22: Brad Beckstrom on Owning His Own Agencies, Living Lean, and Finding Happiness in Photography

Brad Beckstrom has built a career in advertising, but has found happiness in living lean and his creative pursuits. On his blog The Frug, Brad talks about what it is like to live lean, work lean, and travel lean.  In this episode, Brad talks about what it was like going into advertising and owning his own agencies, how he began living lean, and his creative quest to take 100,000 photographs.

Here are three lessons you can learn from Brad:

Before going to college, Brad wanted to pursue a creative career. Since his dad was helping to pay for college, he had a say in what Brad should study in college. Instead of following his creative calling, Brad chose to study business and marketing. He tried to take photography classes on the side, but his creativity was put on the shelf to focus on his business courses.

This led to the creation of multiple advertising agencies. While working in these companies, Brad wanted to work on the creative side, but was tasked with sales and operations. He always felt the creative itch, but wan't able to balance the operations side and creative side of himself.

After many years working in marketing, Brad took a sabbatical to Thailand. While there, he felt a pain in his knees.  While in that moment of pain, he thought of his creative interests and thought to himself "What if I've waited too long?" That moment, coupled with watching a documentary on Vivian Meyer and Chris Guillebeau's The Happiness of Pursuit set him on a creative quest.

He was going to take 100k photos in 100 cities and 1,000 places. Instead of waiting til retirement to pursue something he loved, he was going to seek it as soon as he could. 

Early in his life, Brad was in the rat race of life just like everyone else. He wanted the big house with eclectic and creative things in it. At a certain point, he realized these things would not bring happiness to him.

He saw how people were spending the rest of their lives paying for the big ticket items everyone tells you to get, a big house and fancy car. Brad has chosen to live in a modest house and drive his car into the ground.

Instead he has chosen experiences over things. That is the essence of his creative quest.

Shownotes for episode 22 with Brad Beckstrom.