Jeff Dolan | | Page 2

7 Attitudes To Lose Before You Can Lose Weight

By Jeff Dolan | Published: December 7, 2009

Photo: Marina.

The first thing we do when we decide to get in shape is to start running or working out hard. The harder and longer we work out, we reason, the more weight we will lose and bam! Case closed! Eventually, we either tire out and make up excuses for why we cannot keep up such a crazy routine, or we do that routine for months and months and get no where. Let’s take a closer look at the roadblocks holding us back.

Notice we must first decide to get in shape. This is critical. Deciding is thinking. Thinking begets doing. Doing begets results. Results are what we want. But without the proper thinking, without the proper way of thinking — attitude — we will not get the kind of results we want. Sure, we burn off some of the calories we ate that day but it’s what we tell ourselves later that sabotages any of those positive steps. See if you have any of the following attitudes toward getting in shape.

Posted in Health | 2 Comments

Health, Misinformation, and You

By Jeff Dolan | Published: December 2, 2009

Photo: lepiaf.geo.

I talk to people everyday who are concerned about their health. Maybe even worse. They are overweight, sick, and tired. And sick and tired of the misinformation that is out there in traditional western medicine and pop culture. For the last 3 years, I have been reading everything I can get my hands on about health, and the deeper I get, the more contradictory the information I find. It’s enough to make you dizzy, then very upset. After many of my friends and family saw my concern for those struggling to get in shape, or stay healthy in general, they encouraged me to write about it. Here is an excerpt from an email I received last year:

I was wondering if you had some time to give me some health and fitness pointers … I’m at a standstill in my work outs and weight loss and am so frustrated! I feel like I’m never going to get this weight off and it’s SO discouraging.

Talk about heart-wrenching! I have a heart for helping people achieve their best in life, and you certainly need a healthy body as step one. Sadly, health is easy in theory but rocket science in practice for most people. Just look around in public today. Millions strive to make more money, find their soul mate, rise in their careers, or get famous in bodies that simply hold them back.

Posted in Health | 4 Comments

We Charge Everything But Ourselves

By Jeff Dolan | Published: November 18, 2009

Photo: Toni Frissell.

Why do we tout the benefits of everyone else sleeping and then burn the midnight oil? Do you ever tell yourself after the fifth time you read the same line that you really need to get more sleep? Keep re-reading this. You’ll wake up in a second.

We charge our phones. We charge our batteries. We charge our credit cards. Soon, we will charge our cars, our houses, and our boats. Then we will re-charge them. After that, we may consider charging ourselves by getting the proper amount of sleep each night, but most likely we will cut corners and go to bed late and wake up early for work. On the rare occasion it’s a non-work day, something somewhere will decide to wake us up anyway — like the guy upstairs who went on vacation and left his alarm to beep into infinity on a Saturday morning — so sleep is a precious commodity we never seem to fully grasp.

Have you ever charged your cell phone half way, and then had to use it? And later, after doing that a few times, you realize the battery quickly dies on you after you just charged it up all the way? Our bodies are the same way. Cut corners and see if your body forgets and runs like normal. Your body remembers. And it usually gets what it wants, whether you are at work or right in the middle of listening to your special someone share something really really …

I consider sleep a foundational pillar of good health. If you have no time to sleep, you will have plenty of other problems to keep you busy while you are awake. How much sleep? My recommendation is anywhere from seven to eight hours, but in reality, it’s when you can wake up without an alarm clock for one week in a row. That’s when I know I am getting the proper amount of sleep. There are plenty of articles on the Web that list all the things you can do to sleep better. The main point is to make sleep a priority if you want to get in the best shape of your life.

Posted in Health | 3 Comments

Behind The Scenes With Fashion Photographer Brandon Oursler

By Jeff Dolan | Published: October 27, 2009

Every now and then you get the opportunity to step into another world and experience something new. When you get these opportunities, take them.

I recently got the opportunity to work with my friend Brandon Oursler on a photoshoot for Lauren Grissom, an aspiring young model and past Miss Tennessee. It was really fun. I was able to shoot some video, brush off my editing skills, and enjoy the art of fashion. We shot on location in Spring Hill, TN, and braved mosquitoes that rivaled the humming bird variety back home in coastal Carolina.

8 Video Tips For Your Next Shoot:

Storyboard the shots you definitely want and capture them sooner rather than later.
If you are interviewing anyone, know what questions you want to ask before the event.
The more footage you shoot, the more editing time you create.
Bring a tripod. The newer and smaller cameras are prone to hand shake.
Double check your bags for everything you will need before you leave. Repeat.
Always get permission from the location to shoot or risk being kicked out.
Relax. If you are not comfortable, your subjects will not feel comfortable.
Good audio can be your secret weapon.

