I am Thankful For.....

Its been a while since my last post. Only because my fiance's computer died and she has been using mine for work purposes. She doesn't like Mac's either. Apparently, she has come down with a slight cold, too. So I guess I will be playing the role as "doctor". Anyway, Thanksgiving will be on Thursday and most likely we will be spending it eating at my relatives house. Everyone will sit at the dinner table and say what he or she is thankful for. When it all comes down to it, I think I am greatful for family, friends, and food. I know the 3F's and it does seem cliche' . However when you think you have a bad day or life, its always someone who is going through something much worse. Since moving down here,  I've had my share of ups and downs. And it will probably get a lot worse before it gets better. Who hasn't had a hard time in this recession? So, I will be thankful for the little things, and I hope you are too. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Today is.....Today!

Today is.... Today. And I will try to make it a good one. I'm gonna watch The Carter Documentary while drawing and creating and some new stuff is on the way. Currently I'm working on a cartoon pitch for Adult Swim. So hopefully that works out. Yesterday, I picked up tickets to a hawks game for my lil' brother and me. Big Brother and Little Sisters of Atlanta are doing great things and thanks for the tickets. Its always good to give back.

Okay, back to the Carter Documentary, Its crazy... You be the judge

The Carter Documentary

The Carter Documentary

Parental Advisory Explicit Content....

Music News for Monday

Okay so its Monday, and I just came off a great weekend. Pac-man handled his business, and I had my tasty wings. And to start off the week, I checked out the article by GQ's Man of the Year issue with Wale', Drake, and Kid Cudi titled "Gangsta Killers". Read Below

"Have you been listening to hip-hop this year? If not, we’ve got good news: The gangster persona is finally dead, and these are the kids who killed it. One song at a time, they built a new era in which duct-taped kilos, exotic firearms, and freaky girls are out and real life is the focus. That can still mean trumped-up egos and battle raps, but it also means family, drama, vicious hangovers, and regular chicks who will make good love to you, then stomp out your heart. (Weed? Weed is always in.) Wale is as famous for his live shows as for the slick-witted lyricism of his debut, Attention Deficit. Kid Cudi is the cutup who scored with the stoner anthem “Day N Nite” and his album Man on the Moon. And then there’s Drake, who found himself turning down multimillion-dollar offers after his single “Best I Ever Had” exploded. (It helps that the girls like Drake. A lot.) Drake’s debut, Thank Me Later is easily the most anticipated album of 2010 So what do these underdogs thing about being cast as gangster slayers? “The dope boy is going to be a fixture of black culture as long as “thug” is a legitimate option alongside a job” Drake says. But I’m not going to rap about how much crack I’ve sold.” Cudi also laughs at the idea of talking tough. “Anybody from cleveland will tell you I wasn’t in the streets” he says. “Ask them! They’ll say, ‘Scott was the goofy class clown."

Also Rihanna's "Rated R" leaked today. Once again thanks to Urbanascor for making Mondays go alot faster. 

Im Ready 4 the Weekend!

Although the weekend is here nothing is planned. However, I always end up doing something. Going to a resturaunt and eating comfort food is always good.  Alot of that has been going on down here too. Since I moved down here to ATL,  I 've enjoyed the food and find it impossible to stick to a diet. There is always a farmer's market, county fairs, pumpkin pathches, corn mazes, and other stuff going on. But the thing I like the most is the weather. The weather makes you want to get out and do something. Then are other days when the weather is just crazy!  Only in Atlanta where you can turn on the AC in your car and the heat on in the same day. I guess you have to take the bitter with the sweet. Anyway, its a big fight going on this weekend, and I'm in the mood for wings. 

Starting your own T-Shirt Company.....Good Luck!!!!

Since I graduated from college, I've always had the creative urge create my own shirts. It was a way to promote any illustrations done by me.  However that was 2005, and its been trial and error ever since.  More error than trial.  One of the factors is the recession in the country today. People are not spending top dollar to look fresh right now, especially if you are broke and don't work. 

Also you can still look fresh but he or she might be looking for something less expensive. 

That brings me to my next point. Price cuts to your product can help and hurt your start-up brand at the same time. Example? Let's say you go to your local boutique and the owner actually takes some of your product. You and owner actually set a percentage of what your profit and the stores profit is going to be. If your product does not sell well, the price cuts goes to your product, your profit, and the owners profit. Now, your shirts might be better selling at a different price point and "any sale" is better than "no sale" . But you are still losing money.

You can sell your stuff online. You're reaching a bigger audience, and you won't have to worry about the owners profit.  You receive all of the benefits.  However, there are some setbacks. If your website is designed poorly and your brand does not have web presence then there might be some difficulty moving your product. The website does not have to be expensive, but it does have to be a reflection of the brand or product. So spend wisely when it comes to websites. The "flashy" does not always work.  Simple works best.  Also modifying your website to be searchable in Google is a good idea, but that might be expensive too.

