Hwhup The Deans List? The Jason Dean here, and it’s time for another edition of the Sunday newsletter, or…ooh, this literally just came to me…The Weekender. Or I suppose I could go with the Weekendender…since it’s Sunday, and the weekend is ending. Weekenderer? Okay, so I’ll work on it. If you have any thoughts, feedback, or even suggestions- leave them in the comments below!
I had thought about spilling some more ink about my stepping away from Facebook, but instead I figured I’d sort of layout the template of what these newsletters are going to look like so you can determine whether you are super excited, SUPER excited, or SUPER EXCITED about being a member of The Deans List.
Before I do that though, I do want to have ‘The Talk’. No, not that ‘The Talk’. I want to The Talk about money, in particular as it pertains to my vision for The Deans List.
My goal is to being a full-time, self-sustaining artist. We are still a ways away from that being my reality, but I am ordering my current steps to walk down a path where that future becomes my present. My focus will be on selling physical products like framed prints or even books (yeah you read that right!), with The Deans List providing a connection point to the work that I do with the me that I am. As a part of working towards that goal, I am working on developing a paid subscription option for The Deans List.
Now before you head directly to the ‘dissubscribe’ button, let me be Frank. My Sunday newsletter (The Weekweekenderer?) and Waves are Wednesdays have be, are be, and always will be free. Part of my vision is to make great art accessible. Beauty does not solely belong to the elites after all.
It does cost money to make art though, and I envision paid subscriptions to The Deans List as allowing me to not only maintain the work that I’m currently doing, but to actually begin to expand my operation. For example, people who check out my website often ask about buying things directly from there. And that’s totally a thing that you can do…if you pay for the right SmugMug plan.
Please know that when this does happen, my focus is going to be on ensuring there is great value being provided at an affordable cost. I’m talking cheaper than a dozen eggs affordable, and I’m talking bonus newsletters and/or free prints of my photos value.
Obviously more to come on this (since I don’t really have anything substantive to report now). I bring it up now because I really do appreciate everyone that has followed my journey and supports what I do and I don’t want it to feel like a ‘bait and switch’ when I eventually start once again asking you for your financial support.
So what are these The Weekerends going to look like? I’m really going to lean into the ‘school’ tropes that a newsletter called The Deans List provides. The different topics will fall under the headings of school ‘subjects’. I’ll have different subjects each week; probably at least three, but maybe more depending on what’s happening in my life and/or the world in that given week. Obviously this is hecka dorky…which means its right up my alley!
The subjects:
Art: Okay, um, obviously that’s why we’re all here, right? Art is the subject where I’ll share new work and this subject will be a part of every newsletter. I’m thinking I’ll share two to three pieces at a time, and also share some thoughts and insights into the photos.
Creative Writing: Poetry, haiku. For someone who is planning to devote part of his newsletter to writing, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t really have anything else to say here.
These are both things I was doing pretty regularly on Facebook, so you might be wondering ‘why the heck is he doing a newsletter’? Well great question, glad you asked! I want to do some longer form writing about some different subjects, and I hate touch-screen typing. Here are a few more ideas I’m batting around in my headbrain:
History: Taking old photos and making new edits. Sounds pretty sweet, right? I’m also looking at doing these edits on live stream as a way to
make a filthy amount of moneyconnect with people who are interested in my creative process.Recess: In case you haven’t figured this out yet, I have a bit of a silly side to me. I like to laugh, goof around, and just generally engage in shenanigans. Recess will be a chance for me to do that.
Civics: From time to time, I will dip my toes into writing about current events/politics. Now, I know that politics is sort of divisive at the moment, but have no fear- I plan to write on politics through the lens of my Christian faith and now that I say that out loud, I realize that’s not likely to be any less divisive and actually might make it worse.
Field Trip: Field Trips will be updates on the various artist calls I’ve submitted to (to wonderful places like Sault Area Art Center or Hintology), as well as where you can find my work out in the wild.
Music: Music will be pretty diverse, and I’m really excited about it! I play drums at our church, so I’ll share some of my favorite songs recorded on the livestreams of our services. I am creating a playlist of my absolute favorite songs to listen to while I’m out creating that I am excited to share with you all! Lastly, I’m also toying with the idea of creating music of my own. It’s quite, QUITE ambitious, all of the nervewracking…and the kind of creative outlet that this newsletter has emboldened me to explore.
That’s a preview of what’s to come. I can’t wait to really get going on this project and to have you come along with me! If this seems like something you’d be mildly interested in, you can click the button below to subscribe.
See you around!
Jason
Check out thejasondean.com to see more of my work
