Design Redo & My First Threadless Order

I perused the Threadless inventory for some shirts since I won $250 in store credit.

I have to say...

It's the most watered down, Caucasian outlet of art that makes me somewhat viscerally ill after looking through enough of the lame products.

Threadless screams "Pastey Unharmful Probably Getting to be Somewhat Chubby from Sitting in a Cubical and Eating Out Every Meal Middle Class Recently College Graduated White People With New Disposal Income Love Me!" and that's not just because this thought was pre concieved by writers of Stuff White People Like, because I am only actually aware that the article exists, I have yet to read it.

If you look through the catalog, you will see a profuse smattering of white folk with goofy faces posing with Threadless shirts on. Srsly, it's all white folk. Maybe a couple token asian folk, yet white nonetheless.

I think actually, Im misdiagnosing. It's the goofy photos that really piss me off and cause an internal reaction. Although there is a possibility it's the designs themselves. Most of the art is good/quality, it's just the concepts that are mostly hackneyed.

If I were a criminal, and I was staking out whose purse or wallet to steal on the streets, I would most likely pinpoint the ones wearing Threadless shirts to be the least confrontational and willing to give over their wallets.

So here are the two designs I ordered. I still have a significant amount of credit that I wish would accrue interest, because I don't see Threadless printing stuff I like anytime soon.

I like these because they were not the normal Threadless designs. Im actually quite surprised they won at all in comparison to the other inventory.

Of course one is the collab btwn me and collisiontheory. I suppose I just really want to see the print outcome. Otherwise if I had no part in the design, I would not be buying this design. Or most any design. I like a plain black shirt. It screams "Pretentious Snobby Art Director-Y Self Centered Artist Who Probably Writes a Blog with a Sense of Self Importance Who Thinks He's Moderately Funny or at Least More Entertaining than Boring Regular People with Nothing Abnormal to Say!"

Har har...

**I exaggerate to make things interesting to Read. Threadless is actually probably awesome. It would have to be to be such a huge multimillion dollar success.







A client had me revise a design.

Initially, I gave pushback, actually total declination, mainly because I don't want to be a grunt. A grunt would be... copy this design, but make it different enough it doesn't infringe on copyright. I have no qualms with mimicking a design for a client, it's more the issue of creating work that I will not be associated with, and will only benefit from a one time payment commission that I have a problem with.

But, the initial contact, seemingly one of the main big wigs called me directly, and explained the situation, and need for my work.

Being somewhat financially stable, I am more likely to take on projects for a grander purpose than motivation for money.

If he had not called, I would have allowed this client to move on.

He appealed to a greater sensibility, an artist's (most likely any human) desire to be specifically given some sort of actualization of worth beyond the norm.

He could have easily gone to many other artists to copy a design.

By calling, he indirectly acknowledged my value and skill as an artist, and played on my sensibility of wanting to help.

A great salesman!