allowed them to purchase a digital camera—the object that ended up turning their lives around and creat- ing their business, Monica and Mi- chael Sweet. “At the same time, we got Photoshop and Mike was obsessed with it,” says Monica. “I told him he was wasting so much time on it. We didn’t know we would end up making a really good living as photographers.” Now the Sweets run a successful business elling photographs of their island and the world below its waters through local galleries. They also sell calendars through publish- ers, and their photographs appear With two daughters and a business to run, the Nichols learned to turn down some work in order to find balance.
PHOTOS COur TESy MONICA AND MICHAEL
on postcards. But it wasn’t easy.
“The galleries told us at the begin-
ning that photography doesn’t
sell,” Monica says. “I had to be
very persistent. I had to convince
them that photography sells too
and not only painting.” Life has
changed again for the Sweets in
the past 18 months, since the birth
of their son, Kai, but they still man-
age a great balance of home and
work life. “We are very disciplined
and work regular hours, Monday
to Friday,” she says. “It took years
of practice and at the beginning,
we couldn’t afford not to work all
the time.” Monica says that she
works a lot less these days. “It is a
good thing because I was working
too much and didn’t delegate,”
she says. “During my pregnancy
everything started to unfold, and
I started giving more responsibil-
ity to my assistant.” It is a chal-
lenge to keep work and home life
completely separate, and often the
Sweets find themselves talking
work when they’re not working.
“But it’s our passion. We adore
what we do and we really like our
lifestyle. Everything we like to do
is work in some way,” she says.
On occasion, work is also ac-
complished during their free time.
The couple enjoys snorkeling, for
example, so they might head out
early in the morning for some fun,
but shoot some photographs at
the same time. Monica is con-
scious of the need to step away
from school during the week, which
I really enjoy.” But perhaps most
importantly, for the sanity and hap-
piness of the family, the Nichols’
schedule time to not work—and
that’s every Sunday. “That was a
lifesaver, and that’s helped me find
the balance between work and fam-
ily,” Jennifer says. “That has been
one of the best decisions we’ve
made and helps us get plenty of
quality time in with our girls.” Mak-
ing time for family was a lesson that
took a while to learn, says Jennifer,
adding that it’s easy to overextend
yourself, especially when you’re
starting out. But once the couple
realized they didn’t have to accept
every job that came their way,
things became easier. There are
pluses and minuses to working with
your spouse. “Arguments happen,
even to the most happily married of
couples, but it’s fairly easy to forget
a fight when you work together,”
she says. “As soon as we get to
the wedding, we put a face on
and forget it. It keeps the forward
momentum. Weddings are fun
occasions, and it’s hard to be angry
when you’re watching a ceremony
and seeing these people in love. It
also makes me very thankful for CJ
and what we have.” Also on the
positive side, knowing each other
as well as they do helps them work
together smoothly. “Over the years,
we’ve found how we’re each able
to contribute and what aspects of
our job we enjoy,” Jennifer says.
“Because of that, we’ve become a
really efficient team at work and at
home with our kids.” But it’s been a
process, she adds, “a gradual evolu-
tion of what our roles have become
in our business and at home.”
THE CAMERA THAT
CHANGED IT ALL
It was love at first sight for Monica
and Michael Sweet when they met
17 years ago in San Francisco and
married after a month of dating.
Three years into their marriage
they moved to Maui, HI, and strug-
gled to make a living. Short of cash,
they applied for a credit card which
from both her work and her family
life, though. “I sometimes take an
hour for myself, because I need it
to be well-balanced. It’s something
I’ve recently started to do, and it’s
easy to forget about that,” she
says. “Sometimes I read a book,
Hawaii-based Monica and Michael Sweet
and their son Kai. The Sweets’s business
has grown due to their hard work and
persistence.
