With terms like "burn out" and "the great resignation" being a common theme in today's corporate culture, we were inspired to start a series called Out of Office, where we connect with friends and community members and ask them:

"What does a day off look like for you?"

In this week's instalment, we connected with Ryan Voigt. 

Your Name & Pronouns:

Ryan Voigt, He/Him

Before we dive into the fun stuff, what do you do for work?

I’m a brewer by profession, I look after everything that goes into making beer.

During an average week, how do you spend your time off?

I work earlier days during the week with the evenings and weekends off. I try my best to prioritize a balance of creative time and downtime. If the weather is cooperative, I’m out making images around the city, or in a park having a bite to eat with friends. I’m a huge cooking nerd as well, so I’m often shopping for ingredients and trying new recipes, especially on a rainy night.

On the weekends I make time for at least one slow lazy morning with my partner Andrea with absolutely no agenda. This time is often the most valuable I have all week, and makes for a wonderful start to the weekend. If I’m not doing a planned photoshoot the rest fo the weekend is usually pretty low key. We’ll often host friends for dinner, or get to a patio somewhere, and in the summer we’re always on the beach with a snack.

What does work/life balance mean to you and how do you try to integrate this into your day-to-day schedule?

For me work-life balance is about fostering the parts of your life outside of your job that fill you up and give you purpose. This can be creative, active, social or any combination of. I feel we all know what really makes us feel fulfilled, yet sometimes it’s hard to prioritize these things with the busy professional lives we lead. Consciously making space for this time is how I personally find balance.

How has this changed in the last few years?

I feel as people we all gained perspective on the things that matter to us and give us purpose, and perhaps also some parts of our life we need to re-evaluate. In the past I’ve thrown myself into my work, often at the cost of my social life and other interests. In the past two years I found that creative downtime, separate from work, became a hugely important part of my mental health routine. It helps me stay grounded, gives me perspective and allows me some space to breathe mentally.

Anything in your health or general wellness routine that you could never give up?

One big thing for me recently is limiting screen time. It’s been instrumental in helping maintain my mental well being. We’re all so attached to our devices, and a lot of our lives do unfortunately revolve around them. Taking a break from them when I can, and being mindful of how I spend time on screens has allowed me to connect with both myself and the people close to me in a more meaningful way.

It's been a long week. List your go-to for:

Recreation —> I was never one to workout much at home, but throughout the pandemic I’ve really enjoyed short frequent workouts in my living room. I don’t miss the gym at all, and there’s never an excuse to not make 20 minutes of time.

Relaxation —> Recently I’ve become obsessed with these Japanese incense matches called Hibi, and light one at home any chance I get. It instantly helps me relax into an evening.

Reward —> A weekend tradition has been getting pizza from Thank You Pizza. My good friends Lee and Devon make magic happen with that pizza and we’re always there at the end of the week.

Lastly, what’s one piece of advice you have for anyone trying to better integrate balance into their everyday schedule?

I need to take my own advice here often: it’s a process, and there will always be times when the balance is off one way or the other. That's ok.

Ryan's film photo's from our walk: