Michael Donovan Was Here…

Hey everyone! I’m heading to Chicago later this month and San Diego/LA early August. I’ll be visiting some friends and doing some work. There’s also a good chance I may be in Vegas to visit an old High School buddy who just started his business there. Email me if you’ll be in the area(s)!

info@michaeldonovanphotography.com

168 Hours: You Have More Time Than you Think<
by Laura Vanderkam

Fashion
by Christopher Breward

Luxury Brand Management: A World of Privilege
by Michael Chevalier & Gérard Mazzalovo

I’m currently reading these three books in my spare time while learning French. 168 Hours has already opened up a ton of time for me and I will start doing more to enrich my life and business!

Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It)
by William Poundstone

I was cleaning my hard drives when I found this shot I took while I was riding my cruiser in Chicago… it made me smile

Lately I started to use the necker cube to retrain my brain. Basically, anytime there is a problem, obstacle or frustration I look at the cube and think “OK, if my goal is in the center of the cube and I can’t get in, what is the better way to look at the obstacle that will allow me to get in to that cube to what I want?”

It’s basically a visual on how to tear down walls. I hope it helps you too.

Today is my one year anniversary in New York! It’s a birthday!!!

Rewind a year ago and here’s the picture:
• I hadn’t shot anyone in almost a year
• I didn’t know more than 1 or 2 people in New York
• I hadn’t been published in almost a year
• I could only get male modeling agencies to return my phone calls and and only one actually sent me models (I didn’t start shooting the girls until July)
• I was mega fat
• It was a challenge to find people who cared about my work
• My client list from Chicago was pretty much depleted, leaving me without clients

Fast forward to today:
• I’m shooting for magazines in the US and China
• I have an amazing team of hair, makeup, and wardrobe stylists stretched around the globe
• I have a great group of progressive friends
• I am working with the best agencies in the city
• I have a growing stable of art buyers in New York and the West Coast
• I’m shooting more of what I want, how I want, when I want
• I’ve trimmed down considerably
• I get calls all the time asking about my work; people call me to ask if they can work with me, for me, or to hire me!
• I have a growing client list

This last year has been great. I’ve learned a lot about myself, people, art, fashion and the world. I have some ambitious goals on my plate and I plan on completing every one of them!

Thanks to everyone who has offered support over the past 12 months.

I’ve been flying under the radar for the most part of my life so if you google my name you usually see that creepy Australian kidnapper or the Michael Donovan from the original “V” TV show instead of me. I usually hear people say “I googled you and thought you were that other guy I saw on google! Thank god you’re normal!!!”

Here’s a photo of Kayla and me at the whitewall party:

photo by Steve Benisty

Note to self: stand up straight when people take pictures of you… no matter how short everyone else is around you

I was introducing a friend to Osho when I found this video I hadn’t seen yet. I totally loved it- for some reason it made me think of my parents and I’m positive they’ve seen me as both the frog and the centipede at different times. Enjoy!

During some research earlier today I noticed how similar the work of a friend looked to the work of a photographer who was popular 40 years ago. Let me take that back- it didn’t just look similar- it looked 90% identical. My friends work quickly lost a lot of value in my eyes- that is like tracing a Picasso and saying “Now I’m an artist!”

I had a conversation with another friend/photographer tonight who was concerned that his work was not good enough. It’s normal for an artist to express some concerns about their work with close friends from time to time when they start but I realized this friend spends a lot of time talking about what others are doing and trying to figure out how to get his work to line up with theirs more so people will like it better. And he doesn’t do that to take artistic license and create editorial style- he does it because he thinks that is the way to become good and respected. That’s like saying “Maybe if I get a tan and put on a suit I’ll be President like Obama!”

Here is the thing: leadership cannot be taught. You may get inspired by past leaders but true leaders are simply alpha individuals. They pick a direction and decide “I’m going this way.” They don’t need a lot of reassurance. Not everyone will follow them to the new place but people will come running as soon as they hear about the riches in the new land. Leaders move out of a general interest to do have things there way.

Also- leaders don’t spend a ton of time doing a bunch of homages of the same previous artist. You like Quentin Tarantino? Cool- throw in some references here or there but don’t try to cram as much or Pulp Fiction in to every film you do. You like Madonna? Cool- sample some of her music in a song but don’t start covering all her songs unless you want to be known as a cover artist. You like Irving Penn? Awesome- consider how he shoots but shoot your own content.

The fact is: if you want to conform: you’ll fail. If you want to do evil: you’ll fail. If you copy: you’ll fail. If you’re worried about what is trendy: you’ll be left behind and never create a trend in your life. Being original, doing good and going against the grain does not guarantee success but at least you will die knowing you lived life for yourself.

You may not be a leader- you my be a follower. That’s fine. just make sure you’re following the right people with a good cause. Otherwise you’re going to be fighting a losing battle.

And if you’re a leader: act like one. Leaders are great people and I suggest everyone take on leadership roles more often.

I just rode my bike 24 miles. It’s not incredibly far but it it’s a decent distance considering I am just getting back on the bike.

I’m working on getting to the 50 mile mark, then the 100 mile marker followed by a road trip to and from Philly by mid summer which will take me about 9 hours each way.

I never understood those people who would ride their bikes or jog long distances but now I’m starting to understand the idea much more. Suddenly the 24 hour ride to Boston looks more interesting. And the idea of hiking through the Appalachians seems much more realistic. It’s funny- I finally decided to call a place home and now I am still trying to get away.

My parents decided to buy me a bike for the spring. Of all the bikes, I chose to get a 1970′s Viscount.

I picked it up yesterday and spent most of the afternoon riding around Manhattan- going to parts of the city I had NO idea existed. It’s the best!

People get too freaky about first impressions because they want their first to be the best. That’s stupid. Do you REALLY remember your first impression? It was your mom peeing on a stick – her reaction was probably “Ah shit! I’m pregnant! Now my life is ruined! Bah!”

Another first impression: your first physical appearance. Remember how that went? You kicked your mom from inside the womb and she got excited! She started showing everyone “Hey- this little asshat is kicking me! Awesome, right?!” Screw handshakes… I’m going to start kicking people in the nuts and punching them in the tit.

And finally: your first appearance to the outside world: it was childbirth. I don’t even have to go to THAT incident. You’re creating a huge mess, you’re screaming and crying, and you’re trying to tear out your mom’s guts with a rope you attached to your belly while you were eating all her food for the past 9 months. Yep- you definitely made a great first impression there! Imagine an adult walking in to a restaurant with that kind of stage presence…

Needless to say- the world opened its doors to you despite having some terrible ways of presenting yourself. So if you are worried about making a bad first impression: you’re clearly an idiot. Just get your stuff done and stop worrying what others think.

I’ve learned that setting high expectations can scare some people. It doesn’t scare everyone, just people with lowered expectations. Most people have low expectations, so I can be intimidating sometimes. I’m working on raising my expectations higher- it is the only way to produce truly amazing work.

I had a dream about a friend I haven’t talked with in months. I’m wondering how she’s doing and if we’ll get a chance to see each other in December- I’m hoping so.

There are two types of people:
• Those who are molded
• Those who set molds
Mold Makers will always change the world and will always have the flexibility to make new molds as the environment requires. The molded will always have a place for a little while until they grow tired or until they’re useless to society- whichever comes first.

Not everyone should set molds- it is a lot of work, patience and requires a lot of effort. Mold-making can be lonely, back-breaking and usually requires little sweat & tears mixed with elbow grease. Decide early which you want to become because, once you decide, it will be hard to crack the molds that surround you.