Edition Fifty

An interview with Steven Thomas from Out There.

One of the good things which Substack offers is community. It gives you an opportunity to speak to people from different walks of life who share your interests. Other platforms probably do as well but not like this in my opinion.

Travel & photography are often connected, most of the time I guess. We go out to a new place and we take photos when we get there or while we go there. Out There is a perfect combination of this.

I spoke to Steven about doing an interview and he graciously agreed to answer my questions. I leave you with the interview and also some of Steven’s beautiful photos. If you’re interested in his publication you can find a link at the end of the interview.

On now, onto the meat and potatoes…

Hello Steven - I want to say a big thank you for agreeing to the interview. I'm going to start with a customary introduction question: who you are, a bit about your background, where you're from.

Hey Richard, thanks for having me. It's cool that Substack enables us to build a meaningful community of like minded people and in today world that's really quite a valuable resource.

Well, a bit about me. I'm originally from a small town in northern Germany, and spent a lot of my childhood and into my formative years careening between there and the south coast of England where my dad was from.

I have spent the majority of my twenties traveling, using work visas in Australia, Canada and New Zealand to supplement periods of exploration and travel in between.

Having been lucky enough to have had all of those experiences I now find myself back at home, the UK, building a little life for myself. I work as a carpenter in order to fund my adventures and build my creative endeavors. I love surfing, writing and making images.

From reading your Substack it seems like travel plays a significant part in your life. Where did your love for travel start?

Yeah travel has been a recurring theme throughout all of my life really. Even as a kid I'd often dream of places that weren't immediately close by or easy to get to. I'm not entirely sure where it stems from but I think it's partly to do with growing up with parents that came from separate countries. Like I had already mentioned before, we would often pack the car and make our way to England to visit my dad's half of the family.

My dad hated flying hence the car but I really think my love for travel came from those long hours spent in the back seat watching the world and everything outside fly by. Those in between places is where I wondered about the world. I have always been more drawn to the drive or journey than the destination. I really think it came from those early years seeing languages on road signs that I could not read fly by and wonder what awaited if we stopped.

Continuing with the travel theme - can you share some moments from your travels with us: favorite place to visit, most interesting ( scary / funny ) travel story you have and which destination(s) you have on your bucket list?

I think my favourite place to visit would likely be Portugal. I have a soft spot for the country. I often find myself dreaming of time I have spent there, waves that I have surfed or photographs made that I look back on.

There are a few stories that I think would be funny that I could recount but I believe that the important stories are the ones that often don't feel so nice.

My partner and I had traveled to Sri-Lanka a couple of years back to surf and whilst there the country experienced severe economic difficulties which ended up crippling the country. The Sri-Lankan government devalued its currency which led to protests, food shortages and power cuts. Being a tourist you are obviously affected by this too, but there is always the option to leave.

I think travel has taught me to view places that are beautiful to me through another lens. They may not be so beautiful to the people who live and work there and the impact I have as a tourist may well not be positive. There are of course two sides to every coin but I have instead adopted a view of being grateful for my luck in being able to visit and leave a place that is going through immense turmoil and conflict.

Good question. Somewhere really cold with waves. Maybe Norway or a cool surf charter to Alaska. The world is huge and that list expands daily.

Being in a creative field isn't easy. Do you think of yourself as a person who is creative? What are a few things you've learned about creativity while writing and doing photography?

Oh definitely. I think life has gotten infinitely less scary and confusing since figuring out I loved to write and photograph. Before I would often ponder the purpose of life and feel lost because I consumed too much and didn't try to see a lot of the beauty around me.

I think enjoy the process and don't overthink it. Making money from being creative is cool but can sometimes be stifling. Living creatively doesn't mean that your job is the thing that you create and that pays the bills. To me it means taking chances and doing things that are new and exciting to you. That's my take anyway.

Can you share some of your favorite reads on Substack at the moment?

I love A Restless Transplant by foster Huntington and Live From California With Lloyd Kahn. Amy&Fox and The Wandering Environmentalist by Emma Schneck.

Metrics are something we got used via the traditional social media platforms. The likes and the shares. Do you think these changed the way we think about creativity? Is there a place for metrics in the life of a creative person?

Definitely. I think in some ways many who do create, I almost hate that word when applied to making things, are twisted, turned and swayed by trends that brings likes. Of course it's helpful, especially when marketing a brand or something to know what works and what doesn't.

But for the individual that's starting out and wanting to find their voice and style it can be dangerous. I think just trying things rather than looking out for the trends online is a far better way at finding your way than following the herd. It'll probably be more painful but the outcome will be longer lasting than the latest TikTok trend.

In closing.

Steven’s newsletter offers a variety of photos and interesting reads about his travels. For me it serves as a rest stop, a mid way between a difficult day and finding a solution, mostly in my lunch breaks. If you’re interested in his work, please consider subscribing.

Thanks for reading : )