Mobile Photography & Art – ‘Intimate Interview’ with Lou Ann Sanford Donahue from Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
We have decided to launch a new intimate style of interview into TheAppWhisperer – the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website. We feel it is important that our community feel close to each other, as it is this support that helps us to nurture one another, gain confidence and continue to grow.
This is our twenty second interview, to read the others, please go here. Today, we are publishing this deeply rewarding to read and view interview with Lou Ann Sanford Donahue from Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
All images ©Lou Ann Sanford Donahue
What was your childhood or earliest ambition?
To be a school teacher.
First Recognition
Being published in the creative writing magazine for poetry in high school.
First Job
Working in a fast food restaurant at 16. It was a fun job as many friends worked with me and friends from high school were always dropping by. Not much work got done.
Private or State school?
State (public) school.
University or Work?
Three years at university and then working 50 years in the medical field.
Who was or is still is your mentor?
So many. The encouragement and inspiration that I have experienced since joining the digital art world is extraordinary.
How physically fit are you?
Since retirement I have been striving to be more physically fit.
Ambition or talent: What matters more to success?
I believe there must be a combination of the two to succeed. There must also be passion mixed in. Without the passion there is no real personal success.
How politically committed are you?
In the current political environment in the US I am not committed as much as disappointed in how we got to this point.
What would you like to own that you don’t currently possess?
More stamps on my passport. My goal is to travel more.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
My computers, iPad, art/digital supplies and camera.
In what places are you happiest?
My home. I downsized five years ago and now live in a small apartment that makes me so happy. I have everything I need and love in it.
What ambitions do you still have?
To eventually have a gallery show and to continue to grow through my art.
What drives you on?
Knowing that every morning I get up and am so excited about my art. The fact that there is still so much to learn keeps me going every day.
What is the greatest achievement of your life so far?
Most definitely my children and grandchildren. My daughter and son make me so proud of the people they have become. They are both exceptional parents and have given me the greatest gift of four grandchildren.
What do you find most irritating in other people?
Lack of self confidence and dishonesty.
If your 20 year old self could see you now, what would she think?
She would say thank goodness you finally found yourself even if it took so many years. She would be so proud of me!
Which object that you’ve lost do you wish you still had?
My mom’s emerald ring that was lost after she passed away.
What is the greatest challenge of our time?
Lack of respect for our world and the people in it.
Do you believe in an afterlife?
Until just the past few years this wasn’t something I really thought about. As I have grown older and lost loved ones I am hoping that there is an afterlife. Not so much that I want to see those lost – more that I hope they are having a great time in heaven with their family and friends!
If you had to rate your satisfaction with your life so far, out of 10, what would you score?
My life has had many ups and downs over the years, but if I were to rate it now I would definitely give it a strong 9 – leaving room for more amazing adventures!
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TheAppWhisperer has always had a dual mission: to promote the most talented mobile artists of the day and to support ambitious, inquisitive viewers the world over. As the years passTheAppWhisperer has gained readers and viewers and found new venues for that exchange. All this work thrives with the support of our community.
Please consider making a donation to TheAppWhisperer as this New Year commences because your support helps protect our independence and it means we can keep delivering the promotion of mobile artists that’s open for everyone around the world. Every contribution, however big or small, is so valuable for our future.
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
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