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

Hi Doug, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I started my career in my photography I was a total workaholic. I got up early and worked late into the night… I don’t think I took a vacation for about 5 years! It took me about 8 years for my company to start billing $800k and that’s when I finally started lightening up a bit. I was out of shape and worn out.

Shortly after I got into marital arts and yoga and learned about balance… energetic balance which is way beyond time management. Now, at 54 I’m as sprite as ever! I have a 9 year old son and I feel so blessed to be able to spend quality time with him jumping on the trampoline, wrestling, marital arts, snow skiing, hiking and riding bikes and motorcycles.

Today I wake up at 5:30 AM to stretch and meditate, and work out most everyday. I’m meticulous about time management so by the time my son gets home from school I’m close to wrapping my to-do list. So I guess in short, my advice is to learn as young as you can how to keep your body and mind healthy and develop time management skills.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I had a thriving career in Commercial Photography for over 25 years working out of the 100 year old building I renovated in Dallas. What set me apart was that I just worked harder than everyone else. I worked for most all of the fortune 500 companies based in Dallas including American Airlines, Frito Lay, Pepsi to name a few.

The whole time I was working as a commercial photographer I was quietly welding sculptures in my workshop in the back of my studio. It was fun! I made hundreds of pieces over the years that I mostly gave away to friends and clients.

Later clients started coming to me with ideas and story lines for their products and that’s when I began to incorporate my art with their product… that coupled with lighting which I always had a knack for. When I learned to merge my passion and joy with what clients needed is what set me apart in a very crowded industry.

It wasn’t always easy. To be an entrepreneur you’ve gotta be willing to ride out the famine years and stay steady during the feasting periods. I rented out my studio for extra cash, bought and sold motorcycles… whatever it took. What I learned along the way was that if you love what you do and you work hard at it you will always be successful.

Now I’ve traded in the city for the mountains and my photography reflects that. I still pick up random objects I find laying around for sculptures later. Right now I’m looking for representation for my nature and wildlife photographs and building sculptures.

What I want the world to know about me is that I see beauty in everything, and I try to share what I see in my photography.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Taos, NM now so my story will be a little different than most.

In the Summer months when friends are in town I always take them on a hike to Williams Lake – a lake formed from the snow melt off sitting at 11’ish k feet. That takes a few hours so on our way down we would stop at the Bavarian for a beer and a braut.

The next day we’d float the Rio Grande through the canyon on SUP, tailgate for a bit, then hit up my favorite local restaurant, Love Apple for their famous gnoche.

And to wrap it up, definitely a hot air balloon ride to take in the stunning New Mexico landscape!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Definitely want to send a shoutout to my parents and my photography mentor.

My mom was the one who was able to figure out I was dyslexic and get me on the path with a tutor so that I could be able to thrive in school. This was in the mid-70’s and no one was talking about learning disabilities. She was a trailblazer in that regard. I was actually on two scholarships in collage – one for being dyslexic and the other for having a 4.0 GPA.

My father taught me as well as showed me the importance of having a solid work ethic but that also passion and joy makes all the hard work worth while! He was a successful inventor and entrepreneur – constantly tinkering with a new project. He told me many, many times, “Doug whatever you do don’t ever get a corporate job, it will suck the life out of you!”

My first only boss, JW Burkey, had an amazing business sense for a creative. He took me under his wing fresh out of collage and taught me the ropes as far as making contact with clients, billing, and collecting – all very important things to know as a successful photographer. Eventually JW wanted to retire and I bought him out and started D-Squared Studios.

Website: https://d2studios.net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d2studios/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doug.davis.127/

Image Credits
These are all my images

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