Talking with a tour manager, he passed along a great idea for merchandise. As I get to that idea, I need to state that I’ve been trying to find a good story for myself. Like the difficulty my students have when I ask them to write about themselves, I’m having the same experience.
The tour manager suggested using my teaching job as a way to put a twist on things. Like most ideas I like, my imagination begins flowing like a river out of its bounds. I wanted to have fun with the idea and here’s just one manifestation of my thoughts: destroyed pencil and used guitar strings art. This helps me build a story for myself–you can see I love my job yet I’m not the typical teacher.
I wanted merch that’s unique, has a cool edge, and is easy to carry. For the art, I put some ideas on paper and drafted some construction plans. I researched supply costs, made purchases well under budget, and set out to work. One final note I made was time. In arts, it’s easy to not value your time spent working. Keeping track of time is one of the best measures of effectiveness. Of course, while building the first piece, I learned a lot. Each piece is titled, numbered, and mounted on a dated and signed card.
I’ll be opening these pieces up for sale at the June 24, 2017 Refrain Showcase event. The cost is $10. Going to see how people respond before making more. But, I do have many other related ideas besides these.
