The T word

This blog will talk about a couple of things. First of all, I want to thank those of you that reached out and told me about the stolen designs on Temu. I understand how frustrating it is to see that; when I first realized I was being ripped off, I almost fired my life coach at the time and quit altogether. I look back at that time in nostalgia, and believe it or not, I’m grateful. Another seller on Etsy (shouts out to BeneShopArt) told me it’s a compliment—yes, a backhanded compliment—but it lets me know that people like my designs all over the place; a lot of them just haven’t found me yet! My mindset changed from worry to abundance in this situation, and now I am actually quite flattered.

So, why do I call it the “T” word if I’m so nonchalant about this? Well, I went about a year not hearing anything about designs in…other places. I don’t really shop anywhere else but Amazon or Target, and with how busy life has been, I haven’t really done much shopping for things at all. A close friend of mine started bringing up how much they swear by “T” (Temu) and all the great things they got for a low price. I was actually shocked by how many decent-quality goods you can get on there. Now, is it ethical? Yeah, that's a blog for another time, but I will admit, you can find some hits on there.

Then somehow… After a YEAR “coincidentally,” I’m getting messages about my design being on the dreaded T word. Listen, you can call me woo-woo or spiritual, but if I learned anything in my 25 years, it's what you focus on… EXPANDS. He brings it up AGAIN a week later; BAM, another message about a stolen design, then a week after that. What did I do? Nothing. I just loved how true the statement is that what you focus on very well manifests into your reality. So instead of focusing on the dreaded T word, I keep drawing. I don’t give these people any attention; hence, it’s just the T word to me. That summer when I first got that message about my max design being ripped off, it was like the world was actually ending for me, so when I even hear the word "Temu," my mind goes right back there, so that's why I don't even focus on it, and for a year, yep, no messages, no drama. (And these businesses will fail; it's not sustainable, and if one of you a-holes is reading this, you got the cut pattern wrong.)

Now, how can you apply this to YOUR life? If there is something really bothering you, preferably out of your control, what you DON'T DO is give it all of your energy. Energy is in focus. The “universe” is NOT biased. If you look up “I don’t want to see cats” on Google, you’re still going to see cats anyways. The world works pretty similarly to that. Now, don't look at me; I don't know why it does. Some say it's your subconscious, and scientists say it's your reticular activating system, but regardless, your focus is the most priceless thing in the world. It is literally your currency on this planet, so if I were you, if something irks you, if you can fix it, fix it; if not, shift gears. Trust me on this one; it will bring you a lot of peace of mind.

art college was…interesting

Hi, If you are reading this, you are reading a very old entry from before I launched the website. I wanted to write something that some of you may relate to and maybe a potential cautionary tale. Well, hear me out; there’s nothing totally wrong with art school—that is, if you attend Juilliard or something along those lines. I went to a design school, and the best way I can sum it up is…show and tell. And a lot of essays.

Lots and lots of essays.

Well, I am grateful for the experience, and it taught me a lot of life skills I was too disassociated to learn in high school. Time management, collaboration, stress management…how to pace your sleep schedule enough for frequent all-nighters… But of all else, I learned life just isn’t fair; at least in the art world, it isn’t.

I feel like my entire art life I’ve been submitting for some kind of art competition. First it was to see which drawing got a spot in the yearbook, which drawing became a mural, which drawing was going to win a scholastic award, which drawing was going to get you into the music festival downtown, and which drawing would be chosen for professional projects such as Kohl's, Johnsonville, a local magazine, or Carmex.

It then dawned on me as I became a professional. It's way cheaper to pay an amateur student in art school much less than a full-time employee for work. You get me?

Artists will forever be exploited in some ways, and if you aren’t smart enough, you can let that become your entire worth in the art industry. I look back and wonder why I felt so ashamed for never being “picked” by these large projects or companies. Life is way more abundant than that. Your potential in the arts is worth more than a show-and-tell critique or an all-nighter project to get your design selected for Collectivo…unpaid. Find your real voice, expand on it, and see where it leads you. For real.