Fire Sale

An Exercise in Ephemera

One print per day. Just one.
If it doesn’t sell, I burn it.
Literally.

Heat Index

A tension exists in the artistic act between artist and audience, between free expression and commercial success. We tend to define artists with metrics — sales, following, likes, shares, impressions, clicks — and these commercial concerns inhibit our bringing into focus a healthier view, that the creative act is success. Everything beyond it comes as a bonus.

Fear, more than anything, most often blocks my view of this fundamental truth.

I don’t think I’m alone in this. For me, it’s mostly fear of audience apathy — their silence and shrugs, and all that is the digital equivalent of — looms as my most menacing form of resistance. What prevents me from the act of making art is that quiet voice whispering (all too regularly), “who the fuck cares what you have to say?” Resistance is ruthless.

With this new project, I’m declaring war on that voice.

I’m beginning to understand the call to make my art as the blaze, and everything else — including my fears and failures — as equally valuable to the process as the breath of inspiration. All of it is fuel for the fire.

Which is why, for 100 days, I will offer a single signed print of one of my morning walk photos for sale on this page. There will only be one print made — ever — of each image. So, these will be one-of-a-kind pieces of art.

Since long before I began sharing them on Instagram last year, these morning walk photos have been my daily assignment to seek the light. No matter where I’m at physically or emotionally, no matter how dark things might feel in the moment, I challenge myself to find and photograph the light wherever it falls. The practice has taught me that whether or not I can see the sun, a bit of its light is always present.

But light — like life, like art — is ephemeral.

There’s something profound, in my mind at least, about the idea that moments before I arrive to it, and moments after I walk away, the light in that spot changes. By bearing witness to and documenting something unique in the universe, I am reminded of my small but integral place in the cosmos.

Several years ago, I read John Muir's My First Summer in the Sierra. One passage in particular stuck with me. He wrote of a night alone in the woods, burning a bit of fallen redwood to keep warm. That tree, he mused, “blazing like a sunrise, gladly giving back the light slowly sifted from the sunbeams of centuries of summers.”

In a sense, Fire Sale taps into this idea. My morning walk photos have become a personal creative photosynthesis. Each day, I grow a little, absorbing the light and energy I seek and store it away in these photos. In offering them to you — or by burning the unsold work — I offer back to the the universe what I was gifted, completing the cycle.

Each print, then, is not merely an image, but a tangible piece of this ongoing cycle of absorption and release. And the purchase window for each daily print will be short. At about 10am CST each morning, I’ll make that day’s print available and take it down approximately 10 hours later. Any unsold images, in the spirit of Marcus’ observation, I will burn.

In this way you, dear reader, become integral in the creative process. You decide what remains and what must be returned and remade. You see, from the ashes of each burned print, I will make new work.

Artists have always done this — transformed pain into the transcendent, up-cycled failure and frustration, stitched together stories from scraps of study and struggle. This cycle isn’t unique to us, or ancient trees. This is the work of every human being, I think. So, it’s only right that I invite others into it.

So, here is my challenge to you: step beyond the role of observer and become an active participant in this journey. Your engagement - whether purchasing a print, sharing the project with others, or offering a word of encouragement on Instagram - has the potential to displace silence with dialogue, apathy with appreciation, and burn away fear by fueling the work of at least one artist.

Ready to walk this trail with me? Join my email list for exclusive updates on the project, or follow me on Instagram to be part of the daily journey and experience the ephemeral beauty of my morning walk photos firsthand.

What is an ‘exercise in ephemera’?

I see “ephemera” as the byproduct of impermanence, like an artifact of time. My morning walk photos are, in this way, ephemera. Each image captures a moment that can never be repeated, and each print exists as a singular piece of art — here today, gone tomorrow. This, of course, is a simple metaphor for life.

So, the exercise part comes as I force myself to engage with the transient nature of life. My hope is that by exercising these muscles, I gain wisdom and creative strength, I learn the value of each fleeting minute, I attune myself to the present.

It’s a two part exercise: learn to look, and learn to let go. By burning each unsold prints and using them to inspire new work, I'm also demonstrating that nothing, not even failure or loss, can thwart the creative act.

Where do I find the daily print for sale?

Each morning, at about 10am CST, the day’s print will go live at http://www.squarerootofnine.com/gallery (you need to include www in the URL). This is an unlisted page on my website, so you will either need to navigate there directly, use the button at the top of this page, or follow me on Instagram, where I intend to post a link each morning. Remember, there will only be one print available each day, so if you are unable to make a purchase, the print already sold.

How do I finalize my purchase?

Once you click “add to cart,” you will need to navigate to the checkout page via the shopping bag icon in the upper right corner of the screen, next to the social media icons.

What does each print cost?

I’ve adopted a “Pay What You Can” pricing model, to keep with the spirit of the project, which was born of the cyclic process of creation and the interplay between audience and artist. You get a say in the value of the work, which is subjective. The hard costs associated with printing the work, however are fixed. So, the listed price of $20 is intended to cover those printing and shipping costs only.

With this method, I aim to democratize art ownership. This approach enables anyone who feels a connection with the work to become a patron, regardless of their financial circumstances. The value of art is a dialogue between the creator and observer, and this allows everyone to partake in that conversation, so if you feel an image is deserving of more, please consider giving a little extra using the button at the bottom of each product page.

Is the COST OF shipping included?

Domestic shipping outside the DFW area will be $7.50, which covers UPS Ground costs (shipping is very expensive right now, if this changes, I will adjust the pricing.) Please note, I ensure all prints are packaged securely, so your print arrives ready to frame, no matter where you live.

If you happen to live in the DFW area, please select the pickup option and leave me your phone number at checkout. I will text you to arrange personal delivery at no additional cost.

I will ship internationally as well for a marginal increase.

How are the photos printed?

Each image has been printed on a 5x7 Mohawk Layers Superfine Eggshell Double Thick, a luxurious 34 point stock, using archival quality inks.

When SHOULD I expect my print to arrive?

I intend to process all orders once per week. I will send you a shipping confirmation once the print is on its way. Because I’m managing this project by myself, my directing work may interfere with the regular shipping schedule, but I aim to have the prints in your hands within 2 weeks of your order.

How did you select which Morning Walk photos get printed?

Rather than curating a random collection of my favorites, I decided to select a window of time and offer images from 100 consecutive days — April 13th to July 23rd. Which means, if you keep tabs on the morning walk highlight on my Instagram, which only holds 100 memories, you’ll get a sense for what’s coming up.

What will you make with the prints that get burned?

While I’ve given this some thought and have a few ideas in mind, I prefer to let the act of burning inspire what new works come from this process.