Posted in Photography, Videography | Leave a comment

The Secret To Living the Greatest Adventure

By Jeff Dolan | Published: October 11, 2009

Photo: nattu.

It’s not often you get to rock out to Sweet Home Alabama (while substituting in Carolina, ahem) with 150 buddies on the edge of a lake in the middle of nowhere to learn about how to be a real man. Sure, there were guitars, guns, golf clubs, and great men, but we were there to hear James Ryle, one of the founding members of Promise Keepers and the kind of guy whose presence has spark to it. In other words, the Force is strong with this guy. If you were to meet him, you would know what I mean, and if you know anything about his message, you are most likely living your greatest adventure already.

I want to share some of the things he taught us, and keep in mind, he is addressing men only. While much of it can apply to women, his heart is for encouraging men to be uniquely men, an increasingly diluted definition in America today.

Posted in God | Leave a comment

How To Record Music Online

By Jeff Dolan | Published: October 2, 2009

I have friends I used to play music with who are now spread across the country. We want to record some music. In the past, that meant jumping through a whole lot of logistical hoops. Not anymore. With the explosion of technology and innovation during these exciting days we find ourselves in, we now have Bojam. Many more sites like it are sure to follow. We can now record in a virtual studio at different times anywhere in the world. Click on the logo to watch a demonstration on their homepage. Register as a beta user and tell all your friends. This is a huge opportunity for musicians and songwriters who might otherwise not be able to collaborate or write together.

Posted in Music | 2 Comments

How Does The Internet See You?

By Jeff Dolan | Published: August 23, 2009

MIT Personas Art.

How others see us determines much of how they treat us, interact with us, and engage us. And while we can’t always control what they see, we certainly should be aware of it and make sure it is in line with who we are or what we hope to be. Or for posers, what we are not but want people to think. Sight is usually the first sense that starts collecting information about someone, however right or wrong it may be. I have often wondered what images pop into my friends’ heads when they think of me. I am constantly surprised when I ask them what they see because it usually maximizes one small part of me and minimizes others.

The Personas art project by Aaron Zinman, currently on display at the MIT Museum, shows how the Internet sees us in an artistic although mischaracterized way. The image above represents how the Internet sees the name jeff dolan. Of course, it is aggregating all the Jeff Dolan’s in the world, including my new online friend of the same name in Ireland who is strangely similar in artistic bent. The yellow bar is sports. We must have some ballers in the family. Other large areas include management, social, legal, and online, none of which are words I particularly would want to represent me.

I definitely need to work on increasing the art, design, music, and media categories, which are barely represented at all. Maybe even religion if it meant that somehow when Christianity becomes a hate crime in America, I get thrown in jail or worse for loving Jesus Christ. If you just laughed, it’s already happening in other countries. But that’s another topic altogether.

People seeing us as something or remembering us for certain qualities or characteristics is one thing — they forget, forgive or can change their mind. The Internet is another thing. The Internet remembers everything and is hungry for information. It’s an unslakeable beast that never stops collecting, aggregating, linking, tagging, compiling, and archiving. This blog post will forever live in history no matter how many people read it. And I’ve thought long and hard about the balance of sharing anything online versus helping people think deeper about their dreams, lives, and purpose. I believe you reading this has a purpose that far outweighs how these words affect how I am seen online or off.

In what ways do you live your life that you believe are worth living out loud for people to see, experience, and remember about you? Is what you think they are seeing accurate with what they truly see? As this piece of art shows above from the Personas exhibit, I have some work to do. But don’t we all.

Posted in Art, God | 3 Comments

Help-Portrait Logo Design

By Jeff Dolan | Published: August 13, 2009

Logo Design Submission for Help-Portrait.

When one of my favorite photographers, Jeremy Cowart, made a call for a logo for his new project, Help-Portrait, I knew I was in. Add to that a bunch of passionate local talent doing a good thing for the poor, and it just got better and better.

Help-Portrait intends to match photographers with needy families over the holidays to give them family portraits they would not otherwise be able to afford. I am a big proponent of using one’s talents to encourage and love people, so I was excited to see the great response Jeremy received when he asked the local scene to pitch in with their different talents.

