From Cocoons to Causing Fires

Hello it’s TJ here, you know, the Bones & Butterflies guy, with an update on activities I’ve been up to over the last few months.

Tools for “Tools”

Picture this: A guy with more enthusiasm than skill, armed with design tools he can barely name, embarking on a quest to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. A grown-ass man staring down a heat press like it’s an alien artifact that could either make his day or burn his fingerprints off. That was me, fresh-faced and optimistic, before I quickly learned that ‘HEAT’ in heat press is actually short for ‘Hope Everything’s Alright, TJ!’ Spoiler: It wasn’t the first couple tries, but I figured it out eventually.

Material World of Supplier Speed Dating

Finding the right garments and materials was like a treasure hunt, if the treasure map was written in invisible ink. I wanted good quality materials that whispered “urban trendy” and “rugged grunge” but what I got was more “clearance crapshoot” and “faux off-plaid”.

Sourcing the right supplier is a lot like Tinder – a series of awkward text based introductions, hopeful exchanges, and, if you’re lucky, a match made in some bar downtown. Some suppliers give you free shipping, push their “top quality” and “customizable” options, only to ghost you like a bad date when you mention “ethical sourcing”, “tax & duties”, or “refunds”.

When you find “The One” though, the heavens part and John Legend starts singing “All of Me” in the background — or at least, that’s what it felt like. Tees and hoodies arrived on time, no items are missing, and they did not fit like a crop top made of tissue paper, not this time, not ever again..

Dancing On My Own (Designing On My Own)

Design measurements for clothing are a dance I never quite
mastered, and I am obsessed with comparing size charts that manufacturers offer online, but they don’t tell the whole story. Preparing the designs for pressing they say, “Measure twice, cut once,” but they never tell you about measuring thrice, cutting twice, and still ending up with an off centered tee design.

Trial and error, they say, is the best teacher. If that’s true, consider me the valedictorian of the school of hard knocks. I took a victory lap and went back again, twice. There were designs I had that looked more “screams for help” than something wearable. But then, amidst the chaos, came that first successful press, that first perfect hoodie, that first design that ended up dead center – it was glorious.

ADHD & Audiences

Finding an audience willing to listen to me has been like whispering sweet nothings into a dead iPhone and hoping for an echo. I’ve learned that for every person who thinks your designs are dope, there’ll be another who thinks you’re just that bumbling idiot that always posts weird stuff on Instagram.

The audience will be anyone who ends up following along, anyone who “gets” the whole Bones & Butterflies brand ethos, references, and dumb jokes. Overall the goal is that the narrative of the brand will resonate on a human / butterfly level with everyone, but not in a corny way I hope. (Because of the whole “butterflies” thing.)

Conclusion

This journey, this transformation from clueless to slightly less clueless, has been the essence of Bones & Butterflies. It’s a brand that stands for growth, for perfections within imperfections, and for the relentless pursuit of something worth pursuing. Through it all, we’re over here, learning, laughing, and occasionally crying into our fabric scraps, ready to emerge from the cocoon of our making, one beautiful disaster at a time.

Whether you’re a pumpkin after midnight or a butterfly in an Uber at dawn, transformation is the game baby…

xX T. Xx ☠️🦋❤️