Some of the best photographers will tell you the hard part was never the camera — it was working up the nerve to take their passion seriously.

In our One Day One Artist film, photographer Alex Qian wanders his hometown of Chicago, chasing light and unexpected shots, and shares how he went from "non-creative" (his words) to a life he's genuinely excited to look back on. Along the way he talks about where he finds inspiration when he's stuck, why exploring an unfamiliar place can make you a sharper shooter than knowing it by heart, and his gentle reminder to stop measuring your day-to-day against everyone else's highlight reel.

Grab a coffee, watch the walk, and maybe go shoot something this weekend.