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- Jan 22, 2008
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Yall,
Been trying to start a microbrewery for several years. It's tough! Need lots of money and there is lots of red tape to get thru. It has been incredibly frustrating. But it was something I was passionate about and I always believed that the first rule of business was to follow your passion. Today I decided to to put this dream on the back burner. Pull the plug! Not to worry, no sad ending. I've failed at other things too.
About 17 years ago I was drawing my own single panel cartoon titled 'WASTELANDS'. It was somewhat in the same vein as the old 'Far Side' cartoons that used to be in the newspapers. I was greatly influenced by Gary Larsen. I tried and tried to get my cartoon in the papers. I had dreams of getting it syndicated and becoming the next 'Far Side'. I sent in my portfolio to several newspapers and got as many rejection letters. Eventually I became frustrated, stopped drawing 'Wastelands', and gave it all up.
It has been around 17 years since and I never really got back into drawing or art, never had any desire to do it, and just had way too many interests since.
One of the things I have always been passionate about was the beach. My family and I go every chance we get. Our family owns a beach house on the NC coast and we just love going there for weekends and vacations. The beaches are my sanctuary. I often wondered how I could make a business out of my love for the shore.
Recently I discovered the 'Life is Good' franchise. You know, those quirky t-shirts with the smiley face. Yea that little multi-million dollar compay.
Well, I got to thinkin, what if I revived my old Wastelands cartoon and considered putting them on t-shirts? What if I designed the cartoons with a beach theme? The Wasteland Cartoons I created are perfect for T-shirts because they are single panel. One picture tells the story. You know when I was doing Wastelands 17 years ago I never really thought much about creating a company around it. All I wanted was to get them in the newspaper.
Well anyway, this past week I sat down and inked out about 10 drawings that would make up my first batch of beach themed t-shirts. Believe it or not... it turned out so similar to the ole Wastelands cartoons. Basically it's WasteLand's reborn on a t-shirt!! Well, I showed these designs to a few people I trust and they were a big hit. I was encouraged to go forward.
So it looks like my new company has been born. I'm going to ink up some t-shirts and hit the retailers, surf shops, etc. I'm also gonna sell them to friends and family, and maybe even sell them out of my car...ha ha! Maybe even create my own website and sell them online. I live near some very popluar beaches...The Outer Banks of NC, Myrtle Beach, etc...so the list of potential retailers are infinite around here. The tourists flood these areas from may thru september...so I'm thinking ahead to the 2010 tourist season.
I'll scan in a few pics of my initial designs and let you guys get an idea of what I'm doing in the next few days. I plan to spend a lot of time on design this weekend. Would love to get some feedback. Just think along the lines of 'Life is Good' similar...but different enough to be original also. Again, it's based on my ole Wasteland's cartoons....which was conceived years before 'Life is Good' ever existed.
It's a humble beginning for this new idea of mine, but it will be fun to see how big it can grow. The 'Life is Good' franchise is proof that there are no limits. Wish me well!
Been trying to start a microbrewery for several years. It's tough! Need lots of money and there is lots of red tape to get thru. It has been incredibly frustrating. But it was something I was passionate about and I always believed that the first rule of business was to follow your passion. Today I decided to to put this dream on the back burner. Pull the plug! Not to worry, no sad ending. I've failed at other things too.
About 17 years ago I was drawing my own single panel cartoon titled 'WASTELANDS'. It was somewhat in the same vein as the old 'Far Side' cartoons that used to be in the newspapers. I was greatly influenced by Gary Larsen. I tried and tried to get my cartoon in the papers. I had dreams of getting it syndicated and becoming the next 'Far Side'. I sent in my portfolio to several newspapers and got as many rejection letters. Eventually I became frustrated, stopped drawing 'Wastelands', and gave it all up.
It has been around 17 years since and I never really got back into drawing or art, never had any desire to do it, and just had way too many interests since.
One of the things I have always been passionate about was the beach. My family and I go every chance we get. Our family owns a beach house on the NC coast and we just love going there for weekends and vacations. The beaches are my sanctuary. I often wondered how I could make a business out of my love for the shore.
Recently I discovered the 'Life is Good' franchise. You know, those quirky t-shirts with the smiley face. Yea that little multi-million dollar compay.
Well, I got to thinkin, what if I revived my old Wastelands cartoon and considered putting them on t-shirts? What if I designed the cartoons with a beach theme? The Wasteland Cartoons I created are perfect for T-shirts because they are single panel. One picture tells the story. You know when I was doing Wastelands 17 years ago I never really thought much about creating a company around it. All I wanted was to get them in the newspaper.
Well anyway, this past week I sat down and inked out about 10 drawings that would make up my first batch of beach themed t-shirts. Believe it or not... it turned out so similar to the ole Wastelands cartoons. Basically it's WasteLand's reborn on a t-shirt!! Well, I showed these designs to a few people I trust and they were a big hit. I was encouraged to go forward.
So it looks like my new company has been born. I'm going to ink up some t-shirts and hit the retailers, surf shops, etc. I'm also gonna sell them to friends and family, and maybe even sell them out of my car...ha ha! Maybe even create my own website and sell them online. I live near some very popluar beaches...The Outer Banks of NC, Myrtle Beach, etc...so the list of potential retailers are infinite around here. The tourists flood these areas from may thru september...so I'm thinking ahead to the 2010 tourist season.
I'll scan in a few pics of my initial designs and let you guys get an idea of what I'm doing in the next few days. I plan to spend a lot of time on design this weekend. Would love to get some feedback. Just think along the lines of 'Life is Good' similar...but different enough to be original also. Again, it's based on my ole Wasteland's cartoons....which was conceived years before 'Life is Good' ever existed.
It's a humble beginning for this new idea of mine, but it will be fun to see how big it can grow. The 'Life is Good' franchise is proof that there are no limits. Wish me well!
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