Why Rest is Vital | Virtual Assistant for Photographers

I bet you’ve heard a thousand times how you need to have “work/life balance” as an entrepreneur. And if you’re anything like me for years and years, that concept seems elusive at best. Rest is vital, we logically know this. And there are plenty of studies showing the importance of rest & play. But when we are knee-deep in busy season, with a to-do list that seems to constantly regenerate itself… it can be hard to figure out why.

As a virtual assistant for photographers, my whole passion behind The Focus Collective is providing rest & balance for busy photographers. (My client told me the other day she gets to take naps since she hired me, and that was the highest compliment 🤣) But if you rewind a few years, the concept of rest being a positive influence on my business 💸 - I probably would have dismissed you. But I would have been wrong. Here’s why:

As creatives, it’s your job to tell stories. To use art to document someone’s existence on this planet.

To find their Essence and bring it to life in a photograph. A photographer’s job is palpable. It’s emotionally charged. It’s full to the brim and more with creativity.

That spark ⚡️ that is essential to your business, it cannot be generated from burn out. It cannot be ignited when you are a shell of yourself. I’m sure you’ve felt it when you’ve shown up to a session or wedding, feeling drained. And gone through the motions, glad your experience & knowledge backed you up when you felt empty, but wishing you could have enjoyed the creative process. ✨

Rest is the counterpart to creativity. It’s in the quiet downtime, the escape away… that your language starts coming out. The things you want to express, the way you want to see the world… it shows it’s clearest colors when you rest.

That, my friend, is why rest is vital to your career. ❤︎

I know it seems like a luxury to hold space for rest.

Truuuust me, I know. I’m in a super busy season of life myself, with tiny children always running around. A thriving business needing me 24/7. And personal health issues to manage. Downtime is usually lined with guilt. But the more I have grown my business, the more I have started to release that guilt. Understanding that true rest + play, are what make me succeed.

Especially as a millennial, I was raised that hard work = success. And now, as someone who is managing a six-figure business and a team of associates… I have realized that rest doesn’t cancel out hard work. I need them both to function.

Really, the bottom line is that rest is vital because with rest… we can make more $. You and I have chosen to turn our passions into our streams of income. It’s such a f*cking amazing thing, but there is a reason entrepreneurs claim massive statistics for burnout. But you & I are in this for the long-haul, which means we need to think beyond busy season. Beyond right now.

And hold space for rest.

As I have come to this realization, I have started to create systems to hold my business while I step away. I outsource many things every single month. And I operate with a schedule that has rest folded in. I allow myself to have a work-load that is manageable, and I outsource the things that drain me. That way I am available creatively to the other parts of my business. And I have watched my revenue grow, my client list expand, and my brand awareness reach further.

Rest is vital. And I invite you to shift your business around rest, so that it becomes a cornerstone of your operations. If you are ready to get some things off your plate, we’d love to help. It brings us a lot of joy to help you find that balance. Click here to get to know us more.