We recently connected with Zachary Bair and have shared our conversation below.
Zachary, we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
That’s a touchy one, but I think it’s equally as important! To preface, I currently deal with large bouts of anxiety from time to time. It’s not every day, but when it hits, it HITS. Traveling almost 300 days a year both helps and hinders that anxiety. On one hand, I don’t get it as much when I’m distracted working and traveling. But on the other hand, when I stop moving and return home, I tend to get a little more anxiety than usual those first few days. I still haven’t really pinpointed why, but I have found ways to overcome it.
For example, I will try my hardest to put the phone down or keep it away from my bed so I’m not looking at it first thing in the morning. I also tend to exercise every day. Doesn’t matter if it’s lifting weights, hiking, biking or climbing. I always try to incorporate it into my daily routine. Being in Colorado makes some of those activities a lot easier to partake in (especially with friends) and a lot more accessible. That’s one of the main reasons that I moved out here. I find myself having a better work/life balance here and that helps tremendously with my anxiety. Having a type of routine also helps me get out of certain funks here at home.
I have also tried to be more in the moment. I was recently laid off from a dream position as a tour photographer. So naturally, I’ve had a tendency to think about my future and what it could look like – which obviously hinders a good head space for me. I also try not to dwell on the past, or the future, too much.
Why was I let go? Was my work not good enough? To that, I say: Who cares. Whatever happened, happened. Move on.
Will I have a job soon? To that, I say: Maybe. All I can do is keep looking and putting my best foot forward.
With this lay-off, I sometimes feel like I’m stagnant or lazy. But in reality, that couldn’t be more false. Realizing and TRULY understanding that everyone goes at their own pace and that sometimes your body just needs a rest has been extremely beneficial for me. I’m trying to live day to day and want to enjoy every bit of the time that I have here at home.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I like to think of myself as a Jack of All Trades or a Swiss Army Knife. I’m proficient in a lot of fields, but I don’t currently have a single focus because I find having a single focus to be boring and could potentially limit the number of jobs I could take. Long story short, If I wanted, I could wear a lot of hats within a company.
My background is in audio engineering. What does that mean, you may ask? Well, audio engineering covers a lot of ground. From Live Events like concerts and editing sound for a film or TV show, to editing sound for a podcast or recording music. There’s a lot of avenues someone with a background in audio engineering can take. And I’ve tried a lot of them! However, I found that it’s much easier to find work within the live event industry. So I’ve done a lot of Monitor Engineering work for a handful of bands including Chelsea Cutler, Marcus King, Gary Levox, David Nail, Parmalee, Jeremy Zucker and Quinn XCII to name a few. My role is, essentially, to make sure that all of the the band members can hear themselves and others so that they can have the best performance that they can have! I also make sure that other touring personnel around the stage can communicate in the event that something goes wrong. I sometimes will also make sure that all the microphones are plugged in on stage correctly!
My other background is in photography. I just got off the road as a tour photographer for Marcus King, which was an extreme blessing. I was his Monitor Engineer for about a year and a half before I was fortunate enough to pivot to doing photos for them. It was my first tour photography gig ever and I was able to learn and perfect my craft more than ever. It was such a great experience and I can’t wait to find my next job in the industry!
Even amid the layoff and the stressful search for work, I’ve been more focused on bringing my art to life lately, and wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up doing content creation full time in the near future. I want to create more content that inspires people. I love the idea of leaving something tangible behind that people can look back on (hopefully) fondly.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Be willing to be flexible with life. Not everything is going to happen the way that you want in the timeframe you want it to happen. But if you keep cracking at it (whatever “it” is) good things will eventually come.
Develop empathy and understanding. The quicker you do this, the easier it becomes to understand humans, mistakes, imperfection and can ultimately help you become a more patient individual. Be cognizant of yourself and of those around you.
Create personal and professional boundaries. Learn how to say “no” to people and to opportunities. It can save you a lot of unwanted stress in the long run. Know where you draw your lines in the sand, and try to stick to them as much as possible. Also, don’t sell yourself short! I cannot stress that enough.
The only way to get better at these skills is to practice them in your daily personal and professional life. No other way around it. Be kind, patient and learn a few of these. You will garner a massive amount of respect from peers and co-workers alike.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I become overwhelmed, I tend to make a physical or mental list of what is cluttering my head. I then put those items in three specific containers: what HAS to be done now, what CAN be done later, and what HAS to be done in-between now and later? This helps me prioritize the day.
For example, I had a day the other week where I needed to field a phone call at 11AM, edit photos and mail a letter by 5PM, do laundry, cook dinner, clean my bathroom and go grocery shopping.
What HAS to be done now? Well, I needed to field the phone call, mail the letter and edit the photos in a certain time frame. Laundry and cleaning my bathroom CAN be done later. They don’t necessarily need to happen today. So, I made sure to mail the letter in the morning and go grocery shopping while I was out. I took the phone call when I got home and then edited photos until 3PM. I had some time before I needed to start cooking dinner, so I cleaned my bathroom, took a quick break to relax, and then started cooking by 5:30PM. I ended up doing laundry the next morning but I typically would consider that a win and congrats! You just had yourself a very productive day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.zachbaircreative.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachbairphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zachbaircreative/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-bair/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsjjeDz6qDtpyUKj3z8l3vQ
