“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.”
— Gandhi
Hi! Welcome to Active Art. This website is a space to share some of my product designs, art, YouTube videos, and POD designs (print on demand). I will be adding and updating things over time so don’t be a stranger and come on by to visit now and then.
At the top of the page, you will find a listing of different pages that are dedicated to different projects. The blog will feature a variety of topics and discussions about art, the process of developing a product, and other related topics. Please join the discussion!
Most of us have heard someone mention an invention idea they once had and wished they had developed it. My first idea came when playing pickup games at the local basketball court. I thought there should be a sports clothing brand named “And One”. A couple of years later, there was a brand. The stories and the lost opportunities have always stayed in the back of mind. Each time I had what I thought was a good idea, I learned something about product development.
Working as a physical therapist, a couple of ideas have stuck around long enough to make an imprint but didn’t make it to the patent application stage. The first was a belt and pillow system that myself and a colleague created to provide lumbar distraction. It fit the limited resources and space we had and was effective. We joked about developing a product but never followed through on it. The main reason was that we rarely used it ourselves. The second idea was for an arch support that could be built into a shoe and the user could vary the amount of support. This idea made it all the way to a rough prototype and patent search. The search found a similar product that had a better design. That was enough to take the wind out of that sail.
New ideas come along in daily life as well. While playing around on a print on demand site, I thought “Diamond Life” would be fantastic for a baseball/softball gear company. This time, I applied for a trademark. I learned about trademarks and office actions on this adventure. Sometimes, hiring a lawyer who knows how to navigate the system, would be a key to success. I could have refiled but since the process takes so long and the products I had posted were not selling well, I moved on. I have developed prototypes of art equipment. I found one on Instagram. It had been improved on and developed already. It was more complicated and 2-3x the price point I had imagined, but I assumed they had a least a provisional patent that would have covered my idea. I did pursue the other idea as far as a self-completed provisional patent and approached a few companies with the idea. I received one response and it is was a very polite, no thank you. I contacted a local company to make it but after 3 months of them not even starting, I let it go.
The newly patented product I developed was driven by knowledge that it could actually help my patients. When I was tempted to not follow through, there was a sense of guilt. Because of that, I made choices that were likely not the best for someone developing a business but were made consciously, because I knew I would not regret the effort. People needed the option to have this tool. I knew it was for a niche inside a niche, but if it could help anyone, I needed to try.
In one year, I had 3 different patients fall while using a bedside commode. Each one had a story that involved them on the ground, BSC and its contents on them, and EMS coming to help. I am being intentionally vague but just know that you would never want to go through the trauma. In all three cases, getting a new, more stable BSC was not an option. One of the patients had a caregiver that was great at making things to adapt the environment. We tried to come up with a solution for their particular situation but circumstances changed before we were able. After a few months, I had an idea. I made a series of prototypes in the garage and thought that I had it. I researched and called a lawyer in town and made an appointment to discuss in detail. That weekend I fully tested the prototypes. It did not work in the slightest. In a bit of a panic, I came up with a new idea, prototype, drawings, and pictures before the Monday afternoon appointment.
Through the whole process of developing the product, finding a manufacturer, and having it up for sale, I have learned quite a bit; too often, the hard way. Early on, I reached out to a few durable medical equipment manufacturers. The one call back I received was amazing. The call was from a local company and he asked a few questions about the product. He quickly realized that it was not something that would fit in their product line or with their target customer base. That could have been the end of the conversation, but he took the time to ask a few more questions and provided some guidance on things that would help me move in the right direction. I am so thankful for that call and his time.
The Chair Cane has been for sale for awhile now. It is a passive listing for now. There was some difficulty with an algorithm on the platform thinking that it had a battery. I changed the description and reached out several times but was unable to resolve the issue. After six months of the listing being pulled, the inventory was manually inspected and the error corrected. For that and several other platform related reasons, I may just leave it passive for now. Who knows where this path is going but it is an adventure!
The picture book series is finally finished. Kayla may have more to do in the future, but this series is done. This last book was planned as two but as words hit the page, I realized that to extend the story to that length, it would need scenes that did not move the story forward. After the story was written, it felt done but I knew unless it was followed to publication, it would float over me as an unfinished project that I had made a commitment to myself to complete.
