Artistic Design and Collaboration

Since I was young, I was always taught to view tattoos as something that ends up being regrettable and casts you in the light of a rebel. There was no other way of looking at it, especially considering my uncle was someone who often got in trouble with the law and had tattoos covering his entire body. If anything, that served as “a reminder” not to get a tattoo of my own.

But as I’ve grown to see the world in a different light, I’m realizing more and more how tattoos are nothing but a means of expressing yourself. And if anything, more and more people are beginning to get at least one tattoo, to the point that they’re in the mainstream more than a mark of the rebellious.

So, in the past year I’ve told myself that I would home in on an idea that resonates with me and would work quite well as a tattoo. While I’m a pretty indecisive person and like to change my mind all the time, I think I’ve zeroed in on a design that I thought up based on one of my favorite musicians’ songs. In fact, I’ve even sat down with some thin slats from cardboard boxes and constantly drawn different designs with a sharpie. While I’m no artist in the slightest, this has given me a way to map out what I do like and what I don’t like about certain shapes and lines and themes and layouts.

I won’t actually be the one to design my own tattoo, of course. I think leaving that up to the tattoo artist themself is actually far more beneficial for me getting the tattoo since this leaves the creative direction in the hands of an actual artist. And really, all the great tattoo artists out there actually prefer this so that they can feel more comfortable and confident in the design as it comes along. If they feel like they’re doing a stencil of someone else’s design, it’s not as fun or engaging for them, and they won’t be nearly as proud of their work.

So, my sessions with pieces of cardboard boxes is merely to get a concept in mind. The more I rule out what I dislike and keep close the things I like, the more I can describe the design to a potential artist (or even show them concept ideas). For most artists, this probably is exactly what they want to hear and see while still being able to take their own shot at the concept.

The World of Ecommerce

Ever since 2020 and the COVID19 pandemic, the world has just gone absolutely bonkers. Our political scene is so completely divided in ways that I have never seen. In addition to this, our economy has taken turn after turn. What initially seemed to be a complete recession headed our way instead yielded certain sectors of the economy that have blown up beyond anyone's wildest expectations. One thing that proved to be extremely lucrative was the world of online shopping and purchases. It certainly made more sense to start buying things online rather than in stores, since everything was pretty much closed down. However, I don’t think anyone expected to see a complete shift in a few different industries like we are now seeing today. One thing that many small businesses had to do to stay afloat was start moving their business to an online format. Because people could no longer come into stores to browse and purchase different products, many people found themselves locked in their homes with much more money and time to shop for things online.

People who were quick to jump on the eCommerce bandwagon at a time like this are probably very well off by now. We all had to be in quarantine at some point - what else is there to do but sit around on the internet and feed our consumerist tendencies? I know for me personally, I spent a lot of time looking for new things to buy during COVID lockdown. One thing that I ended up buying was a new gaming computer. Funnily enough, the company I ordered from was getting such a surplus of orders that they simply could not keep up with demand. Who would have thought that everyone would be trying to buy a gaming computer during lockdown? My point is that there are many successful businesses out there that stepped into the world of eCommerce, and we may have a hard time getting them to come back to their brick and mortar storefronts.

The biggest thing about eCommerce is that it cuts down on a lot of overhead costs, depending on the type of business that is being conducted. Small businesses especially suffer from paying rent and property taxes, among utilities, upkeep, and other espense like that. With eCommerce, small business owners said goodbye to those costly factors and simply focused on manufacturing and shipping. In fact, some companies make even more money when they ship their products out, because shipping costs are so low. Things like packing supplies and cardboard boxes are not expensive these days. I think we have seen a large number of business owners take advantage of this online system and are now reaping the benefits.

I know that my family ordered countless items online during the pandemic. What’s easier than clicking a few buttons and having your new products show up at your door in nicely packaged cardboard boxes? The answer - nothing. Especially in a time when people are afraid to go outside on a daily basis, online shopping became the new trip to Walmart. What we need to take away from this crazy time is that the market is always capable of adjusting to new trends, outside factors, and peoples ever changing tastes, preferences, and needs. Online shopping will never be the same again as we look forward to 2021.