July 2021 - 29

Christine Peterson works hard to live her stories, but as a journalist strives to not become a part of the story. Often that means participating and observing while taking notes in the field, like while
horseback riding here in the Gros Ventre Wilderness. (Photo by Ryan Dorgan)
Outdoor creatives
When most people study to be a
journalist or artist, outdoor writer or wildlife
photographer may never be presented as
opportunities.
Those were the situations for freelance
outdoor writer Christine Peterson and wildlife
photographer Savannah Rose Burgess, both
Wyoming residents.
" I always knew I wanted to be a journalist
but not an outdoor writer, " Peterson said. " I
originally planned on writing about political
news but as I got older, the combo of outdoors
and writing was a no-brainer. "
Before attending college Peterson was the
kids page editor for the Casper Star-Tribune,
her hometown newspaper. After studying
political science and economics at the
University of Wyoming, Peterson continued
her career at the Star-Tribune as city editor.
After taking a year off to travel in North and
South America, Peterson returned to the StarTribune
when the outdoors editor position
unexpectedly opened.
" The job sounded fun, " Peterson said. " I
loved spending time outside hiking, fishing
and backpacking so it sounded like a great
way to combine my interests. "
But even though Peterson was the outdoors
editor, she spent most of her time indoors
rather than outside so in 2018 she left to build
her freelance business.
" I have an insatiable curiosity and find
the natural world imminently fascinating, "
Peterson said. " Becoming a freelance writer
gives me the freedom to tell the stories I want
and to go where I want. "
But even though every trip she takes and
every hike she completes is an opportunity
for an article, there are a lot of challenges to
running your own business. Getting paid and
finding assignments are typically the toughest
ones, but there also are the standard business
tasks like filing taxes and managing marketing
opportunities.
The opportunities were a little different
for Burgess.
" I started as a fine artist but used wildlife
photography as reference for my ink drawings, "
she said. " I found I loved the adventure of
tracking wildlife and always enjoyed being
around animals. "
Like with Peterson's freelance work, the
challenges of finding paying work is the biggest
challenge for Burgess. That is part of the reason
she has narrowed her work to document
mountain lions.
" Cougars are incredibly challenging, but
it is a pleasure going out every day to get the
right shot, " Burgess said. " Set goals for yourself,
like focusing on cougars, and work toward
achieving them. "
Wyoming Wildlife | 29
" I have an insatiable curiosity and
find the natural world imminently
fascinating. Becoming a freelance
writer gives me the freedom to tell
the stories I want and to go where
I want. " - Christine Peterson

July 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2021