SNOW // 03 SEP 2024
CRAFTING BEAUTY THROUGH AUTHENTIC ADVENTURES
āMe and my partner work a lot together,ā explained outdoor creator AJ Cutler. āWeāll go out with certain expectations around lighting, rock formations, trees, everything around us. But when we donāt come in with those expectations, I feel like whatever we make is always so much better. We work with the environment rather than trying to force something thatās not there. Thatās part of the creative process thatās really fun, just going with the flow.ā
Hiking, camping, and skiing have long been a part of Cutlerās life. As the daughter of a volunteer ski patroller, days spent shredding down the bunny hill and munching on apres-ski fries make up a majority of Cutlerās childhood memories. Riding on skis the size of snowblades, the sport soon became as natural as walking. ā[When] I was a ski instructor for a little bit, I had to learn how to teach skiing,ā she laughed. āBecause itās just muscle memory for me. The only memory I have [learning to ski at] ski school is getting my first black eye because some guy hit me with his pole.ā
Thus, it was a stark transition for Cutler when she moved to pursue her degree in marketing at Utah State University. Her priorities shifted to school and other extracurricular activities, rather than spending time outside. However after a two year hiatus, Cutler craved that time in nature and wanted a way to share her experiences outside with others. So, she started her blog, Nacforadventure. āI wanted a way to share my experiences for people who were just getting into [outdoor activities] and had questions,ā she explained. āBut to be honest, it was mostly for me. Iām a creative, so writing, taking photos, and sharing my experiences is very cathartic for me.ā
From her blog, Cutler began to cultivate an online audience during her off hours, expanding her reach via various social channels. But when the world was in lock down during the pandemic, Cutler decided to download the new, hip social app, TikTok.
āI had a video go pretty viral and thatās when I started getting so much traction,ā she said. āIf I think about it too much, it freaks me out. Because even 2,000 people watching a video, if I filled a room with 2,000 people I didnāt know? Then one million? Three million? I just canāt think too much about it.ā
With that sudden larger reach, Cutlerās videos were presented to a swathe of viewers, each with their own unique opinion. āWhen you reach that many people, thereās obviously going to be people that donāt understand you,ā she explained. āSo theyāre going to be critical. Iām obviously presenting very feminine, which opens [the door] for more criticism. But I think all the people [that leave negative comments] have some deeply rooted insecurities where they donāt realize that, [more likely than not], they have the power to make their life whatever they want. But instead theyāre mad at me, some person online.ā
Even with the influx of criticism, there was the drive to produce, to appease the TikTok algorithm for those high engagement stats. āI was creating all the time,ā said Cutler. āIt took it out of me. Following trends, creating for other people rather than for myself.ā
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Now Cutler allows herself more space in her creative process, focusing on the messages she wants to put out into the world. āSocial media is all about expectations now,ā she explained. āPeople have insane expectations about life, but in reality, if you donāt [bring those] expectations, any adventure is going to be good.ā
She continued, ā[For me], authenticity and aesthetics are intertwined. Thereās beauty in literally everything. We just need to stop and look around. Itās a little hunt to find those moments and capture them.ā
Itās a perpetual balancing act, working as an outdoor content creator. Cutler, like many outdoors enthusiasts, uses skiing and mountain biking as a way to escape the chaos of the modern world. But at the same time, her creative brain is always running in the background. But as Cutler explained, āWhen [my partner and I] do commercial ad work, weāll go on a camping trip and film stuff. Then, after weāve wrapped, thatās when weāll be able to sit back, watch the sunset, and take it all in. The fact that we have the opportunity to do both, I think thatās pretty cool.ā
Making the jump to work freelance full-time has opened a world of opportunities for Cutler. It was that choice, along with the connections sheās made through social media, that allowed her to work on the film Advice for Girls and create her own ski film Renaissance Woman.
āBack in the 2000s my parents [always said], āDonāt meet up with anyone onlineā,ā she laughed. āBut Addy Jacobsend, the producer and creator of Advice for Girls, I met her because she commented on one of my videos saying, āHey, Iām AJ too, and I like to ski. Letās go ski!ā That was four years ago and now weāre good friends and have done so much together.ā
Working on the film, Cutler was surrounded by a community of supportive women who could all commiserate about the haters online and the realities of being a content creator in a predominantly male space.
āThere were so many times when we were filming at the ski hill and people would come up and ask us if we were filming for Instagram,ā sighed Cutler. āIf it was guys filming, I feel like they maybe wouldāve respected it a little bit more, but [the frequency at which] we got heckled as a fully women team was just so obnoxious. That stands true filming phone content too. Itās cool when the guys do it, but when girls do it, theyāre just looking for attention.ā
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However, those frustrations didnāt stop Cutler from fulfilling her lifelong dream to create her own ski film that same season. āItās crazy how organic it all happened,ā she smiled. āThe people who helped me on Renaissance Woman, most of them I met in college. It was really cool to see my community rally around me and be willing to help me.ā
Cutlerās goals for the film was a combination of authenticity and exploration. To show all the facets of joy skiing brings her each winter, including the mess-ups and bloopers.
āWe went out and did a June mission, it was the last ski segment we had to film,ā recalled Cutler. ā[But because it was June], we were racing against this thunderstorm. But then, it turned into the most beautiful day. We couldnāt have asked for more.ā
She continued, āEvery single shoot day for that film, it was: this is the day we have set, so whatever we get, we get. I liked filming that way. We were just there to capture how the day went, which I thought was a good way to mesh authenticity and aesthetic.ā
With the goal of creating a ski film completed, Cutler is now taking a step back to figure out what else she wants from life. āNow that Iāve made my ski film, gone skiing every day for a season, Iāve found other things I would like to enjoy,ā she explained. āI would love to live on an off-grid property, grow some of my own food.ā
But of course, skiing and mountain biking also have their place in Cutlerās future. āOne of the big goals the past couple of years is to work on style,ā she said. āFind my own style instead of [emulating] the style of someone else. When I was younger, there wasnāt much representation in womenās skiing. I longed [to embody] that classic, male, very aggro style of skiing. But I donāt think I could ever move my body in that way. Then my partner [pointed out] that [many] women look like ballerinas when they ski. They donāt have poles, and when they spin, itās so graceful.That really helped change my perspective about what style I was looking for, and I hope in the future, girls will see that you donāt always have to conform to that aggro style.ā
When Cutlerās father first zipped her into that snowsuit all those years ago and brought her to the bunny hill, he wasnāt just teaching the young athlete how to ski. He was handing her the reins needed to steer her own life.
āAction sports are one of the only ways to be completely present in the moment,ā Cutler explained. āIf youāre sending a backflip, doing a jump on a mountain bike, you cannot be thinking about anything else. You have to be right there in that moment.ā
āI feel like Iāve applied that to life. Iām here in this moment, and inside my mind, Iām in charge. Iām responsible for all my actions. Thatās given me a lot of confidence, where, if Iām not living the life that I want, as long as Iām dedicated and can find the right tools, then I have the power to make a change.ā
It is that mindset that not so long ago gave Cutler the confidence to, after proper risk assessment, full send her freelance career. Reflecting back she said, āI donāt think I ever imagined myself doing exactly this, but it has been a mode for me to explore and find what I actually want from life.ā
She grinned. āI highly suggest it.ā