Larry Chen

Growing up in the center of Southern Californian car culture, Larry Chen was exposed to everything automotive from an early age. Like many kids in the region, he dreamed of owning and racing exotic cars. Eventually, those dreams started to come true on a smaller scale as Larry raced what he could, taking his camera along to document his experiences.

The decision to also act as a photographer at those early races proved a fateful one for Larry. As his photographic skills grew, he eventually hung up his helmet and turned to photography full-time. Swapping a steering wheel for a camera was a wise choice, as Chen has become one of the most recognized and accomplished photographers in the automotive industry.

Now, Chen is much more than just a car photographer. As a content creator with over 500K subscribers on YouTube and almost one million followers on Instagram, he somehow juggles creating content for his own channels and multiple clients worldwide. And Chen does it all while maintaining the high levels of creativity and quality he is known for.

 In this episode of “Only the Strong Survive,” host Dan Kahn sits down with Chen for an in-depth discussion about how he makes it all happen, maintains his creative edge and keeps from burning out. Click on the link below to give the full interview a listen, and here are our top five takeaways, which include:

·         How being a content creator is not a simple path.
·         Why constant learning matters.
·         How your attitude is everything.
·         Why passion is the driving force behind creativity.
·         Larry’s advice for keeping burnout at bay.

Don’t Expect Immediate Success
Many people want to be influencers and content creators, with some seeing it as a simple path to success. However, according to Chen, it is anything but easy. It took him years of hard work to hone his skills and become an accomplished photographer. He worked multiple odd jobs funding his passion for photography, and it was four years before he broke even.

“It took quite a long time for me to get to a point where I broke even by taking pictures. I started in 2004 taking photos of cars,” says Chen. “It got to the point around 2009 where I had to break even somehow. Luckily, that year, I was able to break even. The next year, I told myself that I had to take home $10,000, and I was able to hit that goal. Then it just went slowly went up year after year. It wasn’t an overnight thing.”

Constantly Learning is Key
There really isn’t a guidebook or easy-to-follow instructional video series on creativity. Being at the forefront of a niche industry like automotive photography also presents its challenges, as there aren’t many people doing it. Without a roadmap to follow or multiple peers to offer guidance, Chen notes that being willing to learn as you go is vital to success. And sharing that knowledge with others is equally as important.

“I can’t just Google a lot of these things because we are trying to be the first or very early adopters of something,” says Chen. “We have to do a lot of learning as we go. Most of the processes that me and my guys have figured out over the years, we try to do what we can to share it. That is where the education portion comes in. We try to share as much knowledge as possible because it really is elevating car photography and content overall.”

Be Easy to Work With
Chen is a creative visionary and one of the best automotive photographers there is. However, one of the keys to Chen’s long-term success is being a genuinely nice guy and easy to work with. You can be highly creative, but if you act like a diva, not a lot of people are going to want to work with you. Throw in being unreliable or taking a long time to deliver a finished product, and the list of people willing to work with you gets even shorter. The result is usually a brief career as a creative.

“There are so many good shooters out there, but maybe sometimes they are more difficult to work with. They usually get weeded out,” says Chen. “I try to be as reliable as possible and easy to work with and deliver stuff in a timely manner.”

Be Passionate About What You Do
If you spend any time talking to Chen, it is easy to see how passionate he is about cars. That passion and love for everything automotive is crucial to his creativity. It also keeps him constantly innovating, thirsting for knowledge and open to exploring new ideas. If you aren’t passionate about the subject matter, it is almost impossible to maintain creativity.

“Everyone on our team is very passionate, and I am so appreciative of that. We are all just a bunch of nerds. We love drifting, going to the track and tinkering on our cars,” says Chen. “I am so lucky to be able to do what I do.”

Avoiding Burnout
Every creative person can seriously struggle with burnout. However, Chen’s obvious automotive passion and being genuinely happy with what he does are central to keeping him going. He also keeps his career interesting, not focusing only on one aspect or genre of automobiles. Variety is the spice of life and also a perfect way to avoid burning out.

“A lot of people ask how I don’t burn out and stay interested in all the stuff that I do. Luckily for me, I am able to shoot everything. It is not just one thing. It is not just drifting or time attack,” says Chen. “It's legitimately everything that the car culture world has to offer. If it has four wheels or even two wheels, or if it has some sort of transportation aspect to it, then I am there and interested in it. Honestly, if I did get burned out, I would stop. But I don’t really know what else would keep me interested or what else would keep me so happy.”

For more insight from Chen on the creativity and the creative process, listen to the full episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast.