Alistair Maitland | Photographer | May 15, 2020

Join Yukon entrepreneur and photographer Alistair Maitland as he talks about pivoting his business during the pandemic.

(1:00) Alistair talks about adapting his business model as he realized that every event he had planned to shoot for the foreseeable future had been wiped off his calendar.

(1:40) Alistair talks about his first pandemic pivot: "doortraits". He talks about how putting his energy into a new project was a 'saving-grace' and how the photo journalist in him saw it as an opportunity to document this moment in our history.

(3:20) Alistair comments on how the Door Traits became these little creative bursts that helped him gain perspective on how other people are managing their way through the pandemic.

(4:30) The Doortraits showed Alistair how resilient Yukoners are because we're always looking for silver-lining. He's enjoyed connecting with people and learning about what they are dealing with -- the stress and joys of life these days.

(6:20) The pandemic really slowed things down for him -- a moment to breathe and reflect. He got to see the areas of his business that really needed work. First, he focused on the back-end of his business by reaching out for help to experts. He realized by reaching out for help, he was also helping to support other local businesses and seeing his work as both an art and a service.

(8:40) His next pivot has been expanding his digital video skills and moving to being a one-stop-shop for content production.

(9:30) One thing he's realized is that having more time has enabled him to be more creative. He's really seeing the link between creativity, productivity and personal wellness as foundations of being a business owner. He's been seeing how big a barrier anxiety has been to growth in his life and by working on ways to get through his anxiety he's able to see new opportunities.

(11:35) Alistair's wellness practice? Developing a routine (for the first time ever!) He's also consciously taking time off and setting boundaries on his work hours. When the pandemic first hit he realized the power anxiety had over him and feeling it physically in his body.

(14:50) Alistair observed through the doortraits that as the reality of the pandemic really started to root-in he saw anxiety kind of ripple through the community as people had time in their life to experience their feelings.

(16:08) Alistair's musical taste have shifted during the pandemic. At first it was all heavy metal and now he's transitioning to a more nostalgic 50s/60s tunes that his parent's introduced him to. He's also playing his guitar a lot more now and finding creative expression through it.

(17:05) Alistair is finding any avenue possible for creative expression and just going with it. He's observed that pre-Covid he typically reached for external supports (like retail therapy) as coping mechanisms but because of Covid he's realized he can do a lot more on his own than he thought.

(18:30) Alistair's aha moment? Money isn't everything. He's always coped by spending money and now he's finding that he actually has more money in his bank account when he focuses on self-care. Focusing on physical health, being creative and pursuing self care are huge shifts in the way he's living his life now rather than the focusing on the hustle and making money.