Brooke Shaden: Fear Is The Mind Killer

Brooke Shaden is photographer who studied Film and English at Temple University. Her work with self-portraits began shortly after University, the medium offered her the ease and full control over the images she desired. Brooke Shaden has since evolved into a self-portrait fine art photographer. For Brooke, her self portraiture is not entirely autobiographical; but instead she places herself within environments she would like to explore. It is here that she can expose secrets, test impossibilities and generally question life. Brooke Shaden experiments with painterly techniques within the square format, replacing the traditional with the otherworldly. Brooke’s work has garnered great interest and she has grown a strong following, and her work has been exhibited around the world. Not only this, but Brooke is also a writer, a motivational speaker and a philanthropist. I was excited to talk books with Brooke and learn more about her and her work. Please enjoy my interview with Brooke Shaden…

When someone asks you ‘what do you do for a living?’ – How do you respond?

I tell them that I am a make-believer! I am a fine art photographer, writer, motivational speaker and philanthropist.

What are you reading at the moment?

I am currently reading Rosehead by Ksenia Anske.

What’s your earliest memory of reading?

I had a children’s edition of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. I read it at least twenty times and imagined myself an explorer of undiscoverable places.

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules VerneJourney to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

If you could encourage young people to read one book in particular, what would it be?

I would encourage young people to read The Stranger by Albert Camus.

The Stranger by Albert CamusThe Stranger by Albert Camus

When did you fall in love with photography?

It wasn’t until I was about to graduate college with degrees in Filmmaking and English literature that I picked up my camera and realized that I could create what was in my imagination faster than any other artistic medium I had tried, and that was intoxicating. I was hooked from my first self-portrait.

What is the worst job you’ve ever had?

Legal Assistant. I’ve been working since I was 14 at an amusement park, multiple nursing homes, film companies, private tutoring, and more. But it wasn’t until I held my last job before I became a full time artist that I realized why I needed to be an artist. I was a legal assistant for a big production company in Los Angeles and I saw so much emphasis placed on ideals that I simply couldn’t see as important that I knew I had to pursue my art.

What two pieces of advice would you give a young aspiring photographer?

Find your message and the art will come, and to be kind while never apologizing for the way you see the world.

Who would you say are the three photographers that continue to inspire you?

Gregory Crewdson, Jamie Baldridge, and Maggie Taylor.

Do you read as much as you’d like to?

Definitely not. I love that I travel so much because long flights are the greatest time to read. I just met with an author who reads as much as she writes, and that has inspired me to do more enjoyable reading research.

What books do you feel are important reading for people on your career path?

For writers, I love reading classic short stories. Anyone who can make a grand, symbolic point in a story with so few words is a magician. For photographers, there is a book I was gifted once called Photographs Not Taken: A Collection of Photographers’ Essays by Will Steacy which details moments that we live instead of capturing. And for motivational speakers, there is a great book on public speaking that TED published called TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris Anderson.

Is there a book that you’ve read more than once? What is it and why did you revisit it?

Dune by Frank Herbert. It is my all-time favourite that I find new inspiration in every time. I even got one of the key phrases from the book tattooed on my arm, which reads: ‘Fear is the mind killer‘. That is a problem I deal with daily. There is a lot of wisdom wrapped up in science fiction.

Dune by Frank HerbertDune by Frank Herbert

What book have you recommended the most to friends and family?

The book I have recommended most is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Big Magic by Elizabeth GilbertBig Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

What’s your favourite genre of book?

Science Fiction and Fantasy!

What do you think a world without books would be like?

I can only hope it would have a lot more paintings in it! But I think that type of world would encourage youth to be more practical and grow up faster since there wouldn’t be as many stories to get lost in, and believe in.

Is there an author whose writing you’re such a fan of, that you’ll read everything they release?

I love Jonathan Safran Foer.

Do you think digital books will ever completely replace real books?

Perhaps, but there will always be great respect for printed books I believe.

What do you feel humanity needs most right now?

Compassion, and books are so impactful because of how they put you in the life of someone else which is the ultimate guide to understanding compassion.

What is the book that you feel has had the single biggest impact on your life?

I think the book that has had the biggest impact on my life is Dune by Frank Herbert.

Dune by Frank HerbertDune by Frank Herbert

Are there any books you haven’t mentioned that you feel would make your reading list?

I would also include His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.

What books or subject matter do you plan on reading in the next year?

More YA Fantasy, as I just finished my first novel in the same genre and I want to learn more as I re-write.

If you were to write an autobiography – what would it be called?

Promoting Passion.

If you’d like to learn more about Brooke Shaden and her photography, you can find her on her website, Facebook and Twitter.

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