I’ve been thinking about the words MAKE MORE.
Not necessarily make more stuff. More ideas. More experiments. More attempts. More things that might work — and plenty that might not.
So, naturally, I decided to put the words on a T-shirt.
I started with one of my old lino blocks of a clenched fist and hand-embroidered MAKE MORE across the fingers.
Why MAKE MORE?
Making things has always been about experimenting for me.
I paint. I make prints. I make objects. I play around with digital tools and 3D printing. Sometimes I start with a fairly clear idea; sometimes I have no idea where something is going to end up.
The process of making creates different thinking patterns.
The finished thing doesn't have to be perfect. Making it is part of the point.
The fact that the embroidery is a little rough links to it being handmade. I made a choice to use different colours and mix upper and lower case for the same reason.
It feels more appropriate that way.
From drawing to T-shirt
The original drawing became the starting point, but turning it into something wearable changed it.
Instead of making a polished graphic and having it printed onto a T-shirt, I wanted to keep some of the physical, handmade quality of the original.
So I embroidered the lettering by hand.
It's a small experiment, but that's really what CravenWorks is about: taking an idea and seeing where it leads.
Make more
For me, MAKE MORE isn't really a slogan.
It's a reminder.
Make the painting.
Try the new technique.
Print the strange idea.
Make the thing you aren't quite sure will work.
And then make something else.
I'm not sure yet where this particular experiment will lead. It might remain a one-off T-shirt, or it might become part of a small collection of CravenWorks clothing and objects.
But that's the fun of it.
Make more. See what happens.