A Book, A Song, And An Instrument
Happy Holidays!!
As we wrap up 2025 and prepare to embrace a brand new year I wanted to not only lay out my goals for 2025, but open up a little bit about who I am as an artist. If you've visited my shop in the past, you’ve only seen my work as a “shop owner.” You really haven’t seen any other sides of who I am as an artist or who I want to be….but I’m changing that.
……I’m more than t-shirts, tumblers, stickers and buttons. In the fall of 2024, I set out to see if I could make a living with my creativity. That “creativity” translates into more mediums than apparel, and promotional items. I have A LOT OF INTERESTS, so for 2025 I’m open to new genres, mediums, totally different things, and I think, by the title of this blog, you have guessed at least three things I’d like to attempt.
If you don’t know much about me or what I've already done, let me give you a very brief background of what I’m all about.
Cre8tivebubbles.com
You’re probably most familiar with my online shop which I’ve had for the past seven years. It’s stocked with a few classic t-shirt styles, some cool mugs but nothing outside the norm of what everyone else is producing in an online shop. Plus, as you can imagine, I’ve not treated it as a serious undertaking. It’s been something I refresh during Christmas and maybe one other time a year when I’ve created a new product. But, I’m ready to change that. Check out the new look website.
Boyd Design Media
I went to art school in the early 90’s, I took classes geared more towards fine arts and not computer graphics. In the early 2000’s I signed up for an Adobe subscription. It took a little bit of time to learn to use two industry leading programs, Illustrator and Photoshop, but these programs anchored my knowledge in forming Boyd Design Media, my freelance graphic design arm. I do the usual logos, business cards, postcards, signage and social media graphics. I’ve also added designing custom funeral programs to what I offer. I have also taken steps to learn Adobe Indesign and am mastering digital printing. Turns out the entire Adobe suite has some fascinating applications I can't wait to try.
Skaggs Garage On YouTube
My husband informed me one day that he wanted to start a YouTube channel about cars. He’s the talent of the channel,...making it look good was dropped in my lap to “figure…out?” Within that Adobe subscription, Premiere Pro was included. YouTube University was instrumental in teaching me simple to complex video effects which I parlayed into some pretty interesting videos, and ultimately helped me “FIGURE” it out. I enjoyed learning the program and it has helped me create some video projects for not only Skaggs Garage videos, but also, my own social media projects, as well as other organizations social media projects. I’ve got to admit, I’m still kicking around my own YouTube channel? Not so sure it’s for me since I’m most comfortable behind the camera and not in front of it. Want to see a sample of my video work? Check out Skaggs Garage.
What’s Coming In 2025
I mentioned that no genre of art is off limits. That does not mean I am interested in trying every artistic endeavor? I do, however, have some things I am really excited about trying, so let’s start with this one.
A Book
I think many people are walking on this earth with a story to tell. I’m not an author, and I’m not going to pretend that I know the nuances of writing. I plan to do research and do the very best job I can to put a good product out there. Don’t expect a literary masterpiece. What I’m aiming for is a story best suited for a kids bedtime story. I recall storytime with my own children. Every night was storytime, and every night my kids were captivated by the words and pictures from their chosen books. At least I’m not starting with nothing. I’ve had my book idea since I was a kid. Let's just say, I thought it was a cool idea then, and it hasn’t changed yet. What do I call a successful book? A successful book for me, will be an attentive audience.
A Comic
I’m of an age where I remember the Sunday comics. An entire section of the newspaper was dedicated to a multitude of cartoons. Each cartoon was as individual as its maker. Original characters, quick storylines, all entangling a reader within 3 or more picture windows. I am starting out blind on this challenge with absolutely no idea of a character or what the character will do. This one will be a challenge!
An instrument
Now, within my quest to be a professional artist and make money from being creative, I’m not limiting myself to only drawing, painting, photography or any other 2D medium. I also want to step outside my comfort zone and challenge myself in a couple other genres. One of those is playing an instrument. There are plenty I could choose from. The saxophone is always a pleasing option, but you can’t go wrong with a piano.
But, to me, the coolest instrument that sets the tone for any band is the timekeeper,...the drummer. I want to learn to play one particular song. I don’t know when or where I’ll play it, but “Jump” by Van Halen is my final exam.
A Song
The other non 2D medium I’d like to explore is a song. I want to write and sing the chorus of a song. My musical preferences are vast. I enjoy neo-soul, easy listening, jazz, lofi, all those kinds of sultry sounding melodies that make you snuggle up into your own mind and allow yourself to be taken hostage by the calm rhythmic notes and beats. I enjoy when the music and song makes you close your eyes and you just sway. I have been labeled in my family as a vocalizer. When I hear these particular tracks, I can’t help but hum along, regardless if I know the words or not, (most times I don’t know the words). I think it’s time I put this “humming” to the test. I have no idea of the song lyrics.This challenge I think I will call in a favor and bring in someone to join me in creating this track. She’s already got the experience and knowledge in beat creation, and because of that, my learning curve will be cut in half. The final exam for this project is to publish this work.
What Else Do I Want To Do?
The ideas above are the most impactful I want to attempt in 2025. But there are still a few more things I want to accomplish although I’m not putting a time limit on them. I want to completely change the way I design and create my t-shirts, mugs and other store items. I don’t want to be so predictable. I don’t want my designs to be compared to anyone else's. It’s time for outside the box thinking.
Prints
I want to add prints to my store, all kinds of prints. I’m talking posters, original artwork, and even greeting cards, and note cards. The art of letter writing and sending notes is vanishing. I want to re-imagine what a note can look like. Can a bold new design direction for an old task be enough to revive the US mail system? A text message is fine but who doesn’t love a hand written, stamped surprise in your real life physical mailbox.
Movie
The advances in technology have made it easier than ever to use the phone in your pocket for video recording. Why not make a movie? I’m not saying I’m making a movie with only my cellphone, but I do want to make a movie, subject matter to be determined.
Documentary
I love documentaries. It is something that I have wanted to create for sometime now. I want to take a subject matter and tell the story from beginning to end.
Comic Book
Why stop at a cartoon when you can create a full comic book. There’s still a little kid in all of us and most kids like comics. I know I do. I’d like to exercise my creativity and write and illustrate a comic from start to finish.
Turning The Corner
I realize a lot of these things I can’t do in a year's time, but what I can do, I will. Some of these projects will take a little longer. Some a lot longer. One of the things I love about turning the corner on the New Year is the "do over." It's a time to forget the past and just start over fresh. I've done it several times with the outcome repeating itself, so what makes this time different? I can't answer that now. All I can do is make the commitment and do the work. Tag-a-long with me as I try to figure it all out.
