A note about the upcoming print launch
With the launch of the print store mere days away, I wanted to detail what you should expect from my first art offering and give you insight on what's to come…
This soft launch will consist of six images: "The Pit," "Purple Heart," "Tangie," "Here, Always," "Soft Serve I," and "First Dusk." These works will be available in a single size (13"x19") in editions of 10. I wanted to pick a size that wasn't too small but also not too large and costly to produce.
early print tests back in my old living room
I've labored over the decision to start a business for a while. I bought my commercial printer almost a year into the pandemic, we didn't even have vaccines for COVID-19 at the time. Everyone had entrepreneur fever and I didn't want to be another guy shucking my wares when half the country was unemployed. That felt like feeding into the machine, which promotes self-promotion and self-ascension above community building. When you groom your populace to prioritize individual success over team success it makes it easy to turn them against one another. I had to find a way to counteract that energy, but I didn't obtain clarity on my path forward until last fall.
“I love helping other people solve problems...”
2021 was a tumultuous year for me at work and outside of it. The cratering of my department at Activision highlighted a passion that I thought was secondary to my art exploits, but was actually of equal importance. I love helping other people solve problems, both professional and personal. Leading my team through a time of massive upheaval and ensuring they felt heard and cared for was a source of pride for me. Investing in them and working to improve their quality of life at the company was one of the few ways I felt I could have an impact on my surroundings. Assisting and educating others brings me so much joy, I've pivoted my career away from art creation and to artist mentoring.
Community is everything and I've failed enough on my own to see that greatness is only achieved through collective action. I believe my purpose on this planet is to be of service to others. Unfortunately, this country's most powerful collective institution, our government, is in a state of extreme dysfunction. A shrinking political party has hijacked control of our government and is using its outsized power to terrorize our most vulnerable groups, their most recent target being our women. While I don't believe charity is a solution to structural issues, it is the only tool available to me at the moment to counteract their oppression.
Gemunu Amarasinghe / Associated Press
A percentage of the proceeds generated from each print collection will be donated to an ever-changing collection of charities. The charity and proceeds percentage will be stated upon the announcement of the new collection and donations will be made upon the completion of the collection sale. In the case of this soft launch, 100% of the proceeds from this collection will be donated to ARC-Southeast. I chose ARC-Southeast because they're focused on providing reproductive-care assistance to southern states sure to be hit the hardest by the overturning of Roe v Wade. If you've been looking to buy a piece from me but don't see anything you like in this initial soft launch, I hope you'll at least spread the word, and consider donating to a fund of your choosing instead. Thank you and I'll see you all on Monday!