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

Chad, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

After doing a series of portraits with musicians, I asked if they would be willing to share a story about how mental health had played a role in their life. My goal was to normalize the conversation around mental health and present one of my portraits, along with their story as a project. I ended up creating the “I Didn’t Want to Tell You” series from this idea. It was first published in the 2019 Wellness issue of No Depression magazine and has continued to grow.
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Chad, 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 was born and raised in the small town of Fredericktown, Ohio, with a population of only 2,487. I began my photography career as a landscape photographer and was always drawn to capturing the beauty in the decay of old barns, homes, and vintage signs. As my passion grew, I utilized my love of music photography to expand into portraits. Over time, I have become well-established in the “Americana” music scene and travel frequently to work with artists & bands. I also have a studio in Cleveland, Ohio and am open for portrait, promotion, concert and event work.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

It took me two years to bring the I Didn’t Want To Tell You series from concept to fruition. I started with the approach of asking them to share a “secret story,” until one day I altered the phrase to “how has mental health played a role in your life” and that changed everything. From that point, several of the people who I had worked with agreed to participate and has continued to to be a key focus of my photography work. I am speaking this year at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival about the project.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I was a late starter. I didn’t own a camera until I was 40 (11 years ago,) so I am always motivated by trying to do as much as I can while I have my health and abilities. I want to also be able to make a positive impact on the community I work within.    

Contact Info:

• Website: cowtownchad.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/cowtownchad
• Facebook: Facebook.com/cowtownchad
• Twitter: Twitter.com/cowtownchad
• Youtube: YouTube.com/cowtownchad
• Other: www.ididntwanttotellyou.com

Image Credits
Photo of me by Mike Dunn