I submitted the above logo, and I hope it speaks for itself. It was definitely a phase two logo, once I got the junk out on my first attempt. The shutter inside the heart shape represents the love these photographers are showing to their neighbors while the portrait is what they are giving. The hand-written font represents the organic nature of community and volunteerism with a personal touch. I found this logo project much harder than I normally run across, due to the nature of what I had to represent in one iconic image — helping the poor by giving them a free family portrait. Not an easy concept to communicate without some explaining.

I was impressed with all the submissions. Matt Lehman’s logo was ultimately chosen, for his concept of an open hand holding what looks like a Leica, a classic camera body and probably the simplest to use in a logo. I love the lines Matt used. Very tight, clean and simple.

Now, all the designers (and other similar creatives) out there know where this conversation leads next — spec work. The ugly kind of free work that supposedly ruins careers and puts people out of work. For example, Company X puts out a bid for a logo on “spec.” Several designers compete and spend hours designing for it, with only one getting paid for their work. The debate is intense over this. On one hand, Company X gets a lot of free work and ideas, it begins to see quality design as cheap, and in a way, it disrespects the artists. On the other hand, designers are given an opportunity for exposure, the best ideas surface, and it’s crowd sourcing at its best. Professionals argue that they don’t need the exposure, they have better things to do than work for free, and the more companies rely on this type of work, the less money is out there for them to make a living, especially if they begin to spend a large portion of their time doing work that has no guarantee of payment.

Of course, I did take all this into consideration before deciding to design a logo for Help-Portrait, and I felt that this project has three distinctions that set it apart:

There is no money in the equation at all.
It is for a worthy cause.
I chose to give my time.

I wish the best to Jeremy and everyone involved. I fully intend to help some portraits very soon.

Posted in Design | Leave a comment

Music Creation Workflow

By Jeff Dolan | Published: July 12, 2009

Photo: Ben Cumming.

I have been encouraging several artists starting new projects, and the accepted workflow and landscape has changed so much, it’s forcing them to sit down and truly think about what they have to say, who they need to say it to, and why. Sinking into oblivion is all too easy with tired shotgun approaches to no one in particular with some vague idea about stardom one day. Questions about what to measure, what success means, and where to focus limited resources become crucial. As they wade into writing, recording and releasing their new material, they almost have to bring as much talent to their marketing plans as they do to their music. With the abundance of music at our fingertips, fans are more discerning than ever, and artists cannot keep using the old models if they expect to thrive.

The good news is that innovative companies create and test new models every day. While focusing on your art, you must keep your eyes open. Or make sure someone on your team does. Take for instance, my current favorite called Sponsored Songs by ReverbNation and Microsoft. Artists can sell ads along side their digitally downloaded album covers and give the songs away for free. Advertisers pay the artists now instead of the fans. Head smack brilliant!

Even though the major record labels are holding onto whatever they can of the past, many new artists are realizing that they do need the business help labels traditionally offered them. Just because the Internet levels the playing field doesn’t mean an independent artist can play fast or smart enough to sustain. Between social and mobile media, video, globalization, and upcoming technology not even on the radar yet like Read More »

Posted in Music | Leave a comment

Creativity as a Cure

By Jeff Dolan | Published: July 3, 2009

Video: Michael Masnick at Midem '09.

If you are an artist who feels stuck in your art and not sure what direction to head, you are not alone. What I have found though is that you are only limited by your own creativity. I personally have been in a rut artistically, especially in this transitional time in the creative industries and greater economy. I feel like there is so much opportunity, so many tools, and so much freedom, that I am paralyzed. I feel like a painter given a huge white canvas and told to paint anything. Outside distractions easily keep me from using my creativity to find ways around my perceived limitations. The good news is that there are ways to break out!

Are you a musician? Take notes on how Trent Reznor builds his business. Are you a photographer? Take notes on how Chase Jarvis builds his business. Are you a cartoonist? Take notes on how Hugh MacLeod builds his business. The list goes on and on. These men are thriving in the arts during a time when others are hanging it up and throwing in the towel. The difference? Simple creativity.

Creativity costs nothing. Except maybe brain power. Stop. Think. Write down your crazy, impossible, wacky, fun ideas. Don’t limit yourself. Make a list. Then only share it with others you know can think bigger than these ideas. You may not know these people. I know here in Nashville, they are plentiful. If you do not know any big thinkers, you are smart to keep this list to yourself. Pick one idea that you like most, and then figure out ways to pull it off for free. You may need volunteers. You may need to recruit students needing class credit. You may need to borrow gear. You may need to exchange something you have of value for something you need. You may need to politely ask someone for something. Do it!

Posted in Music, Photography | Leave a comment