The Retired Guy on Umm … Retiring

When I first retired and delved into my side hustle of designing t-shirts, I found myself submerged in a whirlpool of ridiculous/hilarious half-baked ideas and unexpected triumphs. From making minimalist cartoon characters without themes then stumbling onto the “retired guy” theme. Unexpectedly I got a special request to do a “retired again” t-shirt. It seems guys retire more than once! But what became a hit was a quirky, take on the “retired gal” theme. My sister suggested the image should have one foot off the ground. “We gals like to kick up or heels!” She exclaimed. And my best-selling theme was born.

One of the most interesting aspects of this adventure is learning about websites and learning about art and design software. I am particularly pleased to have discovered two open-source design tools: KRITA and INKSCAPE. I absolutely love these guys! Despite my slow and stumbling efforts to learn, I find great joy in creating unique, wearable art and sharing laughter with customers made every stumble worth the while.