May 2026 Check-In: Seattle Erotic Art Festival, 100+ Originals Live & Riding the Edge
May 8, 2026
The wild ride continues.
April was spring blooms and graphic design experiments. May opened with the Seattle Erotic Art Festival (May 1–3). I drove up from Tacoma each day and spent a few hours in the exhibition hall at the Seattle Center. Seeing my own work hanging in a show of that caliber felt surreal and validating.
The vibe was electric—art, performances, engaged crowds. I hoped to network but stayed quiet and observant (classic introvert move). Still, just being there was a solid win.
The Emotional Reality These past few weeks have been a rollercoaster of pride and heavy uncertainty. Savings are dropping faster than planned, and the knot-in-the-stomach mornings about rent and debts are real. The urgency hits hard.
Creative Wins I’m Really Proud Of On the bright side, I’ve made huge progress. The Shopify store now has seamless print-on-demand integration so customers shop directly in my space. I’ve launched commission options for custom house portraits, boudoir/figurative erotic work, and design services.
Big Milestone: 100+ Originals Now Live I’ve also uploaded around 100 original pieces of art to the site, split into two clear sections:
- Polite Originals → No nudity, mostly buildings and architectural work
- Naughty Originals → All the spicy, figurative, and erotic pieces (some are very graphic and XXX-rated… sorry, not sorry)
It feels incredibly rewarding to have this body of work organized and available in one place. I’ve only had one sale so far—an original that a friend bought after seeing it on Instagram (I added the listing after they reached out, so it doesn’t quite count as an organic online sale). I can’t wait for that first true “someone found it and bought it” moment. I know it’s coming!
The Honest Hustle Income hasn’t caught up yet. Design competitions, fresh Fiverr gigs, and outreach efforts (including print-on-demand merch pitches to coffee shops and small businesses) are still building momentum. Frame shop shifts help with baseline bills, but the introversion makes cold pitching feel extra daunting. I’m also testing passive brochure drops in community spaces.
Zooming Out Chats with friends remind me we’re all navigating something—nurses, tech workers, artists, corporate side-hustlers. Everyone gets steamrolled sometimes. It’s comforting to remember I’m not alone in the struggle.
Still All In I’m staying the course. The skills, systems, shop, and originals are all built and aligned. It feels so close to tipping over into real momentum. When the breakthrough lands, it’s going to feel deeply earned.
In the meantime, I’m keeping the art flowing, refining the message, and hunting joy in the small daily wins.
Shoot Me A Message & Say Hi + Support the Journey Thank you for riding along. New work and products drop regularly. Browse the shop, grab something that speaks to you, or reach out for custom work.
Hell yeah.
Love from the fort,
-Dan