Meet Brandon Nguyen

Brandon, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome, I believe, is extremely common in the DMV as a creative. The amount of talent in our space is insane. There is a lot of success, but many people are still trying to reach where they want to be. It is so easy to get lost in your ways when you start comparing your success to others. You start to lose why you even fell in love with why you even started being a creative in the first place. Remember why you even like doing this. For me, it was my love for sneakers and capturing them on feet. Eventually, learning through others and being inspired by other photographers, fashion, music, and more created a pathway to falling in love with photography and videography. My way of overcoming imposter syndrome is by celebrating the wins I have already achieved, looking back at the work I’ve done, and being aware that all that matters at the end of the day is that you put out something for the world to see from your own perspective. Own it and accept the support and love you receive, because it is best when it’s from the people you love and support you from the beginning.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a photographer and videographer based in Maryland and the Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia (DMV) area. I came from being interested in taking photos through sneakers. Pages like Nice Kicks and Kick on Fire always featured the sneakerhead community’s on-feet sneaker pictures and I was always intrigued by how people were able to do it. This drove me to purchase my first DSLR camera. Afterward, throughout my years of school, I had the opportunity to take pictures for organizations and graduating students. This allowed me to connect with several people and other creatives in the DMV. I expanded my knowledge from others and constantly being inspired by other creatives to forge my love of fashion/music photography and videography.

My camera, acting as an extension of myself, allows me to cinematically express what I see and flow my creativity as a visual artist. I feel like that is what makes being a creative special to me.

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?
I believe the three things that led my path as a creative to be who I am today is trust. Trusting the process and trusting other people’s visions because they trust you can help them lead the way to the final product is very important. Building this relationship with someone whether it’s business or passion project-related is important. Shoot with intention, what inspired you to have this idea to shoot? And make the effort to execute your vision. Sometimes starting the project is the hardest part. And my final advice is do not hesitate to shoot your shot. If you want to ask for help, the worst they can say is no. Ask to shadow or assist someone, this is a great opportunity to network and make connections while learning.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
I think the biggest challenge I am facing right now is figuring out the balance of having a 9-5 job and being very passionate about being a creative. Having a 9-5 job is great because being a freelance creative has its inconsistencies for job security. Having a 9-5 comes with security which is extremely important, especially in your years of the mid-20s and you don’t have everything figured out yet. Plus, it can help fund foundational pieces to start your passions.