Don’t Grow Up, Dress Up is a photo series about a woman stuck in a rut of routine who dreams of a little fun.
Who wants to be a grown-up? Nobody, I tell you. Why has it become accepted thinking that taking on a career, family, or other responsibilities means it’s time to dismiss childish things? Playing and being an adult are not mutually exclusive.
“Living in the meaningless void of day-to-day business,” author Charles Willeford.
Sometimes adults get stuck in a rut, going about their daily routine of completing tasks and meeting deadlines, and forget to play. They forget to dream, to fantasize. The woman in this story dares to take a chance. Living your dream is scary. It’s easier not to do it. No one will criticize you for not doing something only you knew you wanted. She takes a risk, puts on the outfit, breaks free from her doldrums, and feels alive again.
He seems to be always drawn to the same kind of story: one with a huge obstacle between reality and reaching one’s dreams. Stories where lifelong conditioning suggests that what others want from you is more important than what you want. Where living up to others’ expectations clashes with the desire to live the life you want and to be the person you’re meant to be. From the outside, these are stories about normal people with normal lives who are desperate for change. Stories where the main character’s struggle to break free from mental constraints feels like a matter of life or death.
A part of his interest in stories like this, where people struggle to live on their own terms, may come from growing up in the Midwest of the United States. More often than not, expressing oneself is considered either “opinionated,” boastful, or being a “ham.” In the Midwest, the only acceptable form of expression is humor, and it is usually at the subject’s expense. Criticism is a favorite pastime. Dreams get crushed there.
When he saw the giant white wig headpiece, the sequined dress, satin gloves, and jewelry in a quirky costume and vintage shop, a story immediately emerged. He identified with the woman who would wear this. It was a dream, a chance to dare.
What was fun for him about this shoot was the fact that the theme developed entirely from the wardrobe. He had no preconceived idea or concept in mind prior to discovering the look.
His usual way of working is to come up with a concept or theme and then find the elements to execute it—the actor or model, wardrobe, location, props, etc. But this was a new approach: finding the wardrobe first and creating a story and theme around it.
About Greg McDonald
Greg McDonald began his career as an actor before moving behind the camera, where he discovered that creating the work was more fulfilling than performing in it. For him, photography is an extension of filmmaking, another avenue for storytelling. Telling stories is his primary way of communicating and connecting with the world. His aim is to construct narratives through character, composition, environment, and color, integrating all these elements to shape a story within a single image.
Greg is a writer, director, and photographer based in Los Angeles. His filmmaking style is visual, comedic, character-based, and satirical. His influences include the Coen Brothers, Yorgos Lanthimos, Alexander Payne, Paul Thomas Anderson, Federico Fellini, and Pedro Almodóvar. His films have been screened at numerous film festivals worldwide. His awards include Audience Choice Award, Best Comedy Film, and the Cult Award from TLA Releasing, along with nominations for Best Creative Direction and Best Narration. His work has also been broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK and featured on Fangoria and Entertainment Tonight’s website.
His still photography has been exhibited in numerous U.S. and international galleries and award competitions. A partial list includes Chania International Photography Festival (Greece), The Lab on Santa Fe (Denver), Praxis Photo Arts Center (Minneapolis), PH21 Photography Gallery (Barcelona), Art Bias (San Carlos, California), Los Angeles Photography Awards, Glasgow Gallery of Photography, The Artists Gallery (TAG) Los Angeles, Blank Wall Gallery (Athens), London Photography Awards, Fine Art Photography Awards, Muse Photography Awards, Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Irvine Fine Arts Center, Covet Art Gallery (Oceanside, California), and ViewPoint Gallery (Nova Scotia).
His work has been published in various art publications, including Art Magazine issue #3, Novum Artis Magazine issue #008, Portrait 2025 hardcover, and Color Awards 2024 hardcover by Dodho Magazine, among others. In advertising, Greg has photographed full-page ads featured in fashion magazines such as LA Confidential and Zink. [Official Website]
