We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryan Kline a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ryan, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I got my work ethic from my Dad. Growing up he was working for a Ryder and made a commute every day. Eventually he was tired of that commute as well as the people he was working for so he decided to open up his own business. For those that have never started their own business, it’s a huge step and has many risks. That never stopped him. I was around 6 or 7 years old when he took that leap. 20 years later he’s still in business. He runs his own repair shop for heavy duty trucks and machinery. Day in and day out he works with his hands keeping truck fleets running and on the road for various big companies. I think I forgot to mention, he’s 60 years old! He’s tough as nails. He recently had shoulder surgery to repair tendons he tore on the job while falling through a truck bed and he’s still out in the elements getting trucks fixed. When the doctor told him he needed to stay away from work for at least 9 months he said he could heal in 6. And he did. He set up ways to work from home and hired a good friend to assist as he overlooked repairs while still in a sling with very little mobility in his arm. Within 6 months his physical therapy was complete and he was given the go ahead to return to his normal physical activities. This is where I get my work ethic from. The never give up, no pain, no gain mentality. When life knocks you down, you get up and hit back harder. I currently work 6 days a week and though my job isn’t as intense as his, I always feel like I could do more. My Dad is a bad ass, pardon my French.
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 did an interview a little while back and I mentioned I was on a bit of a break. I had been working in Real Estate photography for too long and I felt I had lost the passion and drive to create I once had. Well I’m here to say now, IM BACK BABY! I have so much influence and inspiration now it’s like breathing fresh air for the first time. I’ve been working on developing a new short film, and for those that haven’t seen my recent few, sear for Dark Voyage Films on YouTube. In Sickness and In Health, and The Garden are two I really enjoyed creating.
I’m also going to be producing some music videos for Steven Woods, as well as moving towards photographing more artists and creatives alike. I’ve even been contemplating starting a pod cast and bringing people from all walks of life on there. Needless to say, I’m very excited to start creating again. As a side note to anyone reading this article, if you’d like to hire me, or work with me find my Instagram account I shoot me a message. I’d love to move back into the creative field ful force and leave behind my daily job once more!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The skills I learned weren’t necessarily based in just photography but rather communication. Once I learned how to present myself and show people who I was as an artist my photography did the rest of the work. My advice would be to sit down and really think about who you are. What drives you, what keeps you wanting to be the best in your field. Once you answer that you can do what I still push myself to do. Be so damn good that no one can ignore you.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did was supported any dream I’ve ever had. I know some where long shots and I wasn’t always the easiest kid. But they always cared, listened and did everything they could to help out. If you have parents, or even someone in your life that cares like that, keep them close and never forget that they can teach you so much and are always rooting for you. And never be afraid to fail. With a support group failure isn’t nearly has hard to accept. They will help you get back up, they will help you overcome the challenges that brought you down once before. My parents are a huge motivation to me and will always be in my journey as a creative.
Contact Info:
- Website: Bandcamp.com/papereye
- Instagram: Instagram.com/rnk_photo_
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@darkvoyagefilms4744
