Hey there, and welcome to Feature Friday #006, our series highlighting some of the incredible people on Cotton Bureau. You can find Andrew on Instagram and around the web. You can also shop his collection on Cotton Bureau.

Hey, Andrew, you’ve got a ton of designs on Cotton Bureau ranging from pop culture to sports to technology. What’s the common denominator?

For the longest time I can remember being creative and absolutely loving all things art. I can thank my Mom for getting me any and all arts and craft materials into my hands at a very young age. It wasn’t until high school I realized I could make the a legit career path in creating for a living, which brought me to graphic design and advertising.

Every day I love what I do and the fun thing about side hustles in creative, like with Cotton Bureau, I'm able to continue to create for anything I find interest in and in turn give that love to another person. Many of those topics come from personal interest and or topical items that I find inspiration in on that day. Sometimes created in the moment and submitted in the same night. There is no greater joy than a creative outlet that gives that much freedom and in turns get to share it with others.

That’s awesome. Judging by the portfolio on your site, you’ve definitely succeeded in making a career out of that creativity. Speaking of careers, how are you feeling about AI-assisted design and photography? Is it a threat to what you do or just another tool?

It’s felt like an eternity but I’m reminded it goes by so fast and with nearly 15 years into the creative advertising world I am still just as excited and driven as I was when I was younger.

When it comes to AI and how it's changed or would change my career I think it’s simply new and always evolving at this point. Thinking back to my college days a professor told me in design “adapt or get left behind”. That is so true today as we find new tools and programs and resources its alarming how quickly things are changing and evolving its difficult to keep up. When it comes to the design world, I have seen some amazing things but what ai programs today are creating are no different than what I see on free stock sites, not much worry there. When it comes to photography that is the game changer.

As a creative that is where things are getting way more interesting. As a designer by day I am able to find or build custom images from nothing with ease and little upfront costs. Then with Adobe pulling it into a beta photoshop I have used it countless times to remove and add things into photos for months now. As a photographer that scares me because I am seeing one glaring thing no one talks about, where is the AI pulling these images from? Likely source material so how much of that photo is owned by someone else? 20%, 80%? That is where folks that drive for stock photography as a living are going to get their images pulled for others use. Right now, I believe most ai software is not for commercial use which makes sense and Adobe seems to be taking it super slow to make sure its used properly.

I have been playing with ChatGPT for months now, that seems to be the most useful at the moment. Using it every other day for basic needs such as pulling most relevant hashtags, writing quick headline ideas, creating SEO friendly copy for various articles and social posts and even writing entire blog posts.

Ha. What are we even doing here, right? Might as well let ChatGPT finish the rest of this interview for both of us. But in all seriousness, ChatGPT, etc. just seems like… fancy plagiarism? Copy and pasting and summarizing without any original thought, a soulless pastiche of words and pixels. Bleh.

Changing the subject, tell us one thing about yourself we wouldn’t necessarily know from following you on social media. I see a pretty cool refinished basement that it looks like you did a lot of the work on yourself. What are you into that doesn’t get as much shine online?

Totally, ChatGPT will complete the remainder of this interview. Why waste our time interacting with humans?

The funny thing about social media is the way we try and make it into something too early or from the start or fall within a niche or category. I see photographers constantly find a way into the career and then make a photo account, then a wedding photo account, then a events photo account etc. This is across the board for creatives. They feel the need that within a niche is where you make the most impact and it's actually the fastest point to burn out for many professionals, and hobbyists too.

Now, I have used social media on and off for many many years now but always find myself sharing what I am into and if people come along for that journey great, if not no big deal its not for them and in turn maybe I am not for them. I think I have always been a serial creator and turn hobbies into side hustles more time than not and its a fun challenge. As you state, recently I got into wood working in late 2020. Funny enough the reason was I had made a few tee sales on Cotton Bureau and thought why not go buy a miter saw with that extra income and make some floating shelves for "cheap". So thank you guys!

Those cheap floating shelves turned into a sofa table, a coffee bar, a bench for my bedroom to store blankets, then my home office built ins for the perfect Zoom background, and eventually my full basement built ins with bench, electric fireplace, and shelves to show off old cameras and family photos.

That drive to simply share my passions with others whether it be my design work, my photography of the town I grew up in, or somethign completely new like wood working it all pulls back to the drive to create. Problem solving and sharing that process with others. The interactions I have got from DIYers, friends, family, other wood working professionals giving me tips and tricks. It’s absolutely beautiful that you can reach so many types of people with a small passion you have on the side far away from your day to day.

Are all those things I mention above things that I do outside of the norm that I share? Not really. I actually find myself naturally just sharing small moments in my life or things I am into at the moment that may or may not grow into a larger side hobby or even side hustle with some sales to friends or strangers. I like to sprinkle in many things to my social from the obvious family and life moments all the way to career moves.

