FREE VECTORS: Flourishes & RANT: Afflicition isn’t that crappy.

This free download package includes royalty free flourish vectors. If you like the vectors, check out Flourishes 2 or Flourishes 1vector packs from The Golden Black.

DOWNLOAD LINK: http://hotfile.com/dl/112636687/84b7301/Flourish_Vectors_by_Jimiyo.rar.html

Please RETWEET if you like the free vector set, or post on Facebook and share with your friends.

If you like these vectors, make sure to bookmark my blog and check back on occasion for more FREE VECTORS and articles.

Thanks!
;j

AFFLICTION ISN'T THAT CRAPPY

The free vectors are some old vectors I created many years ago when I first started making my own shirts. At the time Affliction had just recently started to become popular, and wasn't pigeonholed into being considered douchebaggy, overly expensive t-shirts. People at the time respected the apparel line for incorporating solid art (stuff that actually took a good artist with drawing skills to redner), using atypical print locations, and utilizing other printing methods like foil. It's interesting how quickly public opinion can change after something reaches a level of success. The fact is, success doesn't change the inherent value or skill that it took to create the art in the shirts at the time. I initially was impressed with integration of ornate design elements with highly skilled drawings/illustrations. Affliction shirts were a heavy influence in a few of my initial "jimiyo" tees.

I've since sold the rights to these designs for a measley $150-$400 each, but I guess that is the mistakes that an artist has to make to pay the bills when they first start out. In hindsight, I NEEDED the money to pay rent, so I sold myself short. I guess I could recreate them with 2011 skills, but the ability to create simple designs without over thinking is something I've long lost with becoming too aware of the rules and could probably no longer replicate... unless maybe I was drunk... I don't know. I was somewhat of an alcoholic back then. Maybe alcohol abuse helped me to reach that nirvana of stupor and anti-conformist behavior in my designing. Old stomach can't take the booze no more without severe consequences.... I digress.

And maybe, over the years, Affliction designs have become easily recognized and regurgitated enough into a formulaic, replicate-able design, so they aren't as fresh and exciting as they used to be, still... Affliction isn't that crappy. If you met someone in real life that was like... I design Afflicition t-shirt designs, you would be probably be like... hey, that's actually a cool frakking job.

Thanks for reading.
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;j

FREE VECTOR: Lion Head & WEEKLY ROUNDUP

DOWNLOAD LINK: http://hotfile.com/dl/111828191/57eab13/Lion_Head.rar.html

Please RETWEET if you like the free vector set, or post on Facebook and share with your friends.

If you like these vectors, make sure to bookmark my blog and check back on occasion for more FREE VECTORS and articles.

Thanks!
;j

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

FREE ASIAN VECTORS: http://hotfile.com/dl/111373008/04c368f/Lotus_Pack_by_jimiyo.rar.html
FREE ROSES VECTORS: http://hotfile.com/dl/111508750/200aef4/Roses_I_by_jimiyo.rar.html
FREE HUMMINGBIRD VECTORS: http://hotfile.com/dl/111226014/65be14d/hummingbirds.rar.html

PALAVER March 25, 2011

Instead of writing articles, I've switched over to offering free vectors for content. Although it would be beneficial for me to write articles three times a week as I had considered, in hindsight the task seemed to be too optimistic. Also, sadly, free vectors garner much more traffic regardless of the level of helpful insights the articles might offer. I will most likely write articles occasionally, but just like "art" over "pop culture", there does seem to be a collary in mass market acceptance of bite size generic bits versus long expositions with details and explanations. I was thinking Seth Godin has interesting bite size mini-blogs and they are easy to consume. The mini-blogs are akin to retweeting proverbs or a popular quote from some famous dead man, although they are admittedly slightly longer, usually a paragraph or three. Still, I can understand how the mass internet audience, having an aversion for thinking and a tendency for ADD media consumption, would rather not read a long article, and want the shortcut to the answer to life and all things.

I was listening to The Long Tail by Chris Anderson recently. There was an interesting quote, "The quest for mass market acceptance requires a compromise - a willingness to pick topics of broad interests... and write in a conversational style rather than academic."

The quote taken out of context is quite misleading since the overall concept of the book which is the long tail of markets, which "refers to the statistical property that a larger share of population rests within the tail of a probability distribution than observed under a 'normal' or Gaussian distribution. The term has gained popularity in recent times as describing the retailing strategy of selling a large number of unique items in relatively small quantities – usually in addition to selling fewer popular items in large quantities."

It was a good book. I recommend it. I haven't been able to discern any application of the book's information to an artist's career since although the book claim niche markets can thrive, it would be misleading to say that the individual or product which represents the niche would easily thrive, because in reality, its the aggregator of the niche that would thrive.

Consider the common belief that artists can thrive by building a niche somewhat misleading. I used to hear the term "niche markets" and automatically believe that by the virtue that the term existed meant that just by being an individual, fans would flock to one's individuality. I surmise that the reason artists in niche markets become popular and successful is because a larger entity, an aggregator, successfully curated their work to expose them to a wider audience.

Unless you are able to get exposure through an aggregator, your only other alternative is become a self promoter, and be just as effective as the aggregator. There in lies the rub. As always, you can either work hard as an artist and hope that you get picked up and helped along the way, or you can become a jack of all trades and learn yourself into becoming a self aggregator of sorts. Does that make sense?

OTHER PALAVER

I ended up needing some mindfreeze, so I invested in Fallout New Vegas. It's pretty much like Fallout 3 so it's been nice to pick up in the same realm with new storylines.

I am almost finished with Veritas.

Love Cthulhu art print was delivered. I will most likely be running a giveaway in the near future.

I moved to Kirkland, WA from Foothill Ranch, CA a year ago on March 22, 2010. I distinctly remember leaving at 1:30. I drove about 21 hours straight to get here. I think I took a couple naps at rest stops along the way. It was a big leap I suppose, moving to a new city for a girl. Relationship are definitely quite a bit of work, but I suppose anything worthwhile is...

The kitties were born a year ago today.

Thanks for reading!
;j