Meet Olie Moss and Brenna Ramsden

Today we’d like to introduce you to Olie Moss and Brenna Ramsden.

Hi Olie and Brenna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Brenna and I met while I was traveling the country, photographing barrel races, team ropings, and similar events.

My business was taking off, and I needed someone to help at every event who could be trained to do higher-level tasks. I met Brenna and asked her to work for me at one of the events in her area. She agreed and ended up liking the job and me. Soon after, Brenna’s contract ended at her TV news job, and she moved into my 45′ toy hauler RV full-time. About four years later, we decided to retire from that life and move to Arizona. We found a great place in Surprise and set up shop. Two of our bedrooms are offices, and the garage is our workshop. We went from primarily making photos and doing graphic design work to making physical products like candles, leather patch hats, and more!

Traveling around the country, setting up a booth, and moving on to the next one was a lot of fun but a lot of work.

We burnt out of that lifestyle. Since moving here, transitioning to a stay-at-home lifestyle has been a bit of a struggle, but still working hard to make sure we can keep up with this lifestyle. There are many things to learn, but we are always learning keep building on what we know. We still take on private clients who hire us for video/photo work.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Our transition from an RV to a house was a struggle. We both sold everything we owned that didn’t fit in the RV, to begin with. So, we had to buy all those things again when moving back into a house. This was in 2021 when the world was still figuring out what to do with COVID. We went to garage sales and thrift stores to quickly and inexpensively purchase furniture, dishes, and everything else people need/want in a house.

The business struggled too. It wasn’t a smooth transition. I made the mistake of telling people that I was retiring from shooting events, but all they heard is “I’m retiring.” So, it was hard to advertise our photo/video services at the beginning of the transition. People thought I was done working entirely. While we were traveling and shooting events, Brenna was doing brand/web design on a limited basis. It was a rough couple of months after retirement to build up a new client roster, and we struggled to find good workflows and schedules. We were burnt out from life on the road. It took a couple of years to start to feel like wanting to work again. It’s tough starting over.

Earlier this year, 2023, we found an amazing deal on a barely used laser engraver/cutter. We jumped on it immediately, which has been a huge help. Although there was a huge learning curve and some frustrating things like a loose wire, we have hardly had a day go by that didn’t involve using the laser machine. Now we can churn products over faster for our customers instead of waiting for a third party to make and ship things like leather patches. We make more of the process in-house, and our profits are higher because we cut out the middleman.

For now, we are selling online and through social media. But we plan on opening up a booth at craft fairs soon.

The struggle with this new venture, has been finding the right home for it. My photography company, Olie’s Images, doesn’t fit our new plans as my clients know to find photos/videos under that business. Brenna’s business, Rural Creative Co., is more of a design service company. Brenna’s side project, Ramblin’ Bandita, doesn’t fit me. So, we are trying to find a name we can both feel good about using.

**since this interview, the pair has decided on a home for their creative hobby: Copper Cactus Collective.   

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Honestly, we are still trying to figure out what sets us apart. We love the southwest and Arizona in particular. There is just something about this place that we both find lovely. I’m from Wyoming, and Brenna is from Wisconsin. We know all about the cold winters. It’s so beautiful here all year.

We find creative inspiration in the desert, mountains, lakes, and saguaros. Brenna has taken the lead on the candle-making part. Her scents are desert themed and aim to inspire a sense of place with each one. I attempt to create clean-looking designs for my clients. My custom projects seem to take up most of my time and creative energy.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and are any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
When COVID hit in 2020, we were at one of the biggest events of my career as a photographer in Texas. Luckily, all the events I had booked around the country ended up coming to Texas, so my profits skyrocketed. Because of COVID, I made a lot more money than previously, and I took that as an opportunity to create a new life for us. I cut my new gear budget to almost zero and saved every penny to launch this new life.

The following year was tough, though. We both were exhausted from going so hard for so long. We made face masks as many other people did. But soon, those sales evaporated. We gave away the last of our inventory in 2022. It’s fun riding the waves of trending items. I came out with my spin on the Ivermectin tumbler that sold like wildfire. Then the company that makes Ivermectin slapped me with a warning on Etsy, which stopped those sales.

It has been tough finding help since COVID. it seems the drive for people to make extra cash has dwindled, and the quality of work output is mediocre. What we have seen, is an increase in freelancers and business owners who are working from home. It’s definitely a different workforce!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.oliesimages.com
• Instagram: @olieandbrenna
• Youtube: @olieandbrenna