Is it Saturday Already?

I have a challenge I want to put out to the cyber Universe and t-shirt designers in particular.

My last name is Bjork.  In many ways I am a dork.  And I have an seemingly incomprehensible and no reason admiration for that hybrid utensil, the spork.  I also have a love for Taco Bell's Baja Blast Soda.  Taco Bell is still one of the few places I know I can go and be reminded of my love for sporks.  In case you have no idea what a spork is, click here to see its wikipedia page.

I love @bryanbrinkman's designs and admire them immensely because he has a talent either I don't or am unwilling to practice to see if I can excel with it more, illustration.  I am good with coming up with a design that I can create within my skill of the tools available via Paint Shop Pro and relying on words.  @bryanbrinkman can illustrate and is confident enough to let the design speak for itself without words.

Don't get me wrong and this is one of this posts point, my seeming limitations don't have to keep me from prospering with my own design astetic.  Nor should you allow it to limit you.  Picasso, Van Gogh and Warhol all had different styles, yet prospered dare I say because of their uniqueness.

My other point, I could well envision myself having some sort of pop art spork-inspired design empire some day.  In the meantime, I had an idea for a t-shirt design that I would name "Sporkberry Fields Forever".  I even have somewhat of an idea how I would have the spork look.  That's about it.  That seems to be as far as I get.

My hope is that I may inspire some t-shirt designers in cyberspace to take my idea and run with it and come up with something awesome we could both promote and prosper from.  Maybe if enough of you submit designs, we could have an entire collection of sporkberry designs.

One of MySoti's most popular designs is Marilyn Sane (see below), which combines two items from pop culture in clever way.  Together we may be able to come up with something similarly ingenous by combining two pop culture icons into one design.


Below is @bryanbrinkman week #8 #DesignAShirtAWeek submission "cat + ice cream = <3".  Now I really understand why I feel the way I do about math. 



Below is my week #8 submission.  Many hearts, one love.  It's one for the girls.



Until next time, live creative and prosper.

It's Saturday Somewhere

When I started this blog, I had the idea I would write every Saturday to coincide with my first bryanbrinkman/Twitter #DesignAShirtAWeek connection.  Most who read this will never know I missed last Saturday.  For those who do.  Sorry!

For this weeks blog, I decided to pimp my design for one of my other blogs, CaliforniVacation: SoCal Style.  In the process, instead of finding yet another web presence you may upload your t-shirt design to, I would mention (in case you didn't know 'cuz you may not) your awesome t-shirt designs may also be uploaded for use on other products you may offer for sale through sites like CafePress and Zazzle.

For CaliforniVacation: SoCal Style I wanted to go for an entire theme.  In Southern California (SoCal) a load of people live here and a load of people visit as tourists (how's that for being specific?)  We are low on water and high on trash.  In an effort to be green, I desired to include in my theme a SIGG Bottle,

a tote bag,

a t-shirt,



and a beach towel.

Search as I might, I only found one web presence that offered customizable beach towels but not in a way that CafePress, Zazzle and MySoti let you offer them.  To use this service I would have to preorder myself a number of towels with my design and then handle the money and shipping, etc. myself.   No thanks!

In the meantime, I am a little excited about some of the products Zazzle offers.  You can put your design on a skateboard.  You can have your design on a pair of women's KEDS shoes.

You can create your own Converse Chuck Taylors.  Although, as exciting as this is you can customize color combos according to their color selections for different parts of the shoe but you can't upload a design and have them print that on the canvas.  Who knows?  That day may soon come.  That would be exciting.

And as sometimes happens, perhaps I am not the only one who would love to buy custom beach towels.  A whole in the market perhaps?

So, enough about me.  Here is @bryanbrinkman week #7 entry:



Another brilliant (may I say and he doesn't pay me to) design.  Love how the apple is implied instead of shown.  Love the t-shirt placement.  Love the originality.

I'd include the most bought MySoti t-shirt here, but it is the same as my last blog post.

And I'd include (happy to pimp) one of this blog readers designs here.  Alas, I know of none.  This spot in future blog posts is certainly available along with any inspiration or tips you'd like to share.

Until next time, live creative and prosper.

#DesignAShirtAWeek 6

This week I'm writing about a resource for t-shirt designers, Rival Art.

You know, in high-end advertising agencies they have copy people and art people.  It's usually rare when one person does both.  This doesn't mean you can't envision an entire ad campaign or for our purposes what you may feel would be a kick-ass t-shirt design.  It's just that either as an art person or more of a copy person, it may be difficult for you to get your design into a usable format without a little help.

If you are more like me (more of the copy talent with less art talent), Rival Art may be just what you need to really take your t-shirt designing to a new level.  Rival Art offers clip art, templates or you may hire them to do art.

My design this week is my reminder to all and my self to be sure to include fun in my life.  You'd think we wouldn't need a reminder, but sometimes we just do.


Bryan's design is a delightful play on the word manatee, hence the holding of the sausage.


As a long-time David Bowie fan, this week's most wanted t-shirt from Mysoti is a clever play on two very iconic symbols merged into one.  Perhaps the shirt may inspire you to create something equally as awesome by combining iconic symbols.


May you continue to be inspired with joyous and prosperous creativity.

Going Pro

Welcome to Week #5.

Okay, still a little surprised that no one else is participating on Twitter #DesignAShirtAWeek.  Having said that, I am thrilled with @bryanbrinkman and @loribjork entries for this week.

Since I am @loribjork and one of my other great passions is spirituality and the law of attraction, I just want to share my belief that if you ever find yourself walking around and all of a sudden an idea pops in your mind that goes something like this, "that would be a great idea for a t-shirt"...well, to me, that really is all it takes to identify your self as a t-shirt designer.

There are tons of easy to use software out there to help you get the idea from your mind into a digital format.  And tons of web presences, including MySoti, that you can upload your design to.  Or if you don't have the use of software or the time or inclination to learn, you could always hire someone like @bryanbrinkman or @loribjork to create a digital representation for you and/or upload it to the various web presences.

For me personally, there was nothing more exciting than the first time someone buys an item with one of my designs on them.  And while I am not a dictionary, let's get real here.  If you get paid for doing something, you are a PRO.

Once you identify your self as a PRO, it radiates a vibration to the Universe that brings you more of the same.

So, if you want to be a PRO...be one.  Proclaim it.  PRO claim it.

"If you think you can't or can, you are correct." Henry Ford

Okay...@bryanbrinkman was obviously inspired this week by Halloween.  I love his newest entry.



@loribjork not so much.  I appear to be a little more inspired by the love of a tall, cool one.



Thanks for peeping this blog.

Remember, there is a standing open invitation to all who wish to participate via Twitter with #DesignAShirtAWeek.  We will shamelessly plug your design in this blog.

Below is one of the most demanded designs on MySoti this week.  Stuff by RikkiB, which is described as doodle-tastic!