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

Hi Sheridan, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Now that I am 10 years into being a solo-creative this question comes to my mind more often than not. Right now I am more excited than ever to be the creative individual that I am, 6 months ago not so much, two years before that full on, and before that….my point is these feelings and thoughts about lifestyle ebbs and flows, not just with happiness in what I am pursuing as a creative but the desire to have a “normal life”. I am so envious of those that get a stable paycheck, the knowing that each week your work brings immediate earnings. That you can do your work and put it away once you leave and the work day is done. Being a creative my mind is constantly thinking about a million what if’s and things way too far in the future, and with today’s word at how fast content is consumed and desired it is like I am always needing to play catchup or that there is more I could be doing.

Time spent doing a regular job is precious – it also goes by so quickly with the daily in’s and out’s, I just experienced this for 2023 when I quasi-settled into a regular life, I have no idea where the days, weeks and month’s went. I know I did things but just like that it was over. Now being back to full creative mode I feel I have experienced and strived more in 3 weeks than I did in 6 months of last year.

No matter what there will be trade-offs for either life and neither are a wrong decision, the best advice I can give is do what feels natural in the moment, and if you take a step away from either to switch things up as long as your dreams and desires remain you are never really giving up, and you can always pivot again in the future.

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.

Hey everyone! My name is Sheridan and I am a full-time professional photographer, who works with brands in the outdoor and travel industry. I specialize in content creation for brands, businesses, tourism boards and magazines by capturing lifestyle images, products content, and sharing adventure experiences. I provide an immersive visual story-telling for social media use and traditional brand images.

I am a nomadic individual who’s spent the past 10+ years chasing dreams across the world, exploring destinations, and following passions. Throughout the years I have focused on this adventurous desire creating all things close to my heart – from a self-build campervan, to going to coffee roasting school and launching my own roasted coffee called ADVNTR Coffee, and even now launching my own digital platform called Capture Adventure. Who I am as a person and my work are all tied together, my professional photography from Outsidevibes and my nomadic life allowed me to do brand work for 5 months with a camper company, my love for hiking and travel provided the opportunity to partner up with a hiking brand and get a sponsored trip to Pakistan where I summited an unknown 5,348 meter peak, and my open sense of saying yes sent me to Indonesia where I ended up living with the creator of a photography collective and became part of a great community.

I think what I am most proud of are the people I meet and joy that comes from following my passions.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have had to pivot quite a few times in life and when I was younger I resented it happening but now as I am older I know that pivoting is not the same and ending or quitting, it only is another flow of life one that does not have to be forever. My first big pivot came when I shattered my foot hiking in Turkey, following that I was in and out of casts for 9 months so during this time I gave up my creative pursuits to work in my old field of the electrical industry to pay for bills. Then I shifted again and furthered my passions and creative career. Unfortunately another injury, this one near fatal, put me back on the healing line. Pivot and shift, each instance weather it be welcome or not has provided personal grown and opened my eyes to life lessons.

Those to me are important. It is easy to be caught up in a specific instance or create a negative feedback loop, which has happened to me too, but if we are resilient enough and keep an open heart and mind we can always come back and strive.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

My heart has always been with the simplistic aspect of life, to just wander and look at things – people, places, buildings, nature. I could stare at anything for hours, it is the biggest joy of mine for being a creative. Even if I am not working having the freedom to spend time walking down streets or in a grocery store, this is something that couldn’t get if I worked in a traditional career where I lived fully in once city and went to one office.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.outsidevibes.com/capture-adventure-monthly-travel-experience/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outsidevibes
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/outsidevibes/
• Other: https://www.advntrcoffee.com