Now, by no means am I trying to discourage anyone to discontinue their start up brand. From my experience, this is some of the pitfalls I've have gone through and still go through to this day. I'm not quiting on making shirts. Although I liked doing it, it does not seem financially smart to proceed at this point in time. I'm not sure when I will start up again. It cost more money to start it and get "quality" shirts printed, than you will recieve at the beginning.  Big emphasis on "quality"  because buyers won't skimp on the quality of shirts.  

My opinion is strictly my opinion, doesn't make it fact. You are free to disagree. 

Photos of shirts by: Linty Fresh, Obey, LRG, and Johnny Cupcakes 

My Creative Pals: Sim City

One of my high school colleages dropped just dropped this ill mixtape on the web, and I must admit it is pretty damn good.  Check out the download and the blog.  Shout out to Sim, keep it up.

Robin Thicke and Jay-Z (Mieple') Me I Play

Just  listened to the new track from Robin Thicke and Jay-Z. Its okay, not a smash. But It will probably end up growing on me once the radio syndicates it. The shirts are nice too. Photos, article and download provided by Freshnessmag

" Grammy Award Winner, Robin Thicke, has been busy in the studio recording his fourth album, Sex Therapy, which is scheduled to be released later this year. For the first single he worked with the “best rapper alive”, Jay-Z. The single the two recorded is entitled, “Meiplé” (Me I Play), and has been getting lots of radio spins since it first leaked this past weekend. Rumor has it that the Thicke and Jay-Z will also be shooting a video for the video shortly."

F*CK MY LIFE!!!!!!! and you think you have it bad!

Today, I was surfin' the web and was curious and the (FML) blog. I've always knew of it and was curious to see others express their frustrations about life. Not that I do that sort of thing on the regular. Anyway they have added a new feature which has illustrations of FML post. I laughed because some of these are really good.  It sparked a creative interest and actually thinking of doing my own FML post with an illustration. A lot of stuff has been on my mind lately and what better way to express it.  Anyway some of the stuff on the website is so far beyond f*ck'd up, you will start to question if its true or not. If your day is not going so well  and you start to wonder if things can get worse, take a look at FML and you'll realize that it's not so bad afterall!

Othersideofdafam! (Other Side of The Family)

Yup, I stay busy with this art and drawing stuff. My family tree does not have any psycho or mentally deranged people in it. At least that I know of. But this illustration is mostly inspired by the phrase, "Insanity Runs in my Family" Check it out and I hope ya'll feelin it.

WALE iz here!

One of the most anticipated album of the year has finally dropped. WALE' Attention Deficit has leaked before its official release date of November 11. But that shouldnt slow down his sales for the first week. Anyway thanks to Urbanascor. You are free to enjoy!

Ken Block’s TRAX Subaru WRX STi

This is the ultimate snowmoblie and I wonder if I can parallel park this baby.  Photos and article provided by Hypebeast.

"On the heels of Ken Block’s insane Gymkhana videos and the groundbreaking snowboarding/rally part to close out DC’s MTN.LAB 1.5 video, the DC Co-Founder and Rally Team Driver has joined with Subaru to make the world’s fastest cat track operation automobile for backcountry access for snowboarding.The TRAX STI is an experimental automobile that starts with Block’s competition-ready Subaru WRX STI before ditching the tires, adding snow cat tracks, and upgrading to some next-level suspension to createthe ultimate backcountry shred car. Prepared by Vermont SportsCar, performance modifications include 400-hp and features Group N competition rally dampers made by EXE-TC and a KAPS 5-speed close-ratio dog-engagement gearbox. Under the hood sits a 2.5 liter, 4-cylinder, turbocharged and intercooled STI engine tuned with a MOTEC M800 ECU.

Completing the TRAX STI is a sleigh to be pulled behind the car, designed to hold four snowboarders, their snowboards, and all their gear. The sleigh’s body is 100 percent custom designed and constructed of hand-laid fiberglass—though the sleigh is not seen in this teaser video, look for it in future videos next year. Altogether, this is one car ready for backcountry access and snowboarding."

My Creative Pals: Aaron Hotchkiss

Hello Everyone,  I just wanted to give a shout out to my pal Aaron Hotchkiss and his comic Palupo. I try to keep up with it everyday and its always updated with new content...EVERYDAY. I dont know where he comes up with these characters, but they're crazy. Check it out!

My Birthday Post!

Okay. It was my birthday today and I must say that I enjoyed it. It was a celebration of life and food.... a lot of food. For lunch, my fiance' and I went to The Flying Biscuit. We've been there before but we always tend to get the "Southern Scramble" because its always good. I decided to get something different and chose the "Shrimp n Grits". I got instant itis and had to leave room for the biscuit. And their apple butter is so delicious. We started to ask the waiter if we can buy the butter in the jar. Ya' know just fill it up. Im still contemplating that idea. It's so many ways to use that apple butter  After lunch, it was nap time because of Itis. For dinner we decided to go to this hibachi place. Needless to say, that they found out that it was my B-Day by my fiance', and they did sing my B-day song and gave me free dessert. It turned out to be a great day. Special shout out to Mom and Dad, The Divine Creator, and my friends for wishing me Happy B-day via FB. And yes, I do have leftovers.