Many years ago I was the unofficial ghostwriter of horoscopes for Kung Fu Magazine. This was before an actual Feng Shui Master was put on retainer for this purpose. It was one of the many Ninja tasks I undertook on behalf of the publisher.
It’s been a long time, but I went again and wrote up a horoscope for this new year –
Happy Lunar New Year! 恭贺新禧!Welcome to the year of the Iron Bull, a time when hard work must be coupled with honesty. It’s a time for the end of the BS! Though last year’s rusted rat brought with it a great plague, now is the time for digging deep and beating swords into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks.
PLUGOarts: Year of the Iron Bull: 02.12.2021
Another task I undertook for Kung Fu Magazine parent company was the designing of new T-shirt art to commemorate each lunar new year. When I launched the T-shirt printing division of the company I was given free reign to build our library of T-shirt design. 99% of which was original art I created for the purpose. The launch was a profound success and the division grew to encompass a wide range of customized products.
But with that success more stakeholder become involved in the production process, and unfortunately, the quality of the design work diminished. It was no longer the result of a singular artistic vision but the dreaded Design-by-committee. The common problem with that approach is usually the committee members with no artistic training influencing a design based on the “I like” / “I don’t like” instinct. As a result the output grew generic, the work became boring to me; a job rather than an inspiration. I could point to the last “Year of the _____” design I think still worked, but that would be a digression.
As the horoscope says, I’m liberated from the BS. I can now create a T-shirt design with only one consideration in mind; my aesthetic interest.
So what do you think?
Is this a T-shirt you would buy? Not that you have to, you can get a sticker instead. incidentally, it’ll also make a great onesie for those lock-down babies about to be born.
This design can be found on dozens of other products as well, from cellphone cases to shower curtains. See them and more at my redbubble shop. PLUGOarts.Redbubble.com
