Howdy, I’m Brian Bear Butler
Thank you for taking the time to read this and learn a little bit about me.
I’m 38 years old as I type this. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Grew up playing in the woods and observing wildlife. I was the quiet kid in school, knowing that there is so much more to life than what is in front of me. Rebellious, I opted to follow my instincts and not the crowd. I graduated high school in 2005 and pursued a career in auto mechanics till May 2019. In parallel to my automotive career, I was a wanna be musician who discovered the art of audio engineering. From 2008 to 2018 I operated a homemade basement recording studio and produced over 60 albums with many genres of bands.
2017 was when I was introduced to a camera. I became obsessed with capturing the world around me. My first subject was wildlife. The thrill of walking in the woods as silent as I could to catch the sight of an owl, coyote or deer was exactly what I wanted to do every single day. I have a hard drive somewhere where I logged photography everyday for months. I was locked in.
2018 I discovered a couple living in a school bus at a small campground in Cosby, Tennessee. It struck me so hard it has now been 5+ years of me living a nomadic lifestyle in various rigs and finally my Chevy Astro.
2021 I had a life changing mindset shift, all the way down to my DNA. Since that day I have been on a mental expedition. I’ve never been away from home for as long as I had by then. My old identity fading away, I needed to build a new self. My passion for wildlife and other hobbies had to take a backseat. As I made progress in my mental walkabout it seemed as if the universe presented me glimpses of hope. I would film hunts with men I’ve never knew I would have the honor to stand by, capturing content in places I never knew I would witness. Those trips reminded me of the passion I had in the small grove of woods back home. I was locked in.
It wasn’t all great though. I learned some hard lessons on who to trust, how much to give and undervaluing myself.
Present day, I have the honor to manage a large youtube channel and produce a large amount of video content for them. My leadership and video skills have never been sharper. I love that I can now look back and see the trail I have created. The twists and turns, the false summits, missed shots, etc. It has made me more resilient, brave, happy, grateful and hungry for more.
