Meet the Tees - BEAST MODE ENGAGED!

"Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly. — Stephen R. Covey"

If anything has changed my life in recent years, I would have to say it was my time spent in the gym. For many people, the gym seems to be a sort of torture chamber, a punishment for eating too much cake the day before, or watching too much TV. They go in, do their time, and get out, thankful that its over. For me, that was never the case. I am not sure why exactly, but I became addicted shortly after my first visit. I always liked the idea of being strong, not being a wimp, showing up the boys, and getting a reaction out of people. And because I'm not like most girls in the gym, I do get some interesting reactions. I suppose that desire to impress myself and others is what keeps me so motivated. There's no end to what you can do, how your actions can help shape your body, which in turn shapes your mind. If you put tons of drive, discipline, effort, and research into making a physical change in your body, and you watch it happen from the inside out, and you tweak it and you build it how you want, its just a very inspiring thing. If you could do that, if you could devote yourself to something with so much passion that you could make a change that you can see and feel, what ELSE can you do? With just as much passion, you could do literally ANYTHING. Start a business, build a car from the ground up, travel the world, whatever it is that you consider just a dream today. For a lot of people, its just too hard. People like easy. People like fast. It's taken me three years to get where I am in my gym training and my running. I was a wimp the day I started. I had no idea what I was doing, I couldn't even run a mile. Success took hundreds of hours, tons of research, and just a small step was climbed each day. That experience however, has taught me so much. Its taught me that all things worthwhile take time. They also take research. Lots of research. Perhaps most importantly, they take confidence. Confidence grows every time you hit even a small goal. It inspires you to keep going, and go even harder the next time around. No one else is doing what you are? Who cares, be the one person who dares to try whats not normal. Go harder because you can. Who the hell said you can't? Just that little voice in your head, because if any other person is telling you you can't it doesn't matter. Don't accept anything less then 100%,  in anything you do. Don't feel like it today? Too bad. Lots of people don't feel like doing what it takes to be successful today. Those who get somewhere, will do it anyways. Those who get nowhere, will think up an excuse and do the minimum, again. It is this realization and mentality, that has even lead me to start my own design business. I wouldn't have the confidence or faith to do this, if I didn't have proof that if you work harder, than anyone else, than your average person, you can really reach your goals. It's much the same as the gym mentality. Don't get discouraged by minor setback. Accept it and move on. Accepting that each day will not be perfect is part of being sucessful in the end, because if you don't those hangups will strangle you. Try harder than anyone else. Research, and do lots of it. And don't quit. Never, ever stop trying to find that magic formula for success, even when you don't feel like it.

In honor of my love for fitness, I have created a couple of gym centered designs. The one featured here, "Beast Mode Engaged", is just meant to represent the excitement and drive that often comes with a great workout, the drive to kick your own ass, and excel beyond what you have achieved before. In other words, to become a "beast" and take no excuses, no mercy, no whining, and to go all out because you can and you have nothing to lose.

The gym may not be your thing. But whatever you do, have SOME thing, where you can engage your inner "beast". I don't care if its building model airplanes, acting out World War II battles, raising children, or selling stamps. Pick something you are passionate about, and give it 110% until you excel. Because passionless people are in no short supply. And as Dave Matthews says in his song "Lie in Our Graves", "I can't believe that we would lie in our graves wondering if we had spent our living days well." Don't wonder, be positive. Unlike the "Beast Mode Engaged button, life has no repeat button.

Grab this shirt for only $21.95 TODAY @ www.youreaditcustomshirts.com/Store.html, or suggest another gym themed shirt you'd like to see using the Suggestion Box!

Nice to Meetcha......

Hello, my name is Tamara Morrison and I'm a graphic designer from CT. Bored yet? Yeah, me too! Thats why I'm not going to make this some long thing full of boring credentials that you didn't care about. This is my first go around in the blogging world, but I thought, what better way to get the word out about what I'm trying to do, than to just TELL people, let them know exactly whats going on?

Maybe you know me, maybe you don't. But I've always been unique. When I was a kid, I didn't watch much TV. I haven't seen all the movies that "everyone" watched. I spent 90% of my time in the great outdoors, without supervision, or sunblock. And I'm still alive to talk about it! All that time outdoors, combined with being an only child, fueled my creativity to above average levels. If I wanted something to play with, I had to come up with it, all on my own. At the same time, I was a realist. Mattel loved to sell pink everything for Barbie dolls, pink couches, pink appliences, pink bathroom toilets. I hated it. Who the hell has a pink fridge? I painted it all what would be its normal colors, and resumed playing. I refused to fall for what people said you were "supposed to" play with, and I made it into what I wanted.

