Omaha has a great community of artists and designers – especially for a city this size – and today presented me the opportunity to view a few studios within blocks of my house. Besides the amazing work I saw at the houses, at the last stop someone asked who I was. When he heard me answer ‘Donovan’, he said he’d never met a Donovan before. Since he also had an uncommon first name, he spoke of hating it when he was a kid, but has grown to love it. I told him I had the same experience – that I always went by Don to try to fit in when I was younger – but finally figured out I was who I was. That was Donovan. I told him I got the name because my mom didn’t want me to be Donald Newton Beery the Third.
And on the way home, this conversation reminded my of my first job. A job I talked briefly of years ago, but forgot to talk about the first decent size project I ever got there.