We’re looking forward to introducing you to Matthew Tangeman. Check out our conversation below.
Matthew, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes are slow – unless I have to immediately be somewhere. I love a slow morning (the best part of being self employed). Once I take the compost out and get the french press going, I’ll sit down for some “morning pages” where I let out a one to two page stream of consciousness in my journal (read ‘The Artist’s Way’ if you haven’t already!). I’ll do 30 minutes or so of yoga and mobility work after that and then start frying the bacon. One thing I absolutely try to avoid in the first 90 minutes is my phone – nothing can make or break a day like doomscrolling first thing in the morning.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a photographer and filmmaker. Documentary-style adventure photography, to be more specific. Documentary meaning the foundation of my work is storytelling and journalism, I try to exert minimal control over a scene and do my best to capture things as they naturally happen. Adventure meaning that most of my work exists in the outdoor landscape – climbing, skiing, running, travel. Even my wedding and architectural work focuses on couples who want to elope on top of a 14er, or how architecture and real estate can meld with the Colorado mountain landscape. The beauty and power of the Earth takes center stage in anything I do.
To distill it down to it’s simplest essence, most of my work focuses on humans interacting with a landscape in some form or another. Some projects I’ve been very excited about recently include two climbers working to establish a new route on a difficult face in the Wind River Mountains over the course of five years, or a small non-profit here in SW Colorado facilitating therapy (for people) through horses.
I personally am an athlete and pursue my own climbing and ski mountaineering goals with the same intensity I pursue my camera work, and I occasionally model for various outdoor brands as well.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
Gotta thank my dad for that one. He worked hard to build a business and climb his own career ladder and that always stood out to me – I could see the payoff of a strong work ethic, dedication, and putting in the time when no one else will. The payoff of the behind-the-scenes work that no one else sees.
He very much instilled in me the work ethic I still carry, but – also inadvertently taught me to take time for myself when I need it, because he himself would never take time off. Though I am grateful for everything he did and sacrifices he made, his work certainly took a toll. Watching him reinforced my belief that I don’t want to be 70 years old thinking about all the adventures I wished I had when I was younger and stronger, I’m going to take the time to do those things now.
When I work, I WORK – often weird hours and late nights and laser focus. But I take weeks off at a time to play, too – how else as do you find the inspiration? How else can the work happen as an artist? There is space for both.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Humility is important, but it’s okay to take up a little bit of space – put yourself out there. Own it. You’re good at what you do, and deserve to be recognized for it. It’s okay to succeed!
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yep! One thing I can confidently say is that I don’t compromise myself or my values in my work. I am my authentic self at all times. It’s important, because as self-employed folks know, it’s often more of a work-life “blend” than a work-life balance. If I forced myself to put on a persona, I might actually go insane. It’s who I am and I can’t afford to be anything other than my whole self (sometimes to a fault).
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Gonna drop a shoutout to my “side project” here – a couple friends and I are working to establish a non-profit climbing gym in Montezuma County. There’s a whole lot of figuring it out as we go, and jumping through more hoops than we could’ve ever guessed, but the dream of creating a safe space for youth and other folks in the community to hang out, have fun and better themselves is standing strong. The gym will ideally be a launching pad to getting folks outside and making our beautiful backyard of the desert and San Juan Mountains a little bit more accessible. We truly believe this is filling a needed gap in the local area and I can’t wait to see it come to fruition.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mtangeman.com
- Instagram: @m.tangeman
Image Credits
All photos by me, Matthew Tangeman.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
