight to every project I created and it was mentally exhausting trying to live up to my own expectations. Most of the time, I didn’t meet them and I would be so hard on myself. Looking back, I’ve realized that those projects were there for me to learn, probably fail, and have fun with my friends and when I take those aspects into consideration instead of putting my worth into the end result of my work, I love the experience so much more.

Now as an artist, I’m accepting that it’s okay to not be perfect. When I am creating, I always tell myself to do it with excellence and to the best of my abilities. Not everyone will love it, but if I do, that’s all that matters because it’s my art, my voice, and my story that I get to share with the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: brittanyha-nguyen.com
• Instagram: @Brittany.hanguyen
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-ha-nguyen
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brittanyha-nguyen