Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ian Fohrman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ian, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I don’t believe that we “find” purpose as much as create it.
Even though I don’t believe in any inherent purpose to life, there to be discovered, I have seen what it looks like for people to create purposeful lives.
I believe purpose is subjective and defined by each person’s particular values. However, a few themes seem to be remarkably consistent. They almost always involve giving to others, connecting to something bigger than one’s self (nature, community, art, religion), and/or creating something.
I do my best to tap into these. Much of my personal purpose comes from a combination of parenting, creating (photos, words, and moving pictures), community, and a connection with nature and the world of art and ideas. The older I get the more I’ve been trying to focus on the community aspect since it’s the least natural for me. As a bit of an introvert, it can take extra effort but it always seems to pay off.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My work, for the past 20 years, has been about telling stories – mostly for brands. The term ‘story telling’ has been overused and become a bit cliche but I don’t know a better way to discuss it.
I am a partner in a small creative firm called The Public Works. We’re about a dozen people, based in Colorado, who spend most of our time trying to distill and present ideas in the most beautiful, interesting, captivating way possible. Our motto is “We Amplify Awesome” – which gestures at our push to find partners that share our values and are doing great things in the world.
My favorite work explores deeper aspects of life, nature, and the human condition. We have a few films in post production at the moment and a few out in the world and on the festival circuit. Big bonus if the work somehow facilitates more good work. Our philanthropic partner is First Descents who provide life changing outdoor experiences for young adults with cancer and other diseases. Over the last few years we’ve been able to punch well above our weight in creating value for them with fundraising, corporate partnerships, and production work.
My career started in the ski industry, writing and shooting editorial content, mostly based around athletes doing amazing things in the mountains, travel, and culture. I do my best to take the work ethic, resiliency, and scrappiness required to make good work in those harsh conditions and bring it to everything we do. There’s also something special about the ski and snowboard culture and community that fosters curiosity, passion, and fun that I try to bring to the rest of work and life.
I’m also currently working on broadening my Substack audience. The log line is Venerating curiosity and simple joys through art and adventure. I’m using it as a place to share my photography, fiction, poetry, essays, and general awe and amazement of existence and all the beauty it can contain. You’ll also find behind the scenes content from unusual adventures, content recommendations, and art across different genres.
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?
Oh man… this is a hard one. The first thing that comes to mind is Anthony Bordain’s proclamation that he learned everything he needed to know to be successful as a dishwasher.
“You show up on time, you stay organized, you clean up after yourself, you think about the people you work with, and you do the best you can.”
As a 42 year old ADD kid, I still struggle with those. But I do my best to live up to those wise words.
I’ve also found a great deal of value in the idea of exploring wherever your curiosity leads. I taught myself photoshop, web design, basic coding, well before I ever picked up a camera and certainly before I considered creating images as a career. I read deeply and wrote often before I got paid a dollar for writing. Those somewhat disconnected skills have brought me all over the world doing what I love with people that inspire me.
Whenever I wonder if something I’m interested in learning or trying is a fools errand, I think about a Steve Jobs commencement address that always stuck with me.
“If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backward 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
We’re lucky to have several amazing clients. What makes them great?
-They care about the work!
-Thoughtful, kind, good people who share our core values of treating people well.
-They have vision but are open to new ideas.
-Good communication – of vision, of expectation, of timelines, etc.
-Good communication – of what’s working, of what isn’t.
-They want to push us to be better and want us to push them to be better.
-They understand the golden triad : Cheap, Good, Fast. (choose two).
-They understand the creative process enough to be a part of the conversation.
-They don’t micromanage but also aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.ianfohrman.com , http://tpw.media
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/iandavidf , http://www.instagram.com/thepublicworks
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianfohrman/ , https://www.linkedin.com/in/thepublicworks/
- Other: https://ianfohrman.substack.com/ https://linktr.ee/ianfohrman
Image Credits
Ian Fohrman, Ted Mahon, Mike Arzt
