What is your most recent creative project?
I’ve just finished working on a series of images called Drive Until The Road Turns To Dust. It’s a visual representation of my feelings on solitude, space, curiosity and freedom, particularly within the natural environment. I want to make projects that look at the natural environment and people who live with it harmoniously.
Why do you love what you do and what inspired you to begin?
The best part of this career is working on inspiring concepts for clients whose values are similar to my own. For me that tends to be clients in the adventure, sports and wellness industries. I’m also really committed to projects that involve minority communities and people from diverse backgrounds. I was originally inspired to begin taking photos by the ocean and being involved in the surfing community.
If you could collaborate with any other creative in the world, who would it be and what would you make together?
I’d like to collaborate with a musician and pair an original piece of music to a series of landscape videos. Someone like Nils Frahm or Khruangbin would be cool.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given that you try to incorporate in your approach to work and creativity?
‘Done is better than perfect’. I think, particularly when your job is tied to your own creativity and sense of self, it’s easy to start on projects, get halfway through and let them burn out. That can be something as simple as an email pitch or something more involved like a creative treatment. Sometimes you just need to push through and hit publish.
What are you reading at the moment?
I’m hopeless when it comes to reading anything beyond short stories. I spend a lot of time reading online news and magazine features, but I’ve just started The Old Man and the Sea and it’s already gone well beyond exceeding my long-held expectations.
When you’re not working on projects, how do you relax?
I find working on the concept phase of creative projects relaxing, but when I need to switch off I love exploring the natural world here in Western Australia. I also play a lot of sport and find it to be a good way to meditate.
If you could travel to any destination tomorrow, where would it be and why?
I’d go to Kerala in India, specifically the village where my mother’s family comes from. I’m hoping to visit again next year.
Find Chris Gurney on the Literati database here.