Meet Mike Brown: Content Creator – Photographer, Writer, Video Production

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, why did you pursue a creative career?
Escaping stress is impossible, so I chose the next best thing: stress management. By pursuing a career that used my creative outlets and allowed for custom time management & workload, I was able to coordinate my work and personal life to accommodate my stress levels. I chose to pursue a lifestyle of enjoying what I do, regardless of if I’m working or not. So, a career that revolved around what I would do with my free-time was a logical and obvious decision for me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As an artist for the last 15 years, the last 3 years of my career have been the most pivotal. At the beginning of this 3-year period, I made a conscious effort to shed every burden I had and submerge myself into what was pulling my passions the most: the outdoors. After years of being inspired by other artists and like-minded people on social media, I quit my job, sold my house and all of my possessions, and started living and traveling in a van full time. This series of decisions allowed me to immerse myself in nature, which in turn, has had a profound impact on the direction and definition of my work. My entire body of work is representative of the adventure I took on as it catapulted me into the beauty, vastness, and resourcefulness of the outdoors and its unknowns. I submerged myself in the beauty of the wilderness, the mountains, the oceans, for what became a several years long journey, with no one accompanying me. It allowed me to connect to this place we call home, our planet Earth – the thing that bonds every human together. As a black man deeply rooted into the culture I was born and raised in, I only previously knew urban city life. In hindsight, this was limiting to my vision. My solo journey of exploration allowed me to make connections with elements and experiences once unknown to me. Each time I encountered the ocean, wherever the context, I was fascinated. The textures of the mountains reminded me of the uniqueness of humanity. The unending depth of the forests bolstered my inherent sense of discovery. The variety of environments that I explored showed me just how inspiring the outdoors is. As my outdoor life led me deeper into more substantial experiences, my work evolved into bearing the responsibility of sharing this revelation to the masses. My photography is the vehicle of gifting the revelations of nature and the outdoors that I came to experience to those unable to immerse themselves the way that I’ve been able to.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Food is always the first go-to. If I’m having a cheat meal, I’ll go to Mikki’s Cafe or Killen’s BBQ, but if I’m staying on my daily diet, True Foods Kitchen or Vibrant is always a good option. Some of my favorite attractions are the Museum of Fine Arts Contemporary Arts Museum, Galveston beach, Discovery Green, McGovern Centennial Gardens and Buffalo Bayou Park Cisterns. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My father’s guidance and deconstruction of society gave me the foundation necessary to understand life. This ability to process, question and appreciate became the structure that I would later build art upon. I didn’t meet my mother until I was 22-years-old. By that time and since then, my father raised me from his teenage years and has been an anchor in my life, teaching me strength through weakness. Had pops not known shown me how to prioritize what’s important in life or decipher truth vs lie, I don’t think I could have seen the importance in art, let alone be able to create it.

Website: nomadpixels.com

Instagram: @nomadpixels_

Image Credits
Mike Brown