Meet Up North Daddy: The artist behind the protest photo that made the internet catch its breath.

🌟 Welcome to Episode #12 of The Politics Chicks Podcast! 🌟🎙️ Before this podcast, we launched our journey on Substack—where we shared sharp takes on current events, deep dives into policy, and personal reflections on the state of politics. Now, we’re bringing that same energy—and our signature voice—straight to your favorite podcast platform.In this episode, we’re joined by Erik Espeland—the photographer behind one of the most iconic images to come out of Minnesota’s Operation Metro Surge protests, in the tense days following the murder of Renee Good. If you’ve seen the photo (you’ve probably seen it), you already know why we needed him on the show.This conversation is about art as witness, Minnesota as a character, and why being decent is both revolutionary and contagious.🧑‍🎨 Meet Our Guest: Erik EspelandErik is a professional photographer (and longtime creative) who came to photography through a very Minnesota story: family, work, nervous energy, and the need to make meaning out of what’s happening right in front of you. • Artist and graphic designer • Former Target corporate photo studio experience • Shoots thousands of images a year, primarily youth sports • A proud “modest Minnesotan” • Still surprised by the photo📸 The Photo That Stopped People ColdErik walks us through how the iconic image came to be—how it wasn’t staged, how it was instinct and timing and composition and wind.The subject’s whole presence—pure Minnesota symbolism, including those legendary bootsErik says when he saw it on his computer, he “kind of stopped breathing.”Same, buddy. Same.👤 Who Is “Dan”?Erik didn’t even meet the man in the photo—Dan—until about two weeks later.When he finally did:Dan hadn’t fully realized he’d become that guy on the internetErik thanked him for being “the face of Minnesota” in that momentThe image had already gone global—Erik estimates close to 10 million views across countries and continentAnd Dan’s response?Classic Minnesota: “Let’s ride this wave.”🌲 “Minnesota Nice” Isn’t a Meme—It’s a ForceWe talk a lot about how Minnesota has shown up through all of this—how people here don’t just post, they do things.🎶 Art as Resistance: Signs, Songs, and the “Singing Resistance”Monica shares a powerful piece of what protest has looked like here:Minnesota’s choral community and the Singing Resistance—marching, stopping at hotels known to house ICE, and using music as moral confrontation.Erik reflects on the question we all ask:Do the people carrying out cruelty feel anything when confronted with beauty?Or does the job require them to turn the human part off completely?🧠 Creativity, Guilt, and Trying to Breathe in the Middle of CrisisChristy talks about the weird guilt creatives feel right now—like making art is somehow indulgent when everything is on fire.📈 Going Viral Overnight: “What the Hell Do You Do With That?”Erik posted the photo on Threads the same night.🏞️ National Parks, Perspective, and What Travel Teaches KidsErik’s also a huge National Parks geek (same, honestly), and we talk about why nature and travel matter—especially now.Favorites include Olympic, Yellowstone, Bryce (snow on hoodoos = unreal)Their family uses the National Parks passport to plan tripsFood, culture, conversations—it expands the soul.Which is exactly why authoritarianism hates it.🧡 Final Words That Wrecked Us (In the Best Way)Erik closes with a simple message that is somehow the most radical thing you can say right now:Hug someoneSmile at strangersLet people tell their storyDon’t hold grudgesIt’s not hard to be nice—and it’s contagious as hellMonica cried.Christy got misty.We all needed it.📌 FOLLOW / SUPPORTIf this episode moved you, taught you something, or made you see what’s happening here through a new lens:✅ Like✅ Comment✅ Share✅ Subscribe  It helps more than you know—and it tells the algorithm we’re not doing “both sides” bedtime stories over here.📱 Find us everywhere: @thepoliticschicksSubstack • YouTube • Threads • Bluesky • Instagram • TikTok • Facebook🧡 Keep shining your light so we can find each other in the dark.We are always stronger together.— Christy & Monica