Hwhup The Deans List? The Jason Dean here, bringing an end to the Weekend like it was Inception. Your head is spinning, you’re not quite sure what happened but you know you want to dive right back in except
Anyways. Let’s get into it.
New Art in my own space
Here’s what I’ve been cooking up in the lab
A couple of days before New Years, Marquette was hit with a ginormous snow storm. I had hoped to sneak away down to Presque Isle during the storm to see the waves pounding the rocks, but the funny thing about living here during these big storms is that you can’t always just sneak away. Sometimes you have to put on your big girl pants and clean up the storm. It took…man, I don’t remember…an hour? a day? almost a month? still haven’t, really?…to move all the snow. In other words, I didn’t get to sneak away to see the waves pounding the rocks.
That didn’t stop me from taking photos though, like this one I took of the drifts looking out towards the road. I really like the different layers of texture here, although I didn’t really like it at the time. Not anything to do with the photograph, mind you- I’m strictly talking about the two feet of snow we got in 24 hours and the 50 MPH plus wind gusts whipping around me.
CHRISTMAS TREE PHOTO. Gotcha!!!
One of the few 2026 photos that I’ve released into the wild so far. It’s not an issue of supply as I’ve taken plenty. As I’ve talked about before, my culling and editing process involves a lot of patiently waiting as I try to ensure I’m sharing my best work.
I just love this photo though, so I had to share it. This was taken at the end of an early January session with (you may have guessed it) Tony and Myles. I was struck by the sight of this lone bench against the gray-blue steel clouds overlooking a calm Lake Superior near the Lighthouse in Marquette. Loneliness is a prominent theme in several of my pieces, and empty benches isolated against the sky and water evoke a particular kind of loneliness that is compelling to me.
Northern Flora and Fauna Show
I’m pleased to share that I will be a participant in the Wintergreen Hill Gallery’s February show, Northern Flora and Fauna. The gallery graciously opened the show to members of the community and yours truly, as an artist and a member of the community, took them up on this! The piece I’ll be showing is Tendrils.
This is a photograph I took on New Years Eve 2024 out at Tourist Park. Sometimes, creating art is as easy as looking up.
There is a reception at the gallery on February 18 from 5-8. If you’re in town then, please stop by, I’d love to chat with you!
Service pages are live!
Folks- I don’t just take pretty pictures. I take pretty pictures of you (Wait, that was a little more ‘stalker’ than I had intended. Let me try that again:).
Folks- I don’t just take pretty pictures. For money, I can take pretty pictures of you (That’s sort of better I guess?). That’s right, The Jason Dean Photography is now offering photography services! I’ve created separate pages for the photography services I offer, as well as sample galleries to peruse and get a sense of my aesthetic. I do all kinds of events and all types of portraits. If you have any questions or would like to set up a session, you can call/text me at 906-360-5276 or email me at [email protected].
I hope to talk with you soon 🙂
100 Day Project Update
Here’s where my main 2026 100 Day project stands after about a week and a half:
I made the executive decision early on to write each lyric twice as to make sure as much of the canvas surface was covered. As you can see, I’m…exploring the space.
RFGRIYHPAPOIHTPOYYBAOYF
An acronym that obviously stands for ‘Request For Google Review If You Have Purchased A Photo Or I Have Taken Photographs Of You, Your Business, And/Or Your Family’. Of course you knew that; this explainer was merely for their benefit.
In an effort to boost my Google Business Profile, I’m asking that if you’ve purchased photos from me OR if I’ve taken photos of you, your business, and/or your family (which you may have gathered from the above acronym), please leave a review for me on Google Business. It’s really helpful for my fledgling business. Also, a HUGE thanks to everyone that has already left a review!
Valentine’s Day Sale still going!
If you’re looking for the perfect gift for that perfect person in your life but you also happen to want to save 14% on the retail price, then you’ll be quite pleased to know that all items on my online store are on sale, 14% off, through Valentines Day! Head over to my galleries now and check out my sweet, sweet wares.
As a small business, I’ve been thinking about how small businesses are the lifeblood of a thriving community. If there are a lot of successful small business, it probably means your community supports dreamers, and dreams are what move us forward to a better world. What could be a more cause noble than that?
To that end, I’m going to devote space every week to shouting out other small businesses and fellow artists. This is not a sponsored segment, but rather an opportunity for me to spread the love.
The first fellow dreamer I’d like to highlight is my guy Kyle from Moon Vibes Media, although saying he’s from Moon Vibes Media is like saying Justin Timberlake is from N’Sync. Kyle is an entrepreneur if ever there was one, a guy who has ideas and takes those ideas and makes them into actual things. Like me and you, he puts on his pants one leg at a time. The difference is when he puts his pants on, he makes gold records.
Kyle has provided me an insane amount of help as I’ve transitioned into my new business, from initial planning assistance to ongoing consultation to targeted feedback to the occasional cup of just-because coffee. The main thing I want to spotlight today, however, is his knowledge of how Google Business functions. I’m telling you, he’s like the Caesar Millan of Google.
Kyle and his team are currently working on a process called ‘Local Orbit’, and while the details are slightly over my head, the gist is they help businesses develop more optimized websites at the front-end of the web design process using their specialized knowledge of SEO. This will help businesses to build genuine recognition in their communities, create content that actually answers what local folks are looking for, develop credibility with other respected local sources, and make sure that website visitors have a positive experience while saving money in the long run.
Of course like any Renaissance man, Kyle doesn’t just do Google. He’s a man of many talents.
He also has other projects in development that I may or may not be super duper excited and sworn to super duper secrecy about 🤫 😍 😎
To Kyle and the team at Moon Vibes Media- thank you for being dreamers!
Have a great week, friends, and stay warm this week 🙂
See you around,
Jason
