We recently connected with Tim Zandee and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Tim thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
When I was a kid I went to a few art shows with my parents. Even though all I did was draw and paint, I skipped all the art booths and went to the photography. Later in college I still felt the call but didn’t dare to pick up a camera due to the disgust for math and technical things. After college I finally picked one up. I got sidetracked with portraits and sports but it didn’t take long to realize it wasn’t photography that I longed for – it was nature. To me, photography is the purest art form to capture nature.
After 10 years of teaching high school Spanish and Psychology I made the leap and quit teaching to do art shows full time, After about 17 years of art shows I added my own gallery in Steamboat Springs Colorado. I have been a full time artist now for 21 years but owning a gallery is like an art show every week. There are many ups and downs with art. One day you sell to a famous person and have a great show or month at the gallery and the next month you slow down and question your skill and calling.
The inconsistency and risk are not for everyone. But I love what I do and the relationships of the clients I have and the places I experienced are priceless
Tim, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I sell fine art nature photography – mostly large pieces, I do not use digital manipulation in my work. I also carry some other mediums in my gallery. Website is TZimages.com
Gallery is in downtown Steamboat Colorado
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Obviously I love traveling to beautiful places and capturing nature. But business ideas and entrepreneurship is also a form of creativity. I also love working with my clients. It’s a hard call what my favorite part is.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
My booth was destroyed twice by storms, I have been involved with show promoters who stole money. I opened a gallery right when Covid hit. There were so many bumps and there will be more but as they say trials can make us stronger and build character.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TZimages.com
- Instagram: https://m.facebook.com/zandeegallery/?
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/zandeegallery/
Image Credits
All images by Tim Zandee