Meet Stephan Dean | Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephan Dean and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My business would probably be nothing more than a hobby, if wages for my previous creative positions actually paid enough to survive. I would have gladly stayed a graphic design teacher or a graphic artist for a big print company if those companies paid me as a skilled valuable business teammate and not a cheap disposable tool. It should be no surprise that many skilled job positions such as graphic designers just don’t pay enough to survive on alone, and there is no shortage of skilled starving designers graduating from college every year. It was a hard hit when I realized my hard work, dedication and loyalty designing for a company wouldn’t be enough to survive, but If you can’t survive doing what you love for another company then do it for yourself. All rant aside, luckily we live in a time when it’s easier than ever to start your own business, or at the very least a side hustle. If you have ever thought about being an entrepreneur, I can’t recommend enough to just do it, push through the fear, it might fail, it might not, even if it’s just a tiny side business, I guarantee it will be fulfilling! I believe many humble artists can struggle with financially finding the line between what is greedy and what is valuing one’s craft enough to make a living. As a humble artist, I’m not greedy and I still do struggle with being a business owner having to participate in capitalism to survive, but I’d rather choose this struggle than work for a company that doesn’t even care if I can survive.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
“I’M A F**KING MESS”, “DON’T BE NORMAL”, and “BE LESS USELESS” are just a few examples of what my popular designs say. These designs are found on handmade pins, magnets, t-shirts and more. My favorite part about the business is making people laugh as they search through my designs and find the ones that most help express themselves. My designs can be weird, funny and mostly not meant to be taken too seriously. I also have LGBTQ designs that say: “POINT PHALLUSES, NOT FINGERS”, “COME OUT, IT’S LOVELY” and “WELCOME TO THE FAG FEST” these designs are meant to be more than just fun they are worn with pride by a historically discriminated community, especially here in Texas. My design ideas come from the universe in the form of experiences and interactions. For example the other day I was very sleep deprived and being irritable with my partner during the long drive down to Austin. But when we finally arrived and could relax, I said “Thanks for tolerating me when I’m cranky”, I then promptly wrote that down in my phone under design ideas. I will then make that saying into a pin or t-shirt for other humans to wear as a way to express this human experience that is both funny and relatable.

I started my business with a small desktop printer and a hand press pin-back button making machine and most of my friends and family thought I was crazy to quit my graphic design job to try and sell my weird buttons. It wasn’t easy and I spent many hours working on things that didn’t work and learning the hard way. I exhaustedly setup my art booth at markets and festivals that were not profitable and even had people tell me my stuff was dumb or offensive. I learned my designs are not for everyone, I have a specific demographic and I want the message in my designs to connect with other relatable humans. I could easily print more commonly generic products, and for the right demographics it would sell and that’s great, but I personally I think that type of art lacks concept, wit, and originality that I pride myself for having in my ever growing catalog of designs.

Since I started my business, my brand can now be found in over 80 stores across America and growing, every year my partner and I setup our art booth at large music festivals and art markets selling our weird designs to like-minded humans. Our business also prints custom orders for large companies to small events. We have no idea how busy we will be from month to month and it’s scary and super exciting at the same time. If you have continued to read this far, thank you! I just want to end by saying there is a lot we as humans can’t control or will ever fully understand, but one thing we do know is we are all mammals experiencing a short consciousness on this universe, so don’t be too scared to do something, make something, love somebody, laugh and be weird.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As a recent transplant from Milwaukee Wisconsin, I’m still learning about what DFW has to offer. You might find me at a show (Granada, Three Links and Tree’s so far!) or having a drink at The Grapevine, Cosmos or Double Wide. And I love being outdoors, so I would recommend checking out some of the many art shows, markets, and festivals featuring unique independent makers. A shoutout to some of my favorites: Lola’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Rummage Sale and Weird Wednesday’s in Forth Worth, Lee Harvey’s and any in Deep Ellum! I would also recommend supporting independent local restaurants and food trucks.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout goes to my beautiful partner, Patrice. Thank you for always being super supportive, keeping my scattered-brain on track, and for helping me get back up when I feel like everything is falling apart. Also I’m so glad we started this cheesy tradition of making a magnet of us at every event we have ever worked. I love you very much.

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