Meet Anthony Chavez: Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony Chavez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Overtime I’ve gone from the regular school, work, and then work on your dream schedule and mindset, with plenty Of lazy days to count. Once the switch in my mind occurred I quit my job I dropped out of school and focus fully on my career. I do & don’t believe in balance, but I believe what you put in is what you’re going to get out of it and I wanted a lot. Overtime I ended up sacrificing so much of my personal life that I started to find myself almost 80% work and 20% personal time. Meaning I would get up at 5 AM go to the gym or get started I’m building my plans, strategies, or in general start working on client work, just go to work. Then hen if time was available or scheduled I would be around to grab a drink, see a friend, watch a movie… I wanted to make sure that I removed myself as the X factor of why I didn’t make my dreams come true. I think the balance is understanding how you contribute to your own happiness while doing things that might not favor and what is defined as pleasure or fun. Meaning sometimes you got to sacrifice and it’s not going to be easy, but in the long haul if you can find happiness and enjoy the journey and process even through the hardest times you are going to be way more ahead of the game mentally because it allowed you clear focus to work on things physically. I don’t truly believe there is a physical balance that is set in stone in my life. I think my physical balance is knowing if I’m doing something or knowing if I’m not doing something in which part of the scale you want to beIN will determine your results. Either way I will be happy being lazy and happy being productive it just ended up being more of the question “ do you want to be lazy today or do you want to be productive?” Mental scapes are way more crucial in the balance conversation. Right now it is not easy with Covid, personal issues that go along, not having a personal life or intimate life, stepping out of the house and not seeing my family because I decided to go to work every single day, and all the other stressors that can normally lead to pain that I have to deal with. The thing that keeps Me pushing forward is that it’s going to be a better life if I push hard & struggle now and reap the benefits of my reward when I am deserving of it, when I achieved what I decided to go do, when I actually have mental, physical, health, wealth, & time freedom. Most of my life it’s not about Balance it’s about applying pressure. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am many things that reside within confines of my business. I’m an employee, As well as I am the owner. I am the artist as much as I am do the critiquing. To lable myself to one thing is near impossible because I am not solely a photographer as much as I am an entrepreneur, an artist, and an influencer. As an artist my work is contrived of securing ones self-preservation, meaning knowing who you are, while escaping into your own imaginations. I am a realist with unrealistic expectations. Although this sounds contrary I am very straightforward artist. As an entrepreneur, my work it’s based on elusive actions and securing strategies to gain my results. Although majority of my business portfolio is invested in the media industry, it is mapped across an ecosystem that I have built for myself. As an influencer my work is encouraged from the people who have motivated me through their actions and experiences. Relating to my own actions And experiences, I am able to create a perspective Outlit that allows for others to gain and learn from that in which is me. I just want people to love life, do what they want, and do it as the best versions of themselves. What sets me apart from others is that I don’t tend to need validation nor peer into what the competition is doing. I tried to self elevate, and allow an avenue for me to express myself and who I am. Every day I am learning who I am, and every day I am left with a decision to do what I am about to do or change because I would like a different outcome. I can’t do that while also worrying about everything around me. This translates and allows me to develop skills and creative thinking towards everything that I do. In other words I love me enough for myself so let’s go ahead and love you, work on things with you, grow a business with you… in my mind we have already won/created the best thing. Now we need to go do what we said we are going to do. I think I’m most excited to meet the 2025/2030 version of myself. I like personal development, I love succeeding because of my growth. I also love watching the people around me grow with me and achieve. To me if I can see that version now I can only imagine what it’s actually going to be like when we get to those crossroads and we can start looking at the next 5 to 10 years. Specifically, I’m excited for my current projects and how they’re going to involve because we are planting the seeds now. I have a movie that I am working on, which is the story of my life. I have an album coming up. And after three years of dedicating all my creative work to my clients I am finally working on my own series and collections of art in the photographic sense. In business I’m specifically excited to complete the final components of my photo champ brand and see what my next added business venture is going to be. Professionally I would have never gotten to where I’m at today without understanding what the phrase “applying pressure” means. Every day you want to do something, and this can be anything from talking to a girl to making success in a business, to creating a piece of art. every day you have to do something that is going to do income, creative, and personal development activities. I guarantee it is always going to be the hardest thing but the most rewarding experience. Diamonds do not form under a high five. Diamonds are formed under so much pressure and heat. Stepping away from the day today mindset that some of us carry, and moving into something new is always going to be difficult. Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder but nobody wants to lift heavy weights. You have to be willing to do that in which gets you closer to what you want every single day point blank. They are going to be days that you want to give up, and trust me I did. I quit my dreams of being a photographer because the income wasn’t being produced and so my creative and artistic side had to die. That scared me so much that I never wanted to feel that again. I found resolve through other outlets that encouraged me to pick up the camera again. I worked my butt off doing things that I did not want to do so that way I can do the things I wanna do every single day. I started working harder than any person that was even remotely labeled as competition or a comparison so that I can become an individual, so I can see my life‘s full potential. Once I saw and felt what it was like in this Euphoric and undeniably beautiful lifestyle, I found mental relief I decided I wanted to feel that happy every single day and reap the rewards at that gave me. Talking about balance I let my fears and my dreams fuel my desire to achieve whatever I want. Coming off the mountain, and into the word legacy, I want the world to know that I did what I said I was going to do. I want to change the perspective in the industry. Where an artist like a photographer or a painter can be recognized and as successful as big as Drake today. I want to leave an impression in the media industry that forms the future.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think this is a mildly inappropriate question for what current condition we are in here in Colorado due to Covid, but for the sake of supporting small businesses and the establishing persona in the area, I would tell my best friend to come out with my group of friends. If you like to drink at check out the local bars on Broadway and hop all of them. we support establishments like romes, off Mississippi as well or the club scenes in Denver such as Nativ. I would take them eating everyday. snooze for breakfast, little mans ice cream in the afternoon, mizu for dinner and tacos rápidos after a night out. I would tell them if they smoke vape to check out my other best friend vape shop evaporations. If they wanted to shop and support local business to check out the Be a good person brand in the rhino district and Liv’n. Id they wanted to see amazing artwork to go check out Santa Fe and the rhino district, maybe my buddy Tpualky’s work. practice your dance at expressions studio. create music and visual art at authentic 100 studios in Englewood. To get a massage from Sarah Navarro and her private practice. Go hiking in Colorado Springs or look out mountain in golden. To check out red rocks amphitheater and workout on the stairs in the morning. Go to my friend Erica baca at her salon “with love” in Thornton to get your hair braided, colored or styled. Get an amazing stay at the art hotel, right next to the art museum in Denver. I would suggest checking out the denver zoo and supporting them and the animals as their establishment struggled during covid restrictions. I would normally promote a lot of networking experiences but with covid in mind I’d keep to a private party and introduce people to others who aline with their interest while also introduce people to great and energetic people.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have a tremendous list of people that I can name off specifically as well as organizations that I can think for allowing me to be myself and explore my creative and business self while conducting work and adjusting through my trials and tribulations. All the way from my mother and father Who are also photographers in this industry and have taught me everything. getting me to work in the photography industry at the age of 12 shooting weddings and always believing in me, they are my biggest inspirations in life. I have teachers and mentors from high school college and even my own peers who pushed me to think in a different perspectives while also challenging me to go above and beyond in everything that I do. Organizations like KNVS, an entertainment company in Chicago & authentic 100, an entertainment company in Denver, they are the ones who taught me how to work as a team. They taught me how to be a leader, how to manage people, how to manage my own time, how to delegate, how to create resolve in problems, and fundamentally building in entire infrastructure that can fully operate and benefit any business. everyone collectively has taught me how to apply pressure and elevate, humbling me to respect the industry, and myself along the way. The biggest recognition I can give goes to every single person who encouraged me during my lowest periods in time. So many people have put up with who I was and endured because they saw who I was going to be. For that I thank you. I do however have to thank myself, and I know it sounds a little ego driven and a bit narcissistic but I promised my younger self that I would give myself credit when credit was due because at the time I never had confidence in what I did. I went through a lot of different struggles mentally that had me almost quit my dreams and passions on numerous occasions. If this serves as any message to anyone, don’t sell yourself short nor allow others to assume responsibility of the rescue you have placed in your own life, and in your own dreams. It starts with you.

Website: Thephotochamp.com
Instagram: @thephotochamp (Instagram.com/thephotochamp)

Image Credits
@thephotochamp