We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ryan Nolan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ryan below.

Hi Ryan, thanks for joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I realize this is a different story for every creator out there, but for me each idea has its own set of parameters that dictate how the process will unfold. If the idea is a purely creative concept that is just for the enjoyment of creation, then there is a different path as opposed to creating an idea for a client and bringing it to life.

Since most of my work is with other artists (musicians, songwriters, designers etc) the idea is a collaboration meant to compliment a piece of their art. Once we have that idea, I like to figure out what the budget is and how to create the best possible piece of art/version of that concept within that budget.

Are we looking at specific locations? Type of lighting? Set decoration? Styling and wardrobe? Hair & makeup? Equipment requirements. If the budget is constrictive – are there pieces that we can do ourselves? I want to bring the best people in without asking anyone to take a pay cut, so if we need to scale back the concept, that’s ok.

For me the bottom line is always – how can I make the east version of this concept within the given parameters and how can I bend those parameters to suit the concept.

This is usually an all encompassing process for me, so it often takes up all of my time until I solve the puzzle. The puzzle being all those questions above. Did I find a way to make the best possible piece of art?

Ryan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a photographer and a director. I started as a photographer, but not intentionally. I often carried a camera around and a bit later in life than most, it was suggested to me that I give photography a shot. To be honest it was all pretty organic. Bands and artists would ask me to take their photos occasionally and then people would see those and in turn more people would ask.

I wasn’t a properly trained photographer so it was a lot of learning and research. I learned on film so I understand lighting and exposure but learning studio lighting and basic principles was something I went out of my way to educate myself about. Ideally along the way I developed my style.

Eventually the same thing happened with directing music videos. I had the opportunity to direct one (extremely low budget), and then I got another opportunity (equally low budget!). I just kept learning and growing.

One good thing to come out of feeling like I was always under qualified was that I learned so many extra skills that I probably would never have bothered picking up. This does allow me to be a one stop shop for a lot of my clients.

Most of my clients are record labels, independent artists, managers and occasionally fashion designers and other creators. They know they can come to me for photos and video needs. I’ve developed a large crew of H&MU people, stylists, cinematographers, grips, etc across Los Angeles, Toronto, Nashville, New York so they know I can be versatile.

That being said, everything is still a lesson for me. While there are some tasks that I’ve left behind as I’ve progressed, there is always a new skill I’m looking to pick up.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Do I have a particular goal or mission driving my work/journey? My answer is annoying and probably very common. I want to make something impactful. I want to build a career that I can be proud of, that my family can be proud of. I want to have a body of work that lives on after I’m gone.

I’m never fully satisfied with that I’ve just finished and that drives me to try and one up myself even though the client is thrilled. I’m not sure if thats healthy, but there it is.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had gone to university to become an Archaeologist, and realized but the time I finished school that I didn’t not want to be a career academic. I had a job I didn’t like, but it was with people I did, and I made OK money for fresh out of university so I bought a house.

Eventually I hated what I was doing and where I was going so I quit my job and sold my house and travelled around for a while. I went to Europe with no luggage for a couple months. Then I drove a 1968 Ford Galaxy Convertible across the US for a while. I stayed in New Orleans for several months after camping my way through the south. Then I made my way across to California where I got an apartment in LA. I had been writing songs since I was 12 and thought I would try being a singer/songwriter. I played open mics in every city along the way.

Shortly after I returned to normal society and playing gigs every chance I could get, my wife (then girlfriend) suggested that I consider photography as a career because she loved all of my photos from my trip. She told me I was better at that than performing on stage and she was right! I wasn’t very good at all on stage.

It was a rough wake up call, but I couldn’t argue and decided to go with it. Pivot, if you will.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ryanolan.com
• Instagram: @ryanolan
• Twitter: @ryanolan

Image Credits
Ryan Nolan