Jack Hughes is Great for American Dentists

Incredible athletes performed in the name of the United States. Every color of medal was won and just like US Hockey player Jack Hughes, I love this country. Not only did he get a couple of teeth knocked out, which I imagine is a badge of honor in hockey circles, he also scored the Gold-Medal-winning goal. Very cool. Afterwards, he gushed about his love for America and I felt my heart swelling with pride.

Sports fans might drink the beers and get in the fights but they’re sharp when it comes to seeing athletes for who they really are. For instance, the country will rally around a beloved athlete who loses a match or game. We cheer for them to win but support them (perhaps, all the more) when they come up short. On the other end of the spectrum, when an athlete shows selfishness or bashes their sport or country on a global stage, even when they win it’s a bitter taste for fans. Sometimes it might even feel more fitting from a fan perspective when they lose (*ahem* U.S. Women’s Soccer).

With all of that said, I love living in a country where we have the freedom to disagree. It makes me love the country even more. Are there things I don’t particularly enjoy? Of course. But when we have the chance to talk to a global audience, we absolutely ought to brag about being in the best country in the world… like Jack did in the interview below. Pick up a shirt and wear it with American pride here.

-Out of the Wilderness

The Subaru Naked Commercial – Skinny Dipping in the Wild!?

With a blog called Out of the Wilderness, I can’t NOT write about this pair of love birds (or were they just friends being wild?) getting caught skinny dipping in a forest lake. In other words, they didn’t make it out of the wilderness (buh dum cheeee) with their clothes on. Check it out then scroll down for more…

Actually, they literally get IN the wilderness… the all-new Subaru Forester Wilderness, that is… and seemingly drive all the way back home naked and wet. That young hiker will never forget this day, I can tell you that. Neither will the truck driver who honks at the man and woman, implying that from his vantage point the truck driver saw enough to warrant such action. I sorta want to know what else that truck driver’s seen but also, I really, really don’t want to know.

The commercial did two things: Made me laugh and also made me ask if they can do that on TV? No private parts were shown, of course, and they did it on TV so I guess we have our answer. I think it was a clever way to get the viewers to remember the ad while simultaneously highlighting the off-road capabilities of the new vehicle.

Just like the couple in the ad, the ad itself is a brief escape from reality. In the real world, though, every single person driving Subaru’s either old, gray, hairy, or all of the above. But still, I like the ad. Clever, funny, memorable.

-Out of the Wilderness

Drop the ball we win, Clown

I’ve discovered in my 47 years on this earth that some people have a fear of clowns. It actually has a name: Coulrophobia. I am not studied up enough to know why or how this fear develops, maybe from childhood traumas? My childhood was fine. There was Bozo and that’s basically all I knew of clowns, and he was funny. But others of you might first think of the clown from It and for that, I’m sorry… because he’s diabolical.

Anywho, I recently designed a clown for pickleball gear… based on this Instagram video:

Drop the ball we win, Clown.” That’s the line that inspired these next two clowns, available as your next pickleball paddle set here.

-Out of the Wilderness

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