This is not art related but I realize that many artists and entrepreneurs are self employed and/or have jobs that do not provide health insurance. I just hung up from a phone call that saved me about $200 a month on health insurance.
Starting April 1, 2021, more people will be eligible for more help through Healthcare.gov. I already had a medical and dental plan through the website and was receiving a partial subsidy. The price I was paying had tripled from the year before and I wanted to check if I was eligible for additional assistance.
The system WILL NOT automatically adjust your payments if you are eligible for more assistance.
The website did not offer any direction in how to apply for additional premium subsidies. I called the number they provided and a nice, helpful, and patient representative assisted me through the process of finding out if I qualified for more under the new guidelines. She stated that it needs to be filed under a life change and walked me through the application. She made it easy and quick. I would imagine that you can click on “Report Life Change” in your account and do it yourself. If you do not currently have insurance through healthcare.gov, then applying as a first time applicant should work.
Short summary of how the website works: sign up for an account, enter information about your income, married/single, any dependents, any disabilities or conditions that affect your ability to work; The system checks for your eligibility, including if Medicaid is the appropriate option. Every state is different because some have different guidelines and some have expanded Medicaid under the ACA and some did not. At the end of the year, they send you a statement that has to be entered into your tax forms. If your actual income was significantly different than your anticipated income, your taxes may be affected. There is a cap to how much extra can be added to your tax bill.
I have described my experiences with the program. Please consult the website, contact the office, and/or talk to your tax/legal representative for full advice on your situation.
I have done some editing on all three books. This last book required a bit more than the others. The illustrator that I use puts in a lot of work, but not nearly the same amount as a professional book illustrator. There is a digit different in the price, so I do not expect the same level work. There are three main reasons that I edit the illustrator’s files:moving characters and text away from the edges of pages, consistency within the story and with other books in the series, and general aesthetics. I will show the two pages from Kayla’s Red Leaf with the most visible edits.
The top image is before, the bottom image is after.
Kayla’s Gorgeous Red Leaf
The Edits:
The text boxes were square but in the rest of the series, the edges were rounded. The text and the box were too close to the print edges and could get cut off.
Kayla was too close to the center line and could get trapped or distorted in the spine of the book (to format for KDP, each scene needs to be cut into 2 pages and resized).
The “gorgeous, red leaf” is part of what is driving the story, so it needed to be red. The edited version also has the leaf mirrored. The page after this is a continuation of the scene and it seemed more appropriate to have the leaf’s orientation to the characters the same on both pages.
In the original, the mole appears as a line drawing with flood fill coloring. The style does not match the rest of the characters, and the pose was unnatural for the scene. I found and purchased a vector image mole and a construction hat. I did a little color and color gradient changes on both and was able to alter the position of legs and arms a little. I was not able to get rid of the dog’s nose on the mole, but it’s kind of cute anyway.
I use Adobe Illustrator for most color and segment positioning edits; Photoshop for sizing and converting to jpeg prior to the final formatting into PDF for the paperback, and MOBI with the free Kindle Kids’ Book Creator program.
Kayla’s Adventures
The Edits:
The text and box were repositioned and shaped as was mentioned in the first example.
The main turtle was moved away from the center of the book. The turtle and the leaf were angled and positioned to fit in a little better. I am still not 100% happy with the choice of turtle and the appearance of the leaf, but they work well enough to tell the story without being distracting. I did place 2 of the tiny turtles a little too close to the center line.
I took the background from the last page of the book and kept the large tree in the foreground.
The yellow-green bird from the beginning of the story now makes an appearance at the end of the story.
The lake was added to the new scene and a turtle is swimming. The rocks and foliage around the lake were elements copied from other pages of the Kayla’s Adventures series.
The hole in the hill was added to tie together the ending of the story. The image is a combination of an element from another page in the Red Leaf book and layering a darker object with gradient coloring and partial opacity. This element would have been made significantly better by a real illustrator.
Unintentional edits: sometimes the colors get slightly altered. I suspect it has something to do with changing file types and switching between programs. I learn new things with every book and hope that I figure this one out with the next book in the series, Kayla and the Crystal Cave.
