Shawn Olson Creative Arts

Art, Poetry, Photography, Writing and 3D

Pallas Cat Photo
cringe art
Cringe Matt Marcum

Welcome to Shawn Olson Creative Arts, a diverse website devoted to arts and creativity. My interests and skills are wide ranging, spanning from years as a professional photojournalist and web developer to a lifetime of creative free-thinking.

Throughout these pages you can lose yourself in thousands of photos, artwork, poems, essays, reports, games and more. You'll find essays exploring philosophy and education; critiques of modern fads, media and commercialism; tutorials on web programming, graphic design and photography.

Please take some time to browse my site. I have been working on it diligently since the beginning of this millennium. I authored most of the work on this site. However, I do keep bylines attached to articles as there are some pages authored by some of my talented friends and family. When I first launched this site I envisioned it to be a community site; after dozens of people were on it I realized that I shouldn't make a community site attached to my name—which is why I launched the Artistic Network – A global directory of artists and art.

My professional life has led me to the development of Webonizer, a content management system that runs most of the large sites I oversee. Webonizer is the backbone of this site, the Artistic Network and many more sites that produce a lot of content. If you are interested in running a website using Webonizer or simply need a website, please feel free to contact Master Web Designers.

Use some of the links below to get a tour of me and my work.

You can find other areas by using the navigation menu at the top of every page or by using the search utility.

I always enjoy feedback from visitors. Feel free to send me an email with any comments, ideas, praise, criticism or corrections.

Latest Articles

Desktops are not extinct

Posted on Mar 8, 2012 | Last Updated Mar 8, 2012

Editorial discussing the notion that the time of the desktop is over. I argue that the advent of smart phones, tablets and mobile devices do not preclude the value of the desktop.

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computer, productivity, mobile device, ipad

Hiding in the Cracks

Posted on Feb 28, 2012 | Last Updated Feb 28, 2012

A poem about the illusion of discontinuity; questioning the static.

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Amazing Challenge VI

Posted on Dec 19, 2011 | Last Updated Dec 19, 2011

Find your way through this challenging maze.

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maze, challenge, puzzle

Creating a Tileable Texture from a Photo

Posted on Dec 7, 2011 | Last Updated Dec 7, 2011

Steps on making a tileable texture from a photo inside 3ds Max. Includes step-by-step instructions along with a video tutorial.

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tile, tileable, seamless, texture, photo, bitmap, 3ds max, viewport canvas

Creatures in 2011

Posted on Dec 5, 2011 | Last Updated Dec 5, 2011
Fly on BranchDead Assassin BugSpider in Web with fangsLarge Blue DragonflySwamp Milkweed Leaf BeetleBlanchard's Cricket Frog

Photos of various creatures I took in 2011, including the Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle, flies, a dragonfly and the Blanchard's Cricket Frog.

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insects, animals, frog, wildlife, photos, blanchard's cricket frog, dragonfly

MisCon 25

My Adventure with Onkel Sven.
Posted on Jun 5, 2011 | Last Updated Nov 12, 2011
John Dalmas and childJohn Dalmas and LadiesJohn Dalmas and William WarrenDalmas in the HoodRobert Lovely and John DalmasJohn Dalmas Giving ToastJohn and BrookeBill WarrenJohn the Story Teller

I traveled to Missoula, Montana with John Dalmas to participate in MisCon 25. I met several interesting characters including William Warren Jr, James Burk, Jim Glass and others.

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miscon, missoula, montana, sci-fi, scifi, science fiction convention, john dalmas

Forum Etiquette in the 21st Century

Posted on Feb 2, 2011 | Last Updated Nov 12, 2011

A short discussion on using online forums. Why I concluded that participation in forums should be limited.

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forums, online forums, social media, necroposting, flame wars, noobs, fanboy

January, 2011 Newsletter

Posted on Jan 9, 2011 | Last Updated Jul 30, 2012
Brain MazeSanta's Meal to Slay For

Newsletter from Shawn Olson on January 10, 2011.

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Great Holiday Meal

A Breakfeast to Slay For
Posted on Dec 20, 2010 | Last Updated Nov 12, 2011
Santa's Meal to Slay For

Santa has the best meal he's had in years. Mrs. Claus, though, isn't so sure. A holiday baking cartoon.

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cartoon, christmas, santa, bacon, rudolph

Wall Worm Model Tools

Easily send your models from 3ds Max to the Valve Source Game Engine
Posted on Nov 18, 2010 | Last Updated May 30, 2012

I've written a new MAXScript to help automate sending models from 3ds Max to the Valve Source Game Engine.

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3ds max, source, smd, export

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