Last fall, I received an email from a board member of the Port Austin Artist in Residence Foundation inviting me to apply for their program. She mentioned that she had recently had lunch with an old girlfriend of mine from Michigan State who had recommended me after enjoying my work on Facebook. And that's the story of how I got here. But before I go into my experience, here's a brief overview of AiR programs.

There are three general types of programs. The first and most difficult to obtain are ones that are by invitation only. Most of us mere mortals concentrate on the other two types. The second type is one where you receive accomodation and a studio in which to work but no monthly stipend is offered. This was my experience here in Port Austin. Lastly, the third and most popular type of AiR program is where you pay a reduced rate for accomodation and have access to a studio and often time can meet other artists during your stay.

The idea of an AiR program is to have an artist experience a new environment and use that to become inspired to create and do so with minimal disturbance from their normal routine. And that's pretty much what I have done. Furthermore, most serious AiR programs have both an artist exhibition and community engagement components involved. The program length can range for as little as one week and go as long as 2 months or more. Since I was coming all the way from Spain, I asked for and received a full month in residence.

What's a day in the life of an Artist in Residence? For example, yesterday I scouted locations for some Milky Way shots during the day and then went out at 6pm to take picture of Goldfinches in a sunflower field eating their dinner of insects. Then I taught my 4th Introduction to Photography workshop which was part of my community engagement here in Port Austin, Michigan. I shot sunset photos near a barn after the class and then went back to the barn in which we are living for a quick shower and dinner before heading out to 2 different locations for Milky Way images until about midnight. The next day, I woke up at 7am and got ready to head out on my third and final boat trip to the local landmark called Turnip Rock, which is only accessible via boat or kayak.

After standing in Lake Huron taking photos with a tripod while knee deep in the water, I returned home, ate breakfast and began downloading about 800 images. I needed to see if I was able to add any to the collection for my exhibition at the end of the week. Fortunately, I did find one amazing shot, added it, and then scoured each of the 22 images for technical imperfections. Soon thereafter, I emailed them to my photo lab in Bay City (a few minutes after deadline) where I will drive 75 minutes each way to retrieve them tomorrow.

There's no need to go into the daily play-by-play but an AiR experience is not unlike what my 7th grade gym teacher told me - you get out of it what you put into it. Some people come up and chill and do the bare minimum and others dive in deep and that all depends on the individual artist.

What have I learned during my residency? Personally, I learned that Guernsey's Black Cherry ice cream is now my undisputed favorite flavor. Professionally, I learned that you can be most productive if you carefully plan your shots which was something that I previously have not been very good at. To that end, I was went to Turnip Rock 3 times during my residency thanks to Cap'n Mike. The first was purely a scouting trip during which I took photos that I carefully evaluated to properly prepare for my second trip which didn't go so well due to the excess cloud cover. This wasn't all bad because it allowed me more time for study and preparation for the third trip. Never before I have been to a place three times to capture an image and must say that I'm very impressed by the results - lesson learned! Secondly, I learned how to plan a photo project which I have done only once before and not verywell. This time was much better and while in residence, I actually created two projects. The first entitled "Farm to Table - Wheat to Bread" visually narrates the journey of bread, showcasing the process and the people involved. Meanwhile, my "Beautiful Port Austin" exhibit highlights the local beauty of nature I've encountered during my stay.

Lastly, I have met some very genuine, considerate, friendly and helpful people during my time here. I must confess that my faith in humanity has been partially restored due to my interaction with the residents of this community. They have made me feel like a VIP in the most simple and sincere way possible. And that is likely the most important lesson learned from my first experience as an Artist in Residence. In the future, I am certain that I will look back on this experience fondly, remembering the people that were kind and helpful to me and those that I helped inspire in my workshops.

Once I have some time to breathe, I will add a section to my website - maxdobens.com - where you can view my AiR projects and my other informative and insightful blog posts.