We recently had the chance to connect with MAGGIE VETSCH and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning MAGGIE, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
Running a business as a neurodivergent!
I was diagnosed with ADHD this year. Admittedly after struggling with it for most of my life.
Honestly, it all checked out after the diagnosis. Time blindness, lack of internal motivation, struggle with task completion, anxiety (mostly social). Not the best fit as a wedding photographer!
It was an ironic awareness because it has been shown that both as a woman and creative, these diagnoses typically fly under the radar. We tend to just embrace or except our “quirky” tendencies or accept that we’re not good at all aspects of running a business.
I spent years of my business struggling with responding to emails, staying focused on editing, curating special gifts for my couples, scheduling mistakes for shoots (sometimes major!). Also, not a great fit…
After finally advocating for myself and knowing that this didn’t have to be my story or struggle forever, coupled with my absolute love for what I do and wanting to give my clients every confidence that I am grateful and invested in them, I got the help (and medication) I needed to thrive.
Now that I have a much clearer path as an artist and business owner, I can lean into both the growth of my business and to the clients who inspire the art that I create.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey, Maggie here.
The heart and soul behind Roots + Wilds Photography, which focuses on intimate weddings, expressive senior sessions, and connected family portraits.
My passion has always been to capture moments as they occur, the feeling of it, a blend of artistry and authenticity. I’ve been able to do this because of the environment that I create for my clients. One that is honest, collaborative, and most importantly comfortable for them.
I personally understand the stress and awkwardness, to this day, of being in front of a lens and so I use that as a tool to allow you to feel like you’re taking photos with a friend. I follow your cues and energy and let each unique session or wedding day tell it’s own story and flow as it is meant to.
This approach has allowed me to curate the clients that align with how I tell stories and the art that follows.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Above all, that I wasn’t meant to create anything meaningful for myself.
Circling back to my undiagnosed ADHD, I struggled greatly since youth with feeling like I had the intelligence or capabilities to do so.
School was a massive struggle for me. I constantly needed extra help from teachers, floundered in many classes, compared myself to my peers, which followed me into college and my adult life.
I actually left the corporate world in my late 20’s because it was leaching all of my joy and felt unbearable. I am grateful to this day that I had the immense support of my husband to do so.
A while after I made my first attempt at starting my own business and it just felt, right. The freedom of it, the creativity, the absence of systematic expectations. While my first attempt wasn’t a long haul situation, it led straight into what I do now and intend to carry on as long as I can.
I am now a highly confident business woman who has created a successful business that creates a lasting impact for those that I serve.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
I made the conscious decision about 3-4 years into my journey as a photographer that I wasn’t going to book “just anyone”.
There are many types of photographers. Some will create with anyone that submits and inquiry or books a session, either because they are starting out or simply because it’s for revenue purposes.
I knew at this point that if I was going to truly shape the art I was trying to create, I had to be intentional both with how I advertised myself and with whom I was creating with.
It may sound exclusive, I suppose in a way it is. However, I realized there was nothing wrong with wanting to align myself with couples who were drawn to my more “stripped down” version of capturing wedding days or young adults that wanted more than the average “senior photo”, and families who wanted to simply be themselves and let the meltdowns become the moments.
Because of this redirection in my business, not only have I solidified the joy in what I do but I can also offer my clients an elevated experience and seamlessly create with them in an honest way.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes!!
I have always strived to be the most transparent version of myself when I show up. Whether it’s through my captions, my stories, all of it.
The messiness. The struggles. The victories. The embarrassing moments.
I think this approach has been such a big part of why I help those I create with feel so comfortable!
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I’m going to be real for a second. I’m a Leo, I THRIVE on any form of recognition.
The caveat here is, is that I create purely for the love it it. I know that because for most “fixations” in my life, this is the one that stuck.
Yes, my heart bursts and my ego shimmers when I get the loveliest reviews and responses from clients. However, what drives me the most is knowing that you feel loved, seen, understood when we work together. I equally adore being able to thoughtfully curate and edit the art that came from our time together.
So, I can confidently say that even if I don’t hear a peep (though it hurts) after I’ve sent off your album, I am very secure in that I truly cared every step of the way!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rootsandwilds.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootsandwilds/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootsandwildsphoto/
Image Credits
Roots + Wilds Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
