Daily Inspiration: Meet Shawn Augenstein

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Augenstein. 

Hi Shawn, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Jack Kerouac ruined my life. Someone, some adult, should have grabbed that book out of my hand and replaced it with the Hardy Boys (or some other teenage dreck), but no one sure as shit should have let a 13-year-old read about drugs, poetry, and rock and roll (it was jazz, but you get the point). 

It’s stayed with me. The idea of being on the periphery of things. Being a participant and observer. That Life Itself and the Experience of Living is Art. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It shouldn’t be a Smooth Road. Strife and Conflict, Heartbreak and Longing fuel the fire of Growth. How do you know the value of anything until you’ve lost something? Besides, all the real fun (more often than not) puts a person in opposition to the “Powers That Be”. The Burton Flagship store on Walnut used to pop, stayed there a bit. You’d lose track of days downstairs… Walked around town with the Gutter Punks. Had a friend, we’ll call her D. C., drove the alleys making deliveries around Cap Hill. Her door got kicked by SWAT, twice. Nailed her that second time. Posted up for a day, drinking Strongbow on tap at the Netherworld Cafe after that one. There’s such a richness of life and experience that happens in off-hours with “off” people. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I like taking pictures of the “off” things, the things that catch your eye for a brief second and then you look away and to the next thing. I like the idea of rugged individuality, rugged enough to make you an outcast. The eye of an outcast can see and appreciate where others can’t. I mainly shoot film nowadays because I like the challenge. You either get it or you don’t. Film forces you to think a bit more, work a bit more. I like that. In addition to my photography, I’m also a Conversational AI Designer and I work to create the next frontier of Virtual Assistants for both Virtual and Augmented Reality. My world is creativity and I’ve forged a path that allows me to express myself and live off that. 

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
You’d need to know me pretty well to be surprised and by that time you wouldn’t be surprised because you know me well. 

…but if you really want to be surprised… 

The reader of this sentence exists only while reading me. 

You’re welcome. 

Contact Info:

• Email: shawn@pendingdead.com
• Website: pendingdead.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pending_dead/

Image Credits:
Shawn Augenstein