We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dean Grissom. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dean below.

Hi Dean, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Becoming an artist is much easier than becoming an artist who is able to earn a living by creating. My journey was rather unusual because of the type of art I create. As a young child, I was exposed to Native American culture because of where and when I was born. My home was Arizona and that state has the largest single tribe in the nation. The Navajo people live in Arizona and their culture, their history, their art and even their troubles have always been a part of my life.

As a young child, I collected bits of broken pottery, arrow heads, baskets and other Native items. When I grew older my travels took me to many states where the native population was quite large. My business at that time was many aspects of agri-business. I had occasion to do business with some tribes in several states. I made several presentations to tribal members at their counsel meetings.

It was just natural for me to accumulate a large collection of native art. As the years rolled along my years of contact with these people allowed me to hear their concerns and fears that outside influences were changing their culture. The casinos provided income to their young people and the money became a deterrent for them to attend college. There was a lack of interest in tribal art and even their language was being lost as the older members died off.

When I retired from agri-business, my interest was totally focused on native people. I learned Cherokee words and phrases. I wrote a book about their history. I spent many months trying to copy baskets that I had collected. My goal was to create what appeared to be woven baskets, but were actually pieces of wood that used wood burning and india ink to create the illusion. In Cherokee it is called “ada taluja” or wood basketry.

Because there are so few individuals doing this type of art, I received quite a bit of encouragement from fellow artists. They became an instant source of education on colors, shading, light source, and many other secrets to creating marketable art. It was not long before I was entering art shows in the area and receiving awards and even started selling a few pieces. This positive response to my art was the driving factor which took me to another level. When you are not just an artist, but an award winning artist, doors start to open for you. I was given the opportunity to gain entrance into local galleries. That factor gives an artist another form of credibility and that translates into sales.

When large art shows are looking for artists, they prefer artists who are juried, and in galleries. I was fortunate to be included in one of the very well know annual shows in Arizona. Each of these steps is important because they all lead to name recognition, branding, and sales.

After 5 years of creating my specific art, I reaches a level of income where I was able to say that It had become financially rewarding. I have found that a presence on social media is a very inexpensive way to promote your brand. Having an online store is not near as important as just having that regular and constant content on social media. Sales come to me from people who are simply looking at my weekly posts to see my latest creation. I try and post a new piece each Tuesday.

Because I am an author, people will often buy a piece of art and also want to purchase a book. The two separate pursuits therefore compliment each other and produce income. I have found that success in art or any other business comes in proportion to the amount of effort extended into making that area profitable and personally satisfying.

Your personality will be one of the biggest reasons your art is desirable. Being real and humble is the best approach to being someone who the public want to purchase art from. Your mystical journey of self awareness is not important to them.

My journey as an artist is been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. My love of all things native moves my heart and inspires my art. To make a living from that passion is priceless.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I suppose two things in my life have influenced my journey. When I was 5 years old, I was visiting the local reservation with some of my relatives from back east. I strayed away from the adults and was walking through the local cemetery which was a few hundred yards from where they were looking at items the Native people were selling. I can still remember that nearly half of the graves were small and contained the remains of small children.

The second experience was on another visit to a part of Tucson that was home to a lot of local Natives. There were two white men drinking a beer on the porch of a bar. An Indian man passing by asked them for some money. They laughed at him and said “you want money for beer, then dance Indian”. The old man began to dance and one of the white men flipped a silver dollar onto the wooden floor of the porch and they continued to laugh at him.

Those two things may not seem life changing to most people, but for me they were formative. I never forgot how life was for a once self sustaining people. Way back in my heritage there was a relative who had a Cherokee wife. There is a little of that blood flowing in my veins. I learned to speak and write some of the language. I read everything I could about the Cherokee Nation, their successes and trials. It has always been a part of me and my heart is always soft for Native people.

The art of Native people is the source of all my creativity. The emotions that I feel for them is ever present in my creations.
Each time that I complete a piece of my art, I ask myself if I have brought to life something that is able to show the amazing talent of these wonderful people. It is a very humbling thing to try and create something out of wood that celebrates these people that are so ignored by correct history.

My success as an artist has very little to do with me and a much greater impact comes from these people.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Because I create from wood what appear to be native woven baskets, I have a product that is pretty much indestructible. When a person visits a museum that displays native art, the visitor is looking at the objects through a glass enclosed area that is often climate controlled. You can never touch or handle the art. My “baskets” are made of wood. The pattern is placed on the wood surface with ink. The buyer can hold it, turn it in their hands, and share it with friends and family. I have made something that is now permanent and can be enjoyed in a way that a glass enclose object cannot.

The second most rewarding thing is that I have the opportunity to engage with visitors at art shows and galleries. I have the opportunity to share historical information with them. I try and give them information that is not commonly known about the native people, their art and their history. I like to think that in just a small way, I am educating the public about a wonderful and more times than not, misunderstood people.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The best take away from being an artist is the people you meet. The other artists in my life are so helpful and supportive. Each one understands the journey and the growing pains. They are the most supportive group one could want. They mentor you, encourage you, and buy your art. Each one has a wonderful story of their own journey and those stories can be heart warming and uplifting.

The other group that warm my heart are the public who see your art, want a picture with you, write wonderful comments about you and your art, and who purchase pieces for their homes. These are the memories you take home with you and they sustain you long after the sale money from that art piece is spent. For a moment in time, you get to interact with another human being as you discuss your art. Those memories are priceless.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dgwoodturning.com
• Facebook: https:www.facebook.com/dean.grissom.5