Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean O’Donnell.
Sean, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Everything for me can be traced back to saving up all summer when I was 14(2009) for my first camera. I started studying and taking pictures of everything while eventually posting them to Tumblr where I amassed a few hundred thousand followers. Once Instagram came out, my following started to slowly trickle over there and I’ve been working in the social media space for over a decade now. The journey of how I got to where I am today certainly wasn’t simple and I don’t want to bore you with the details. I’ll say that the most underlying theme has been not allowing anyone to dictate my life but me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, I wouldn’t say it was smooth, but I have remained cognizant of how life can always be worse and to be thankful even for the struggles I have. Setting off on your own and rejecting the normal route is always scary and with it comes a lot of uncertainty. I’ve had my moments of homelessness and sleeping in my car, waking up with $8.82 cents and not knowing how you’re going to feed yourself in a day or two. Not the greatest moments in my life but ones that certainly shaped me into who I am with the appreciation I have now.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I run a couple of companies back on the east coast but most notably people know me from social media and my most recent business venture called Artistic Fuel, a website/app that is built for the connection and support of artists in all mediums. Over the last decade, I’ve been in the unique position to bring people together that would otherwise never meet. Creating a safe and supportive place for people to come together and meet has easily been the thing I’m most proud of. Something that I feel sets me apart from others and especially in recent years, is my detachment from others in social media. It’s a large part of my life because of my following and the work I put into it but I don’t let it consume my life. I rarely look at my phone outside of work things.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I played on the number one soccer team in the country when I was in high school. I don’t really talk about my past much because I don’t like to toot my own horn but it’s something I’m proud of and worked hard for.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artisticfuel.com/
- Instagram: instagram.com/theseanodonnell
- Twitter: twitter.com/theseanodonnell
- Youtube: youtube.com/seanodonnell34
Image Credits
I took all the photos besides the Billboard Music Awards photo
