Kylie Turley is a cool chick. She reaches the peaks of mountaintops, dips in and out of the ocean, and soars through the jungle. She is an explorer, an artist, and an inspiration.

Kylie is a photographer, writer and filmmaker who has worked with big name brands such as Madewell and Teva. Her photographs are stunning and invoke an incomparable wanderlust. She is an obviously creative person, so I asked her some questions to help illuminate the importance of creativity. As a humanities major who often is confronted with the question of the legitimacy of my major, her words strike a personal chord. As she affirmatively insists, "Do what you love." Here's what else she had to say:

Steph Haenn: Your job seems awesome. You describe yourself as a "photographer of all things wild and free." How do you define "wild" and "free?" Do you think it is essential for everyone to possess these characteristics?

Kylie Turley: Wild and free refers to the spirit of my work -- I embrace everything in its most raw and natural form, whether that be candid portraits or netting a brown trout. I think everyone needs to embrace that wild side of life, and celebrate what comes naturally to them without feeling pressure to try too hard, and just be themselves.

SH: You are a creative adventurer. Do you think creativity and adventuring mutually coexist? How would you define the relationship between exploring and creating?

KT: Absolutely. To me, they're one -- I can't help but have creativity leak into everything I do. When I'm outside exploring I have an urgency to create -- I want to remember moments, places and people forever -- and when I document them I get to relive those special memories forever.

SH: What have been some of your favorite adventures?

KT: My recent trip to the Grand Canyon and living in China.

SH: Some college students get the privilege to study abroad. What advice do you have for students to maximize their time abroad?

KT: Find an international internship. I never did a study abroad program, but I did find an internship relevant to both my studies in cultures and conflict resolution and my interests in media work and creative content. It was that balance I was looking for -- so I made sure to find opportunities that could create a space for that to happen.

SH: Many of your clients are very well-known brands. Do you have a favorite company to shoot for?

KT: I love every company I shoot for! I always walk away friends with my clients -- but among my favorites has to be the folks at Tenkara Rod Co and Huckberry. Solid people, who are willing to be in your corner.

SH: All of your photography is beautiful and evokes a strong desire to both create art and to explore. Do you have a favorite photograph?

KT: Thank you! I really don't. That is an impossible question to answer for me. There are photos I've taken that speak to me more than others, but I almost always love something about everything.

SH: Do you think creativity is essential to success? How do you think college students majoring in fields with "uncreative" connotations can engage in daily artistic pursuits?

KT: Absolutely. We have to work harder and harder to think outside the box and find original ideas and contents nowadays. I don't think there's anything wrong with "uncreative" fields, because there's always a way to find creativity in everything. If you're a finance major and spend your days crunching numbers, you can work in the film industry creating budgets for major upcoming movies and live in Los Angeles using your technical skills in a creative environment. There's always a way!

SH: From your Instagram, one can see that you have a great sense of style. Do you use fashion as a medium to express yourself daily? Do you think a person's sense of fashion reflects, or should reflect, their sense of self?

KT: Thank you, that's nice of you to say. I don't consider myself a fashionable person whatsoever. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm super simple and minimalist, and half the time I don't know what I'm doing. I just put together what's comfortable and functional. I don't wear anything that doesn't feel good. I definitely believe if what you're wearing makes you feel good, then you'll feel better about yourself.

SH: Your job clearly satisfies humans' innate sense of wanderlust. What advice do you have for wanderlust college students?

KT: Do what you love, but find a way that works for you. Strike that balance. It's not always going to pay the bills, so don't expect it to. Be willing to put in a lot of time and free work before you start adding value to your investment. Very rarely do things come easily, and even more rarely do they happen all at once. Stick with it, make it work for you, and don't get caught up in the comparison game. Stay true to who you are.

This is the second installment of a series of articles emphasizing college students' need for creative satisfaction. The purpose of this series is to derive an inkling of inspiration for busy college students in order to drive home the assertion that there is more to life than constantly having your nose in your textbook.

Read the first article here.