CRAFTING BEAUTY THROUGH AUTHENTIC ADVENTURES

ā€œMe and my partner work a lot together,ā€ explained outdoor creator AJ Cutler. ā€œWeā€™ll go out with certain expectations around lighting, rock formations, trees, everything around us. But when we donā€™t 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 thatā€™s not there. Thatā€™s part of the creative process thatā€™s really fun, just going with the flow.ā€

AJ Cutler as a child on the ski slopes getting hit in the face by a pole.

Hiking, camping, and skiing have long been a part of Cutlerā€™s 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 Cutlerā€™s childhood memories. Riding on skis the size of snowblades, the sport soon became as natural as walking. ā€œ[When] I was a ski instructor for a little bit, I had to learn how to teach skiing,ā€ she laughed. ā€œBecause itā€™s 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. ā€œI wanted a way to share my experiences for people who were just getting into [outdoor activities] and had questions,ā€ she explained. ā€œBut to be honest, it was mostly for me. Iā€™m a creative, so writing, taking photos, and sharing my experiences is very cathartic for me.ā€

AJ Cutler serving next to a river.

Photo by Nic Carnazzo

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.

ā€œI had a video go pretty viral and thatā€™s when I started getting so much traction,ā€ she said. ā€œIf 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 didnā€™t know? Then one million? Three million? I just canā€™t think too much about it.ā€

With that sudden larger reach, Cutlerā€™s videos were presented to a swathe of viewers, each with their own unique opinion. ā€œWhen you reach that many people, thereā€™s obviously going to be people that donā€™t understand you,ā€ she explained. ā€œSo theyā€™re going to be critical. Iā€™m 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 donā€™t realize that, [more likely than not], they have the power to make their life whatever they want. But instead theyā€™re 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. ā€œI was creating all the time,ā€ said Cutler. ā€œIt 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. ā€œSocial media is all about expectations now,ā€ she explained. ā€œPeople have insane expectations about life, but in reality, if you donā€™t [bring those] expectations, any adventure is going to be good.ā€

She continued, ā€œ[For me], authenticity and aesthetics are intertwined. Thereā€™s beauty in literally everything. We just need to stop and look around. Itā€™s a little hunt to find those moments and capture them.ā€

AJ Cutler being silly with the camera.

Photo by Nic Carnazzo

Itā€™s 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, ā€œWhen [my partner and I] do commercial ad work, weā€™ll go on a camping trip and film stuff. Then, after weā€™ve wrapped, thatā€™s when weā€™ll 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 thatā€™s 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 sheā€™s made through social media, that allowed her to work on the film Advice for Girls and create her own ski film Renaissance Woman.

ā€œBack in the 2000s my parents [always said], ā€˜Donā€™t meet up with anyone onlineā€™,ā€ she laughed. ā€œBut Addy Jacobsend, the producer and creator of Advice for Girls, I met her because she commented on one of my videos saying, ā€˜Hey, Iā€™m AJ too, and I like to ski. Letā€™s go ski!ā€™ That was four years ago and now weā€™re 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.

ā€œThere 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. ā€œIf it was guys filming, I feel like they maybe wouldā€™ve 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. Itā€™s cool when the guys do it, but when girls do it, theyā€™re just looking for attention.ā€

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However, those frustrations didnā€™t stop Cutler from fulfilling her lifelong dream to create her own ski film that same season. ā€œItā€™s crazy how organic it all happened,ā€ she smiled. ā€œThe 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€

AJ Cutler being cool AF on her mountain bike.

Photo by Nic Carnazzo

Cutlerā€™s 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.

ā€œWe went out and did a June mission, it was the last ski segment we had to film,ā€ recalled Cutler. ā€œ[But because it was June], we were racing against this thunderstorm. But then, it turned into the most beautiful day. We couldnā€™t have asked for more.ā€

She continued, ā€œEvery 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. ā€œNow that Iā€™ve made my ski film, gone skiing every day for a season, Iā€™ve found other things I would like to enjoy,ā€ she explained. ā€œI would love to live on an off-grid property, grow some of my own food.ā€

AJ Cutler leaning out of her car.

Photo by Nic Carnazzo

But of course, skiing and mountain biking also have their place in Cutlerā€™s future. ā€œOne of the big goals the past couple of years is to work on style,ā€ she said. ā€œFind my own style instead of [emulating] the style of someone else. When I was younger, there wasnā€™t much representation in womenā€™s skiing. I longed [to embody] that classic, male, very aggro style of skiing. But I donā€™t 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 donā€™t have poles, and when they spin, itā€™s 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 donā€™t always have to conform to that aggro style.ā€

When Cutlerā€™s father first zipped her into that snowsuit all those years ago and brought her to the bunny hill, he wasnā€™t just teaching the young athlete how to ski. He was handing her the reins needed to steer her own life.

ā€œAction sports are one of the only ways to be completely present in the moment,ā€ Cutler explained. ā€œIf youā€™re 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€

ā€œI feel like Iā€™ve applied that to life. Iā€™m here in this moment, and inside my mind, Iā€™m in charge. Iā€™m responsible for all my actions. Thatā€™s given me a lot of confidence, where, if Iā€™m not living the life that I want, as long as Iā€™m 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, ā€œI donā€™t 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. ā€œI highly suggest it.ā€

ALEXANDRA FIG is the founder of Butter Mag, an online magazine that strives to highlight women and queer folks that you're reading right now. A casual outdoorist, she enjoys climbing, surfing, skiing, and skateboarding when she isn't reading.

ALEXANDRA FIG is the founder of Butter Mag, an online magazine that strives to highlight women and queer folks that you're reading right now. A casual outdoorist, she enjoys climbing, surfing, skiing, and skateboarding when she isn't reading.

CREDITS

Header and other photos by Nic Carnazzo @carnazzz

MORE AJ CUTLER

Watch Renaissance Woman
www.nacforadventure.com
IG @a.j.cutler

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