We’re looking forward to introducing you to Danielle Spires. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Danielle, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
My days are filled with cats, top to bottom. In addition to my pet portrait studio, I have also started a hyper local pet sitting company, just for Los Feliz, that specializes in senior cats and cats with medical issues. So my day starts with taking care of my own cats, then rushing off for my first cat clients of the day, usually at 7am. I always fit in a lagree pilates class before afternoon pet care, then work in my photo studio or retouch in my office until evening pet sitting. My days are fairly busy, but so fulfilling because I love working with pets. All of my pet sitting and pet portrait clients love their pets more than anything, so I feel good knowing they trust me with their best friends.
My evenings are spent working, relaxing or walking, and always spending time with my own rescue cats. In between all this, I always make time for art. I’ve been making ambient videos of my cats in hand built sets for YouTube, just for fun. If I don’t balance art with work, I think I’d go crazy.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Danielle, and I’m a highly stylized and unique pet portrait photographer in Los Angeles. I have a studio in Los Feliz, which is also my neighborhood where I started a pet sitting business. I’ve always believe something that makes my portraits unique is that I love a personal touch. I want people to feel the emotions my clients have for their pets through photos, but push stylistic ideas or dark humor to their boundaries.
My current personal project is a YouTube channel called ClawClubTV. I created it for myself, as an artistic outlet mostly. But what I wanted to do was fill a very specific niche. I love having TV or Youtube videos on in the background while I work or hang in the house, but I loathed the enormous amount of AI animation/music that has taken over the ambient video space. So I decided to create my own, with handbuilt sets made in my house, just for my cats. I film them in these sets hanging out, and add licensed music or asmr sounds for major chill factor. You can watch cats hang out in a boat, fishing in an ocean with calming wave sounds, or cats chillin in a strip club listening to a trip hop mix. I want to bring analog back! Shoot it IN CAMERA!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My dad, a cat-loving scientist, gave me a never ending work ethic and ability to persevere no matter what. He also taught me that no matter what, we ALWAYS take care of our pets and family.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Dealing with health issues my whole life, living in hospitals for months at a time gave me a unique view on suffering. Almost a nihilistic and absurdist view! There is no rhyme or reason for anything, chaos theory prevails. We can’t control bad things happening to us, but we can reframe our resilience not to be a martyr or victim, but to let the wounds heal and change trajectories. Sometimes life sucks for a long time, but change WILL happen. Find comfort in the small things: ice cream sandwiches and petting cats. Get through it, fix what you can, learn from experiences, change paths.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I’m all dark sardonic humor, ready to make a joke in the most morbid of times, just like my public persona. If we’re not laughing, we’re crying.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
INVESTING! Everyone, especially women, need to invest. Take care of yourself, insure your future, put on your own oxygen mask before you put on anyone else’s.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.daniellespires.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/@catpartypetportraits
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daniellespiresphotography/
- Youtube: https://YouTube.oia.bio/ClawClub
- Other: https://www.losfelizpetsitter.com
Image Credits
Danielle Spires