If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions,
I remember, a few years ago, everyone wishing a year would end because so many beloved celebrities were dying. I am pretty sure that every year since, people have been ready to start a new year with new hope that it would not be as bad as the last. I have that hope for 2021. One thing 2020 has taught me is to not try to cope by declaring, “well it can’t get much worse.”
Next year will have its challenges to be sure. I do hope that mountains become hills and miles become inches; Hurdles become thresholds and hate turns to love.
I also dearly hope that whatever combination of arrogance, ego, and honest mistakes manifests in 2021, that it does not cost as much death and suffering as it did in 2020. Even if the struggles are great, may there be enough laughter and joy to balance the scale.
The short and quick guide to packaging requirements: it depends on what you are packaging and where you are selling. Click here for a glance at some official requirements.
Make the packaging attractive and functional.
Keep your target audience in mind when developing your packaging. A children’s product packaging should not look like an ergonomic can opener’s packaging. The Chair CaneTM sits between the world’s of furniture and medical devices. The people that are most likely to look at the box are medical professionals, injured people, and family caregivers. For the medical professionals, I wanted something that was quick to inspect and review. For the caregivers and injured, I wanted the box, and the information on it, to be easily understood. That is, not in medical jargon and not in tiny print that requires a magnifying glass. The instructions ended up being a smaller print than I had hoped but that is one of the reasons why I wanted pictures on the box demonstrating the placement and use of the product. There are no language barriers with pictures; no reading skill level considerations with pictures; less issues with vision impairments with pictures. Accessibility is important to consider with all packaging, but anything approaching medical equipment, should make it a priority. Accessibility is also one of the reasons that I have posted instructional and demonstration videos.
The design and color of the packaging are important. If you are selling a new cookie, having it look like something that people are used to getting cookies from, could be essential in the fast scroll world we live. I wanted the Chair Cane box to project stability and trust. I decide on straight, symmetrical lines and a blue/white color scheme. Blue is already associated with the medical realm. Blue tends illicit trust and calmness. If I were looking to create excitement, I would have likely used red, orange, or, perhaps, yellow. If the product was a spa treatment, maybe soft lines with a powder blue. The Active Art logo is blue and red, but that combination would not look right for this product. The colors contrast too much and unsettle the eye. It is why the warning box is in red. I wanted the package coloring and font choices to be simple and functional, no need for flash. I did not need a box that would stand out on a grocery shelf of 30 other items in its category, like a barbeque sauce. The examples below use blue but all use movement in some way. That may be good for for larger brands that sell mobility devices or are trying to convey advancement and forward leaning missions, however, the whole point of the chair cane is that there is no movement. It decreases movement and adds stability. There are no italics or swoosh flares.
2. List what is in the box.
How many parts are included? What are the parts? How much does it weight? How big is it? (including metric measures) If color is important, what colors are included? These listings are regulated for most, if not all products. This seems like it is primarily a consumer protection. What you see is what you get. Amazon regulates product listing photos a little this way. Product photos need to make clear what the actual product being sold includes. Example: The camera tripod does not come with the camera in the photo.
3. Include where it was manufactured and by whom.
Active Art Designs LLC is considered the manufacturer of the Chair Cane. It was made in China but I do not list that company, only the country. I list the contact address for Active Art. If you do not have a separate physical address for your company, get a box (USPS, UPS Store or other).
4. International considerations.
If you intend on selling in other countries, check out packaging requirements in those countries. For example, products sold in Canada should have instructions in French and English. I will be adding, at least, French to my instructions on the next production run.
5. Safety and other things to consider.
People who use certain plastic bags in their packaging need to include warnings. You have likely seen a suffocation warning on a purchase that you have made. Products targeted at children have testing and packaging standards. Food and pharmacy items have extra requirements. Doing a little research before designing packaging can save time and money.
Everything was going well. I had been sent samples that looked great. I gave the go ahead and made the initial 50% payment for the first production run of the Chair Cane. Then I get a message from the manufacturer: the order is EXW. We will send you a message when the order is ready and you can let your forwarder know to pick up the shipment. I sat there frozen, staring at the screen. What is EXW? What is a forwarder?
