I Guess This Means I’m Officially A Freelance Artist

A couple of years ago, leading up to Easter, I designed a series of photoshop images focusing on The Stations of the Cross.  They were mainly for use on that current version of the blog.  But I also posted them to my Facebook profile and stated that one day (and that day is coming), I hope to transfer them to canvas.

But I also uploaded the images to my store at Zazzle.com.  They’re available there for purchase.  Then I forgot about them.

Until a couple of weeks ago.  I got an email notice that my products had sold.  After 2 years someone actually bought and entire set of all 15 posters.  This week someone bought three more.

It’s kind of neat to think that perhaps they’re being displayed in a church somewhere and that they may be a means for some to have a more meaningful experience in the coming Easter season.

And from a purely mercenary standpoint, I’m not snarking at the modest profit these sales will bring.

I’ve had some success with CafePress, particularly with my Read My Lipstick design during the 2008 campaign.  But this is the first through Zazzle.

Neither brings me enough income to quit my day job.  The CafePress Store does about enough business to pay the monthly shop fees.  Most of the time.

And now for a little nostalgia about toys.

Time Magazine has a list of the 100 greatest toys by decade.  From the 60s, they mention Lite-Brite, one of my all time favorite toys right up there With Spirograph (not on the list) and Creepy Crawlers (on the list). 

I had hours, probably days and weeks worth of fun with my Lite-Brite.  It was just a simple screen with slots for pegs.  You made the patterns with the colored pegs.

When my oldest son was in elementary school, we got him one for Christmas.  He never really spent much time with it.  I’m thinking I need to dig it out of the attic.

Not making the list however, was Flea Circus.  Another favorite that you can no longer find.  This link takes you to a picture of the whole set.  But it’s exactly as I remember it.  A game of magnetic “fleas” in their own little circus.

Toys and games are different now.  They’re either electronic, or based on some Nickelodeon show.  Even Legos come in kits.  We didn’t have Lego kits, we built our own. And we walked uphill both ways to do it.