This mentality has stuck with me through adulthood. I still certainly go my own way, and let my creativity fuel everything I do. I still don't watch TV, and I haven't seen many movies! Life gets boring. So many people get stuck in that "supposed to" rut, they are "supposed to" go to school, meet the one, get married, have kids, buy a house, work a 9-5, retire, die. All that is fine and dandy....if it's what makes you happy. For me, that routine sounds less than thrilling. Some of the people who never followed (or even had) any passions, are some of the least happy people that I know. I refused to ever be like that, and be a passenger in the car of my own life. I'm always going to take the wheel. And thats why I decided NOT to let my passion for graphic design that I've had since I was 8 years old and we got our first family computer, die out like the Windows 95 on that old machine.

So that brings me to the reason for this blog, and thats to get the word out about my freelance graphic design business. I'm starting this because I don't want my days to be mediocre, or the same thing all day till I die. I truly love what I am doing, I love the thrill I get when an idea clicks. I love being able to help people convey their ideas, or come up with something they can be proud to use for thier business or event.

I also am offering custom Tshirts made from photos. Its simple, you send me a photo, (hopefully, decent quality!) and I work some magic on it, and come up with a graphic that can go on a shirt, or something else if you prefer. The cool thing about these is that they are 100% unique, no one else is going to have one! Plus, the subject has meaning to you, its YOUR dog, YOUR car, etc. Not just some graphic someone slapped on and WalMart sold. This also isn't just some run of the mill slap a picture on a shirt. I still remember in the 90s, my mom sent away a baby picture of me to Kodak (that they could not ever return) and 6-8 weeks later, a white tshirt with a rather cheap and grainy print of that long lost photo showed up in the mail. Ten washes later, it was dead. This is not like that! For one, the digital age has allowed me to easily attain your higher quality photos, and then I cut them out of that dreadful square, and apply some effects to them to give them more of a graphic, drawn on feel. Then, at your request, words can be added, or not. Its totally up to you! And no worries, it doesn't take six to eight weeks. All you need to do, is visit my website, at www.youreaditcustomshirts.com, and fill out the "QUOTE" form! That gives me all the info I need, lets you send me your picture, and lets you see a few examples.

While you're at it, check out the pre-designed shirts in the store! Maybe something will catch your eye. Maybe, nothing will. And if thats the case, I want your help! At the bottom of the store page, I have put up a suggestion box. At this stage in the game, I would love nothing more than ideas from YOU, on what you want to see on a shirt. Let me know! If I execute something you suggest, I will even send you a coupon code, so you can get your shirt for less! I can't promise to make every idea that comes in, but all suggestions are welcome. This endevor is nothing without you, because YOU and your freinds are the ones that would be wearing it. No force feeding of garbage here, like a bad Kelly Clarkson song pumped out over and over on the radio with seemingly no escape.

Last winter, I went skiing out in Utah. You are probably like "Well thats nice, why do I care?" There's a point, hang tight! Now, at the time, I had only been skiing twice here in CT, and the easy trails left me on my ass, speeding out of control towards the woods. My lovely "skiing since he could walk" boyfriend convinced me to head out there with him and his family, and I said why not, you only live once. (Hey, I made a shirt with that phrase!) Anyhow, I got to the top of that mountain, and looked down and OH MY GOD I thought for sure I was going to die before I reached the bottom. My stomach tied in knots, I got lightheaded and I could hardly breathe. I told myself I must be insane, what was I doing here, there was NO WAY I was going down THERE on skiis. But I did. I guess I knew the only way off this mountain was to skii it, or die trying. No other way down, except to walk down, give up, sulk and go home. And I'd regret that forever. So I took the plunge. And I don't think I have ever felt so alive. It was being terrified and thrilled all at once. And at the bottom, there is NO greater feeling than knowing you just did that, you conquered that, and yeah you were scared but you forgot to care.

After that trip, I told myself, as I slogged through "the routine" that I wanted to have that feeling more often. And this, this whole starting a business, controlling my own destiny, feels kind of like that. The excitement, the uncertainty, the motivation to kick this thing in the ass and see what I can do with it. And you know what, yeah, I'm scared. But I don't care. I'm taking the plunge.

Check back for updates soon, and learn a little more about the current TShirt designs, and "Meet the Tees!"