Hwhup The Deans List? The Jason Dean here, bringing an end to the weekend like an asteroid landed on your Mesozoic Era Eve party.
Anyways. Let’s get into it.
Black Friday/Small Business Saturday
Thanksgiving is that wonderful time of year where, under the premise of thankfulness, we gather together to indulge in as many of the seven deadly sins as is humanly possible. Seriously, is there any other major holiday that has so much sin baked in?
On that note, everything on my website will be 25% off on Friday and Saturday. So if you’re looking for quality, human-made art while also wanting to support a brand new business from a Social Worker-turned-artist who graduated from Bullock Creek High School in the late 1990s and has two adult children, you are in luck.
In anticipation of that sale, I’m pleased to announce that two new pieces have been added for your purchasing pleasure:
This piece, affectionately called ‘Lazy Wavy’, was taken back in August of 2023. It’s a 1/25 second exposure of a wave crashing on the Black Rocks. I love the texture of the lines and the symmetry of the piece. Welcome to the Waves Gallery!
This piece, called Birch Bark Abstraction, is an, um, abstract photo of, uhh, birch bark. So much for subtle.
I took this photo on a January morning by the shores of Lake Superior. There was a downed, snow-covered birch tree in the woods there, and I fell in love with the texture. This is a 1/6 second exposure with the flash deployed, so the birch bark is in focus with a hint of motion. Welcome to the Abstract Gallery!
Hintology update
A couple months ago, I wrote about how stupid social media stupid screwed over Hintology, a publication that exists to give people who color outside the lines with their photography a place to meet like-minded people from all over this great big world. If you recall, some butt-hurt artist reported them to the Meta Overlords and Meta nuked Hintology’s accounts with no warning
Anyways, after dragging their feet and saying there was nothing they could do, Meta finally stealth-restored access to their social media accounts. “Oh thank you Meta Overlords, your generosity continues to astound us”.
I bring them this up here because I have a few pieces (both art and poetry!) that are being considered for inclusion in Issue #3, which was originally scheduled for release this fall/winter but has understandably been pushed back to Spring 2026. More information to come!
New art
Here are a few new fall* pieces for you to enjoy.
Art Sale recap
Folks- I have come down ever-so slightly from the high of last weekend’s Holiday Art Sale (not show 😬) and I just have to tell you- it was awesome. I am officially putting aside the ‘Aw shucks, Mister’ Ranger and becoming who I was born to be- because folks, I can do this.
Some random thoughts about the experience:
I got a lot of great help and advice as I was preparing for the sale. Kurt at Second Story Studio did an amazing job of printing and sleeving my photos. Skye from Northern Skye Beadworks gave me some fantastic advice for getting my booth ready. Lastly, I got some helpful pointers from my sister who has done many craft shows out in Kansas. It takes a village, and I’m especially thankful for mine!
It also takes doing the thing. This career move is a leap of faith, and as the sale drew closer I started feeling some primo imposter syndrome. Wondering if I was good enough. Wondering if anyone would like my work. More importantly (for this conversation), wondering if anyone would buy my work.
Fortunately, I was able to cast those doubts aside when I realized that I had not, in all of my preparations, accounted for product bags. That’s right- I guess I was thinking people would just buy my photos and stuff them somewhere 🤦 Thankfully I’m a ‘90s kid, so I figured it out.
I had no idea what to expect as far as the size of my space, and I realize now that there needs to be at least one ‘10’ in any future booth rentals that I partake of.
The tent was actually pretty cozy, although I benefited from it being an unseasonably warm November day (and a little from proximity to the heater, by which I mean I had a seat right in front of the heater).
That said, the tent wasn’t perfect; it was dark inside, which made artwork somewhat harder to see. The rain, while brief, endured long enough to start dripping on my table and ruined approximately 17 of my business cards. And the wind started slamming around in the afternoon with such fury that I was genuinely worried for the displays of the vendors along the perimeter of the tent.
Still, the tent was an incredible new addition to the sale, and I’m thankful to have been a part of it. The Regional History Center folks were amazing to work with, and for this being the first time they utilized the tent, it went off quite well!
My first sale was an incredible experience. I sold two copies of this print, which absolutely made my day:
My next show is a couple weeks away, so I’m working diligently on adding new images and products. Stay tuned!
That’s all for today. No The Weekender next weekend- I have a food coma scheduled for Thursday that will last at least until December. Don’t forget that next weekend is my first-ever Black Friday/Small Business Saturday sale! 25% off any item on my website.
Hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving, friends!
See you around,
Jason
