It’s been far too long since I’ve posted to my blog and for good reason. This self-employment stuff is no joke. I’ve managed to land a few commissions that have all gone well. I’ve applied for and received a business license (actually 2, but more about that in another post). And I’ve been learning tons about everything from intellectual property, trademarks, copyrights and, oh yes, taxes! So many different types of taxes.
In the monastery I had the luxury of not having to file or think about taxes. That was because I didn’t make any money! Now I’m making money, or at least I’m making a concerted effort to make money. So now I have to deal with taxes. Excise taxes, B&O taxes, and more. But enough about taxes.
I’m really writing to talk about my art. Jumping head-on into a career in the arts can be a frightening and thrilling adventure.
My first endeavor was to put together 6-10 unique pieces of art printed on metal and submit them to a local yoga studio that doubled as art gallery. My art with themes of Eastern spirituality seemed like a perfect fit.
As luck or karma would have it my opportunity suddenly vanished when the yoga studio decided to pack up and relocate to a different city. And that was JUST when I was ready to create beautiful metal prints of my digital paintings. Alas.
Then came my introduction to, and pursuit of, creating t-shirts and other products with my art printed on them using the drop shipping strategy. More about that in my last blog post HERE. That was actually going fairly well until I met a shoe designer based out of New York poised to launch his own brand in earnest. He had a proposal for a collaboration with me that almost completely shifted my t-shirt creation to the back burner... for now.
The collaboration consists of me designing a total of 11 (yes, eleven) unique comic characters that will be licensed for use with athletic shoes and related apparel. In exchange for the license to use my characters I’ll get royalties on all related products that are sold. It’s a win for both parties.
I’m happy to say that I’ve completed 8 of the character designs to date and the last 3 are also soon to emerge. If this collaboration goes well there’s also great potential for continued development and merchandising opportunities for my IP (intellectual property). Unfortunately, I can’t go into much more detail until we get a little closer to our release schedule in 2019. I’m very excited to show my work and introduce you to a rising star in the world of collectible sneakers once I get the green light.
In the meantime I’ve been continuing to draw, study and create smaller works so that I still have something to post to my social media feeds. I’m also continuing to accept commissions for custom art in the form of illustration, design, comics, digital painting, etc.
Speaking of which, I think this is a good time to share a few images. Ater all, what’s an art blog post without art?
