Stars Over Tennessee: A Design That Came and Went

It was an idea that didn’t really turn out like I had been hoping. Three stars. A nod to Tennessee with their tri-star state emblem, as seen in the state flag. I even got that design as my first tattoo; Tennessee is special to me. All I could come up with is three stars in line with a color canvas. I chose hot pink because…. yeah.

But translated into print on a hat just wasn’t working. The pink color was not as bright and it’s something about the CMYK color palette.

I tried other sorts of star combinations without being inspired to go further. I had no idea coming up with a design featuring stars would turn out to be a dud. Of course, it won’t be a dud forever, I hope. Just for now. So that idea was shelved and I moved on to another idea featuring everyone’s favorite bird– the pelican. Check back in tomorrow for a walkthrough of a brand new design featuring the coastal bird in my Out of the Wilderness merch store.

See you soon…

-Out of the Wilderness

The Frisky Squirrel in a Pizza Roll Commercial

This commercial from Totino’s isn’t exactly new anymore but it still airs and when I see it, the phrase “You’re freeeeeeeee!” rattles around in my head the rest of that day. And I mean that in the best possible way. I also like that they didn’t spend a gazillion dollars on making the squirrel uber-realistic. I mean, it looks good, details are well-done, but they didn’t waste time studying the subtle movements of squirrels besides flipping its tail and jumping long distances. It’s meant to be funny, not biologically or scientifically accurate… down to the precise texture of the fur, for instance.

The tension comes to a crescendo as the one guy instructs another to stay still. Then he reaches for a pizza roll instead of helping with the squirrel. It’s silly comedy. But there’s something deeper: Could one of these human characters be the next “Plays With Squirrels”? That’s a Boy Meets World reference, just like this sweatshirt is for the die-hard BMW fan. I wonder if Totino’s has any plans for a follow-up commercial with the squirrel. I’d love to see a sqeaquel.

-Out of the Wilderness

Ancestry Disses Disney in New Commercial?

I didn’t expect to be drawn in so much for a commercial about family lineage. Don’t get me wrong, I love my ancestors but I was never interested in American or world history so by all measures, this commercial should bore me. And yet, I loved it. Ancestry asks viewers a simple question to claim their relevancy in our lives. Check it out…

I can answer their question. We know more about those historical figures and events because it was information delivered to us. All we had to do, for the most part, was just receive the information. On the other hand, since most of aren’t famous with historians or stalkers following our every move, it takes effort and work to find out about our personal histories. That’s where Ancestry comes in to come alongside us in our search. Pretty cool. Specifically about the commercial, though, I’m not sure why they included a clip of Disney and my first thought was wondering how expensive it must’ve been to license a Mickey Mouse video. Then it occurred to me that they used an OLD clip. It’s from “Steamboat Willie” (1928) and as of 2024, that film is public domain. As long as Ancestry’s depiction doesn’t infringe on more modern versions of Mickey Mouse or link Ancestry to Disney in some way, they’re good to go. So to answer my question in the title of this post, Ancestry isn’t bashing Disney.

Because Steamboat Willie isn’t Disney’s anymore.

-Out of the Wilderness

New Design Alert! Calling All Locals.

Printify is manufacturing my ideas for hats, clothing, tech products, and more. I don’t know if they’re tickled to death over on their side of things, but I’m having a ball over here. It started with a few Mahjong accessories. I’d call Mahjong a global game because people all over the world play it. My latest design is the opposite… think: Local. Check out a simple graphic to show your hometown pride and pick out a few items from my store, Out of the Wilderness on Printify. Check out the “local” collection pictured below…

I can also do custom designs for a variety of products so leave a comment below if you have something in mind. Thanks for stopping by today…

-Out of the Wilderness

How Big is This Nancy Guthrie Case Going to Be in History?

I still remember when I heard her name on the radio and thought to myself, “Who in the world is Nancy Guthrie?” That was over 3 weeks ago. Obviously it didn’t take long to find out with a quick Google search. I didn’t pay much attention at first because I figured it would get sorted out in a few days. Then a week went by. I started checking news periodically even though new information was rarely being presented.

Now we’re about 2.5 weeks into her disappearance and if there’s even one person who isn’t aware of the case of the missing mother, I’d be shocked. It’s heartbreaking, enthralling, bizarre, suspicious, interesting, sad, frightening. I’m sure most, if not all, of us have inserted ourselves into the situation. What if it was OUR mother, OUR aunt, OUR sister? Mixed feelings of sadness and rage.

The story is unfolding right before our eyes, sometimes quickly, and it’s turning into a moment in history we’ll all remember. Like OJ Simpson, September 11th, and many other “Where were you when…” happenings. I just hope that there’s still a chance she can be reunited with her family.

-Out of the Wilderness