Meet Todd Strange

We recently connected with Todd Strange and have shared our conversation below.

Todd, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

SUNDAY FUNDAY! This day has become such a huge part of my creative routine. I can’t stress the idea of play enough. Every Sunday I get together with friends and we play at the park. We throw frisbees, climb trees, slackline, run through the sprinklers, and focus on enjoying the moment. I believe, that as creatives, we find it easier to create or be creative at the extreme ends of our emotional spectrum. Whether we are overcome with joy, sadness, anger, or any other emotion we feel to an extreme level, we use our creativity to channel those emotions. It was so important for me to learn to create in that middle ground, and I think that is where play comes in. To maintain a child-like mindset of curiosity and wonder I believe you have to live in the moment and allow space for the unknown. I also spend at least some time every day outside and immersed in nature. I draw so much inspiration from the natural beauty around me. I find myself driven to create the more I spend time in the elements and the wild.

I also believe that the time I spend with other creatives largely impacts my ability to stay enthused. Most of my friends are photographers, painters, and musicians. We constantly engage in conversation and pull inspiration from each other. I feel extremely blessed to have that available to me, discussing topics about creative passions with people who have differing opinions is expansive. It often encourages me to try something new, that I may not have thought of, or is outside my comfort zone allowing me to grow as an artist.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I shoot nature and landscape photography/ videography, mostly in the Southwest. I find it particularly thrilling to be in the elements while doing so. I chase flashfloods and the waterfalls they produce with my good friend Ty Andersen. We often put ourselves in very extreme environments during dangerous conditions. Flash floods and the waterfalls they produce seemingly spring out of nowhere. They come fast and arrive with torrential force. A lot of scouting, planning, and preparation goes into our chase, yet conditions change rapidly. You have to make sure you are ready and in shape physically, emotionally, and mentally to make correct and safe decisions. When everyone else stays inside due to weather or storms, we pack our camera bags and walk out the door. A massive amount of rainfall must hit the desert for a flash flood to develop. All of this rainfall causes poor conditions, the ground is usually muddy and slippery, gravel and rocks can go tumbling at any moment and large rockslides are a real danger. The most dangerous aspect is always the flood itself. It doesn’t have to rain in your location to experience a flash flood. Rain miles up the canyon can cause the flood which will travel for miles. Whether in a dry canyon or a small creek, a flood can come out of nowhere a wall of white water carrying trees and boulders can easily wipe through the area.

I find peace and solace in nature and I feel alive in the middle of chasing the storm. I love the thrill and the chase that photography in these realms provides. I also do some commercial photography locally mostly with restaurants, bars, and real estate.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back I would say the most impactful thing on my journey is understanding my own why. I had to ask myself repeatedly along the way. I had to keep exploring that question and truly search for an understanding within myself of why I was pursuing photography and videography. That answer has changed over the years and has been refined many times. Having that answer when things were difficult, when I failed repeatedly, and the end goal seemed daunting, allowed me to persevere. Each time I felt overwhelmed, or like quitting I returned to my why. Knowing why you’re doing something makes all the hardship worth it, it helps maintain a tenacious spirit. It is important to note that you need to dig deep and search within yourself, often the first answer as to why we are doing something is too surface-level and superficial. The first answer we get can lead us further toward our authentic why, so continuing to probe past those first answers and asking again why is crucial toward finding an answer that fits with your core authentic self.

The second most impactful thing has been my relationship with the word fail, and how I measure my success. There are quite a few cliches around the word fail, you don’t fail till you give up, or the idea of failing forward, both come to mind. There were many instances, in which I did not succeed in accomplishing the desired result of a photograph or video.
When I say many, I mean many, especially early on in my journey. I had to reframe my relationship with the words success and failure. I had to reach a state of mind where success was learning from my mistakes and I had to be ok with making them. The sooner a mistake is made the sooner a resolution can be reached. Once I viewed my failures as learning opportunities and any time I learned something new as a success my relationship with myself and the process changed. I was able to change my inner dialogue and perception of events, which led to me being eager to find new opportunities to learn and grow. My middle school geography teacher also had me repeatedly write, “Good, better, best, never will I rest, until my good is my better, and my better is my best”. This saying stuck with me and quickly became a mantra throughout my learning process.

Lastly, I would say the amount of time I spent learning and developing my craft played a significant role in where I am today. At the beginning of my journey, I was obsessed with learning everything I could. I spent countless hours consuming material on the topic from books, YouTube, and masterclasses, and I even joined a few Facebook groups. I studied and practiced what I was learning relentlessly. It wasn’t always easy, and having others in the same field around me to bounce ideas off of, or to ask questions, was immensely helpful. Constructive criticism from peers and those more experienced was and still is crucial for my development. I still spend a significant amount of my time learning more about my craft and the industry, and my journey in this area is far from complete. I hope to continue to learn and evolve as an artist and I will continue to dedicate my time to the process.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

I am so grateful for my parents and their impact on my life. My parents have played a significant role in who I am today. They set such a wonderful example of continued growth and personal development. They taught me to look at myself and my impact on the events around me. This allowed me to self-analyze, focus on things within my control, and learn from my mistakes. There were countless conversations and it wasn’t always easy, often it was difficult and I was resistant and defiant. It took a while for these lessons to set in and for me to recognize the principles they were demonstrating. They were extremely patient and diligent and backed it all up by providing a safe and loving environment where I could make mistakes and learn from them. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without their example, encouragement, love, and never-ending support.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.strangeperspectivesproductions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strangeperspectives
• Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/strangeperspectives

Image Credits

Todd Strange