Béatrice Vu
@bea.ventures
Photographer based in Québec, Canada
I am half Vietnamese and half Thai and based in Quebec. Small trips to Asia to see my family while I grew up always made me feel like I was coming back to my roots. This also really fed my hunger for adventure and I had an increasing desire to discover more of the earth.
My grandfather was a photographer, he lived in Thailand and I got to spend three summers with all the family before he passed away. My mom always talked about how she would help him with photoshoots and told stories about their home studio and her experience in the red room. It was always a process I wanted to experience.
"Luckily, at my University, we still had an Argentique studio where I was able to create with this medium."
I had an interest in creativity, seeking new perspectives and capturing moments from a young age. I loved playing with cameras, painting, drawing and eventually, bought a Gopro to get started. I simply fell in love with it and had to find a way to save money for a real camera.
During my studies, I landed a 9-5 finance job, which I eventually quit to pursue my passion for art and photography because I felt trapped and unfulfilled. When I decided I couldn’t waste more time in a corporate job, I simply told myself to get a one-way ticket and see the options that were out there. While finishing my last months at the finance job, I was doing a lot of research on how to make money online and I felt overwhelmed because there were simply so many options that I couldn’t focus on. I didn’t know where to start and had a negative idea about social media (my account was private at that time). I first tried selling art online and getting a few small gigs as a brand ambassador, but these were not sustainable long term. The biggest challenge has been and still is to put me out there in a sea of creators where we are told to follow a trend to go Viral, which I feel does not resonate with me.
"I knew it was not going to be easy, but I was more determined than ever to make this happen for myself."
I quickly understood I needed to have active and passive income. This is why I did a bachelor’s in graphic design and specialized in branding and digital marketing. To me, this uncertainty was simply a push. I always told myself to keep going and not look back on my choices. Confidence has been a huge key to where I am today. Every time I reached a goal, I would create new ones for myself and enjoy my learning journey. Growth is never-ending. Also, to simply be my best version and not care about other people’s opinions, prioritize my time, and know when to decline a project or accept it, helped me achieve what I envisioned.
Design, marketing, slow travel, and sustainability are the core values of my brand Wild to Balance and, above all, represent the lifestyle I chose for myself. Because I slow travel and work remotely, I’m able to base myself in a place (new country) for a few months and adventure from there while working as a brand specialist and network marketer. Then, in my free time, I love to get involved in local communities, share my skills, volunteer, and participate in sustainable programs such as the upcoming one in Antarctica.
My vision of travel is to leave no trace. The fact that I do not move a lot since I’m based for a few months is a much more sustainable way of travel. For transportation, I usually walk or take public transport. Besides, I support locals when I purchase my products and activities/tours. Related to that, an adventure I will never forget was trekking in the mountains for five days, in Cordillera Blanca, Peru. I suffered from altitude sickness and on the second day, I asked the guys to leave me behind because I felt like I needed to rest and didn’t want to hold them back. I camped at a women’s hut where I met a Peruvian Shepard. These people fed me and taught me about plant medicine that helped me get back in shape in one day. I remember I had a yellowish tea with a light and slightly floral odor. They called it “Alamuna” or so – I am sure I am butchering the word, but it sounded like that. I also had coca leaves. Staying with them was truly special because I saw the kindness in people but also different realities and perspectives. I also learned about a way of living based on traditions that I found to be really impressive. For example, using guinea pigs as a way to detect dangers.
"I helped her son with English while watching his mom make food and it was simply a moment to be present."
Another trip that marked me was my first time in Kauai, Hawaii, where I dove back to my intuition. Something that I once forgot to trust. I was a backpacker, doing a work-trade at the hostel and going on solo hikes every other day. I dove back to my intuition by practicing meditation in nature. I would often find waterfalls and simply sit still in the water and meditate, visualize and go inner. This marks a switch in my core to live more sustainably, be a better consumer, and have a healthy lifestyle. Surrounded by health-conscious people, I learned a lot especially about the importance of hydration, which led me to invest in an ionizer machine to reduce plastic consumption and optimal hydration.
Also, with the internet that was so weak, I barely was on social media and focused on the people and moments that were in front of my eyes. It was so different from the society I grew up in, where everything is about performance and quick pace. Here, I found myself connecting to what I truly wanted in my life. I learned to simply be in the present and take deep breaths. And I took awareness that nothing is permanent and we have to enjoy every second we have here on Earth. It’s also the trip where I realized it is important to prioritize ourselves first.
Those lessons have brought me far; even if things were tough, I knew where to go mentally to find peace in the situation and deal with it. I always tell myself “Be a warrior, not a worrier”, this mantra always reminds me that whenever you think you have reached your maximum, you are only at 40% of what you can achieve. That you are capable of everything and all you need to focus on is positivity and confidence. It keeps me going in all situations.
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