Meet Alyssa Gervacio | Photographer & Small Business Owner

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

Hi Alyssa, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
There’s no denying that I’ve definitely struggled to juggle my work-life balance accordingly in the last couple of years. In my current stage of life, I’m running two small businesses, working a couple of internships and still working full-time while also being a full-time college student. Over time, I’ve gotten the hang of a schedule that works perfectly for my own sake and well-being. I dedicate specific days of the week to different activities.

For example, I’ll dedicate specific days to classes and internship meetings, and the other days to work, both on and off the clock. However, with so many moving parts, things are always subject to change and rescheduling, so I think it’s always important to be on my toes and versatile.

It’s also worth noting that my life isn’t dedicated to working 24/7. I have family and friends who are both incredibly understanding and supportive of the life I am currently living. I’ve learned never to feel guilty about taking a step back from work to tend to myself and those around me. I still make time to go to the gym, spend time with family and hang out with my friends. I find that these moments help me take a step back to breathe after work is all done.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I guess there are a couple of ways I could go about answering this.

First of all, my passion for photography is a driving force that exercises my creativity daily. I am blessed enough to have found a job that lets me take photos for a living, which keeps me connected to imagery almost daily. On my own, I have struggled a bit to find my style and rhythm with photography over the years.

My current goal is to better my skills in sports photography. I have an internship that forces me to focus on one sport in particular. How can I make one shot look different from all of the other ones I’ve taken throughout the season? By being used to shooting under criteria for my whole life, I often find it challenging to step outside of that box to shoot for my own leisure.

I also have fallen into tons of burnout phases in the past six years I’ve had a camera at my hip. Pushing myself to photograph new subjects and activities has been the best remedy for curing my own artistic burnout. Turning photography into my own little small business gig has exposed me to tons of different opportunities. I’ve been able to photograph a wedding, family events, graduate photos and more in the past couple of years, and I cannot wait to expand my portfolio even further!

On the other hand, I also have a small jewelry business I have been running for the last three years. I’ll admit that it’s been a bit of a tough year for me in terms of burnout and producing new designs, but I’ve been able to use this time as a rest period to design some new pieces that I’m excited to share!

Last year was fantastic for my jewelry business. I was cranking out new pieces and staples that customers were loving, and I also started to become a vendor at multiple different in-person craft markets. I never knew what I was getting myself into and it has been such a wild ride full of trial and error. In the Summer of 2022, I had a difficult time dealing with a few personal situations which pushed me to take time off in order to spend time with family.

I have a hard time understanding that I do not have to feel guilty about taking time off when I need it. With such a busy schedule, I tend to get upset with myself if I’m not checking more off my to-do list. However, I think this is something that I have had to work on for years in order to understand. Taking breaks is SO important and no one should ever feel bad for doing it, especially if your body and brain need the time off.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the area I would love to show them around my hometown! I’m lucky enough to live in an area that is so close to so many different things! For example, we could drive 20 minutes South to hit the nearest beach, and 10 minutes North to some of the best restaurants and shops in the county.

I would love to start the day by stopping to grab some coffee in the afternoon. We could head straight down the freeway to cruise up PCH. Maybe we could stop for some lunch on the beach and look around at some of the mom-and-pop-owned shops in the area. Rolling down the windows and driving up the coast would be mandatory, we could listen to some 80s rock and sing at the top of our lungs! Ideally, I would love to stop at a couple of lookouts on the side of the highway and take photos for the memories. Once sunset hits we could watch the sun hit the horizon and head straight to dinner for some sushi or tacos, that would be the life.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to shout out my family and friends for always being so supportive and understanding! Thank you for always keeping me grounded and sane. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such a fantastic group of people constantly!

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CreationsByAlyssaKG

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anglesbyalyssa/ & https://www.instagram.com/creationsbyalyssakg/?hl=en

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/alyssa-gervacio

Other: For all photography and portfolio inquiries, please email me at anglesbyalyssa@gmail.com