Dear Photography, Thanks For Taking Me to the West Coast.
How my iPhone 5s took me from being an accounting student in Ohio to becoming a full-time photographer in Los Angeles, California — written by Alex Tan
I remember sitting in my dorm room over two years ago thinking that I had made all the wrong choices…
For the first time in my life I had stopped playing the sport I loved at a highly competitive level and I was studying a subject in school for security rather than passion or interest. I had forgotten what it was like to have such a lack of desire in whatever I was pursuing in that moment.
I was living within a box that I put myself in because I was scared to look beyond my current circumstances and test the waters. Nobody guaranteed that better things were possible, and the lack of delivery frightened me.
Around this time during my freshman year of college, I remember reading this quote in a book that changed my life forever…
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” — Chris McCandless
So what did I do?
I chose change. I did a lot of everything.
I dabbled in every club and activity that I could get my hands on. I started snowboarding, joined a fraternity, I travelled, hiked, and most importantly, I started taking photographs.
I started taking pictures every single day with my iPhone 5s. Whether it was the food I ate, the people I was hanging out with, or just something I saw that was interesting, I took a photo of it. It was fun for me.
I became addicted to the nostalgia that a camera roll full of memories offered.
People will actually pay you to be creative. Who knew?
Eventually I met a lot of photographers through different online communities. I asked a lot of questions and was fascinated with the idea that you could really take photos and make a career out of it.
I grew up house that pushed the idea of traditional education and “getting the most out of your dollar” when picking an area of focus in studying. I thought that being an artist meant that you could never be successful unless you got lucky.
But the moment I found out that people were out there making it, then I knew I could too.
Midwest charm, but no hustle
The midwest isn’t necessarily the best place for the creative industry (surprise). There definitely wasn’t the LA or NYC type of creative work being offered. So I had to make the most of what was available.
I walked in and out of every local business on High Street introducing myself as a photographer that could help elevate brand awareness through better social media content. A lot of people looked at me like I was an idiot and a few others acted as if they were interested but never really followed through.
All it took was somebody to take a risk on me. Which led to another opportunity. And that led to something else. By the time I was a sophomore in college, I was spending more time managing my own “business” than I was paying attention to Balance Sheets in my Intermediate Accounting class.
Chicago, June 2016
In June of 2016 I had the opportunity to move to Chicago and assist a good friend of mine in freelance video work. My plan was to go for the summer then return to school and finish since I was already halfway done. But with every day that passed by, and with every interaction I had with someone new, I immediately knew that being in a bigger city was going to be the key to my success in the creative industry.
I ended up taking that fall semester off, and in less than a month, I was recruited by an advertising agency as a Content Creator in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. It was pretty much decided at that point that I wasn’t going to be returning to Columbus, not because I had “made it”, but because I wanted to see where it’d take me.
By the way,
This piece may seem as if these choices were easy to make. But I guess I’m leaving out the parts that talk about losing sleep at night, being constantly anxious, and feeling as if I was ruining my life because I left a safe and comfortable situation in Ohio. It wasn’t easy to leave school by any means.
I spent the next 9 months working within the agency, and picking up a ton of freelance work with brands like VSCO, Warby Parker, and Pitchfork Music Festival.
I also met the best friends that anyone could ask for. Chicago was nice to me, to say the least.
Los Angeles, June 2017
I feel as if one of my biggest struggles, specifically in terms of creative practice, is feeling satisfied. I guess it’s both a blessing and curse, to be eager for the next big thing, but also feeling as if what you have currently isn’t good enough. I find myself putting in more time than what is “necessary” to make things that I love
While I was in Chicago, I spent so many hours improving my own craft in my own time outside of my 9–5 hours. In the mornings before work, I would wake up early to read, and on the weekends I would plan shoots with my friends to keep myself fresh. I realized that I always have to be working on myself in order to get to the next level.
Toward the end of my time in Chicago, I started to be recruited and referred to agencies in other cities through friends and connections that I’d made over time. After an offer came through, I decided that I would take a Content Creator position in Los Angeles, California. After a lifetime spent in the midwest, and exactly one year in Chicago, I bought a one way plane ticket to Southern California.
Now, I work as a Content Creator at a creative agency in the heart of Hollywood.
Living and learning so far
I find it to be so wild how both scary and exciting life can be at the same time. Over the last three years I’ve said yes to a lot of things that I knew I wasn’t ready for. What I’ve learned is that nobody is ever really ready. And those who are waiting to be “ready” will always be waiting.
It’s been incredibly hard to leave friends and family year after year, but I also believe there is beauty in exploring the unknown parts of life. Yeah, seasons are difficult and sometimes lonely, but I’ve found that life will meet you halfway if you just try your best and make the most of every situation.
I’ve had to take a lot of risks and make unconventional lifestyle decisions over the last few years. I’ve made a lot of bad choices, and a lot of really great choices. And most importantly, I wouldn’t trade my life circumstances for anything else in the world. I love life, and you should too.
If I have any advice for you, I’d sum it up in these ideas:
- Chase your dreams
- Life is too short to do things that you don’t love. Find what you love and go after that.
- Do things that scare you
- Say yes to everything, even if you feel like you aren’t ready
- Change is a good thing
- If it feels like life is falling apart, just slow down and breathe. Life works itself out.
- Growth is still growth. No matter how fast or slow.
- Comparing yourself with others will steal all of your joy
- If you don’t love life, make a conscious effort to change that.
xx. Alex Tan