I had clearly not researched enough about manufacturing. This was not even on my radar. I needed to arrange for someone to pick up pallets in China and get them to the USA. My original plan had been to send them directly to Amazon but I had not yet been able to get Amazon to accept the product. It a new product so more steps had to be taken prior to them authorizing the listing. I researched freight forwarding options and decided on the destination.
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When researching freight forwarding, I found companies I had never heard of and all seemed to have mixed reviews. I had used Alibaba to find a manufacturer. One day when I was checking my messages, the site popped up a link to their freight forwarding services. I went through the process to get quotes and it looked like most of the companies that gave quotes used FedEx for logistics and/or other steps in the process. I contacted FedEx. This is not the local FedEx office, it is a separate division. The office I was calling was in Miami; at a time when COVID-19 had just begun to hit Miami hard. Everyone was working from home and the phone system had not kept pace. My first message went unanswered and so I tried different extensions until I found a person. After the initial contact, everything was handled through email.
Through email, I was now learning about continuous bonds, classifications for customs, and customs brokers.
Customs brokers make sure to file all of the necessary paperwork about your shipment for you to clear customs. Is it a dangerous substance? Subject to antidumping laws? tariffs?
I received one email that asked about something I had never heard about before. After unsuccessful research, I asked the sender to explain. They told me that the question was intended for someone else. I can only guess that there is a whole language about freight forwarding that I do not speak.
Other notes: I used ocean freight because air freight is more expensive and, in the middle of a pandemic, air freight is even more expensive. The shipment was LCL (less than container load) and LTL (less than truck load). Those terms are also good to know when looking for manufacturers. Some companies are only interested in working with you if can order a full container of products. Most start ups do not have that kind of capital to throw at inventory, unless they have investors and a warehouse. I wanted to avoid loans but if you are interested in that or other SBA programs you can start here: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans.
Freight forwarding is something that is going to take awhile to get comfortable handling, but with most things in life and with starting a business: if you wait until you’re comfortable, you will never try anything new.
What is a unique gift that does not have to cost a lot?
Writing a story.
You can write a story for them to read. You can write a story to be read to them.
You can write a bedtime story with deep meaning. You can write a fun rhyme.
You can write it on notebook paper or type it out. Maybe just record yourself reading it.
I chose to write a story and hire someone on Fiverr to illustrate the book. I did not pick the the most experienced and costly person I could find but someone whose samples were in a style that fit the story. There are people who will do watercolor paintings and some that stick to digital drawings.
The illustrator sent me the files in different file formats. I needed to make some changes. Once it was uploaded to KDP, I needed to make some more changes. I believe that in transferring the files from Adobe illustrator to Photoshop to Acrobat several times I must have compressed the file at least once when I saved it. The color of the images does not look exactly right. I will wait until the author’s copy gets here to edit. First, after days of staring at it, I’m tired of editing. The way I am processing the images takes each one through 3 different programs to get the format and sizing correct. There may also be another issue with the book that will not be noticeable until I am looking at the physical copy.
I did have fun making it and am already planningbookstwo and three. Now that I have done it, I am sure the next time will be easier. There are people on Fiverr that you can send the book to and they will return a PDF file ready for upload.
If you are not doing a picture book, handling the files may be a little easier but I am betting the first time you upload it you may need to tweak your format.
There are places other than Amazon and KDP to publish your book. Teespring even has a way to set up a digital book now. I have only tried a regular image, so I am not sure how their book program, works.
KDP did have different price options. Distribution settings influenced the price minimums of both paperback and Kindle versions. There was something that seemed to indicate that because it was a picture book, there would be added fees for readers to download the book if you choose some price and royalty options. I plan on reviewing my choices and playing with the options to see if there is a better combination, but this really was intended to be a gift for a specific little one.
This was my first time publishing a book. I pondered throughout if hanging out with writers on social media/IRL was going to turn me into a writer. I could hear tweets in my head about issues I was coming across as I went through the process. To my friends that write the books with the words, I give much respect. A 32 page picture book may be as close as I get to your language artistry. Surprise!
Active Art 