Photo by Preston Miller

 

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

Hi Michele, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
In the first few years of getting my business off the ground, work/life balance was non-existent. I believed, in order to succeed, I had to devote my entire self, and every moment of spare time, to my business. That mentality eventually caught up with me by way of weight gain and burnout. I’d come to realize that without any kind of work/life balance, my business wouldn’t be sustainable. The success and sustainability of my business depended on me putting me first.

For a few years I became obsessed with balance. Scheduling two entire days off every week, setting office hours, only checking my e-mail twice per day were just a few rules I put in to place that changed everything. When it was time to work, I felt rested, eager, and ready. This was a huge turning point that reaped so many benefits for both my business and personal life.

Now, many years after putting those boundaries in to play, I’ve come to understand that balance isn’t always possible. My business is very seasonal with 6 months being insanely busy and location-dependent and the other 6 months slow enough that I can work remotely. Now I embrace the ebb and flow of it all. I’m prepared for those months when it all will inevitably get out of balance but I know putting in the long hours this month will earn me that 2 month long road trip later.

Work/life balance for me has been an 18 year evolution. I’m always learning, putting new methods in to practice, and never forgetting my husband telling me back when I was devolving in to burnout “we work to live, we don’t live to work”.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Being a part of the wedding industry for nearly two decades has been interesting, and at times disenchanting. I started my business before social media was a thing and was primarily focused on serving my clients. But once social media took hold I lost my way. I found myself trying to bend in ways that didn’t make sense to me but was rewarded by the industry. Photos of decor and the materialistic side of weddings was the holy grail according to Pinterest and any wedding blog out there. I bent myself in to a pretzel trying to adapt until my job felt like it had lost all meaning. I wasn’t sure what I was doing it for anymore.

A unique photography retreat came about when I needed it most. The emphasis of this educational retreat was on disregarding trends and bringing humanity back to wedding photography. The people that step in front of our cameras are (to me) what matter most. Each wedding has a story, many layers deep, with many people contributing to the past, present, and future of the couple that has brought them all together. My purpose as a photographer is to observe & preserve what matters most to my couples, not stage & manipulate in order to grow my social media audience.

Not long after that retreat I rebranded and created core beliefs that have given my work direction and purpose again. They keep us rooted to what matters most, the people that step in front of my camera and trust me with their memories.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live on the road full-time and call the mountains home for about half the year so I would definitely take her on a weeklong road trip! We’d probably start in Summit for some paddle-boarding on Lake Dillon. Next we would head to Leadville with a stop at Mayflower Gulch for a day hike, then pizza at Mile High Pies. We’d take a slight detour over to Aspen because Independence Pass is one of my all-time favorite passes in the state and White House Tavern has the best crispy chicken sandwich I’ve ever had. From Aspen, we’d double back over Independence Pass and continue south to Buena Vista. House Rock Kitchen is a fave and just about any hike in the Collegiate range. We’d camp along the Arkansas River before making our way to Fairplay where we would grab some tamales from Dorothy’s and then over Hoosier and back to Summit!

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 started my business with my then best-friend, now husband, back in 2004. I absolutely love my career and never could have gotten to where I am now without him.

And of all the books I’ve read, blogs I’ve obsessed over, conferences I’ve attended, and photographers I’ve looked up to, the most memorable and useful thing I’ve been told as a small business owner is “stop paying attention to what everyone else is doing, put your head down, and get to work”. Julia Woods, a photographer I looked up to, said that and I”m forever grateful I was there to hear it.

Website: https://www.oncewest.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/once.west/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oncewest

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