Now, one thing I tease every once in awhile that I wish I shared more of is my love for ultimate frisbee. I am going into my 20th year and feel more into the sport this year than ever as the sport grows in popularity. So get ready to see more of that!

That’s awesome. I love your definition of social media. So pure and honest compared to the performative, dystopian place it somehow ended up. Maybe it’s time for me to pull the trigger on that miter saw I’ve been eyeing up? You can have ultimate frisbee though. Too much running, I’ll stick to golf.

Let me ask you one more thing. If you had to throw away your creative career and start over in a new location away from the Midwest doing something completely different, where would you go and what would you do?

You 100% need a miter saw. That sucker changed the game for my home projects and helping make my house a home the last couple years. It's also a totally different creative outlet to build something from scratch. One small tip: just google whatever you want/need and add "DIY plans" at the end of it. It's all 2x4's and plywood. The pantry in the kitchen and then a small kitchenette and bar is next up in the basement!

That is a damn near impossible question to ask anyone let alone a creative that has had the want and passion to simply create and be an "artist" since I was 2 years old. Though in reality it is a question you have to ask yourself constantly when you are working within the field due to the nature of marketing and saturation, burn out, competition, and simply constant mental strain to build something from scratch.

I am 15+ years into this career full time after college and have to admit its not been an easy path but one I find still to this day just as rewarding and passion filled as I did when I was a child. I truly can't believe someone pays me to do what I do every day.

That said, I have always told myself if something did happen and I lost it all tomorrow and I am working this hard I could easily drop it all and work construction and make the same money in a small town USA anywhere and still have a happy life. I think as wannabe poker player to quote the classic film Rounders "Always leave yourself outs". That has been my mentality my entire life and especially in a volatile and competitive career as marketing. You have to be ready at all times when it comes to financial crashes, economy changes, world pandemics etc. Also knowing you can build other skillsets outside of your day to day is what keeps you tack sharp and ready to move on if needed and be able to adapt.

Having picked up wood working I would happily move to a growing town out in New Hampshire and become a contractor for custom builds while also working construction on the side. When people ask me who am I inspired by I never realized until much later in life it was my parents. So much of my drive and passion shows in what they have done in 40+ years each in running a daycare out of home with my mother who LOVED children so much and my father who is a professional truck drive and even competes in it today at a high level. To find passion and drive in life is everything to me and seeing them do that in the most unexpected places I have a true appreciation for it.

That drive and passion is what I saw in my wife when we met as well. I truly believe her love and passion for what she does and push to do it at a high level for others is infectious and something I think I saw in my parents growing up and has continue to grow to an even greater level since I met her. I give a lot of credit to the people around me and she is at the top of that list.

Fantastic. Love the passion. Thank you so much for your time, and good luck with all of your upcoming projects. Always a pleasure talking to you.

Hey there, and welcome to Feature Friday #005, our series highlighting some of the incredible people on Cotton Bureau. You can find Christopher on Instagram and around the web. You can also shop his collection on Cotton Bureau.

What’s up! It’s been almost six years since we last interviewed you. At the time, you were living in Boston? Are you still there, or have you moved on?

It's weird how 6 years feels like a lifetime ago. I actually moved on, and then moved back. My family and I moved to Seattle at the end of 2016, and then moved back to the East Coast in the summer of 2020.

No kidding. It’s been quite a ride for us as well. What’s new professionally? Do you feel like you’ve grown as a designer during this time?

Most definitely. I've grown as a designer and as a human being. I switched roles at my day job which has allowed me to be more creative in my "free" time. And because of that I've been able to develop more as a designer, illustrator, and artist. Carving out my corner of the internet and creating a community based on common interests. It's been fun and has created a lot of opportunities for me.

Nice. What are your favorite side projects you have going on right now? Can you tell us about any of those opportunities?

So I create a lot of personal or passion projects under the moniker Failed Imagineer. And because of that I've been asked to do artwork other brands. More recently I've done some spot illustrations for a Disney guidebook, designed some (croc) jibitz for a brand, and have had the opportunity to join Gallery 1988 for 8 group shows this year.

Very cool. Where are you hanging out online these days? Anyone in particular that you have been following that you want to shout out?

Instagram (@failedimagineer) almost exclusively. Focusing on more than one has proven difficult for me. On Instagram I can share easily when I have time, and recently started subscriptions where people get lots of sneak peeks of what I'm working on, give me early feedback, and some goodies in the mail.

I seem to have carved out a nice little corner for myself, and have connected with a lot of like minded people. There are way too many people to call out that have been so supportive, but my pals Mariana (@landandworld), Julia (@pixelandpost), and John (@weare1025) have been super helpful as a sounding board for all my ideas. Also shoutout to my therapist.

Oh, that’s fun. What was the inspiration for the Failed Imagineer persona? Did you ever apply to work with Disney?

I believe I applied to work at Disney at least once, but that wasn't the inspiration. The name really illustrates my love for punk rock and pop culture, and mashing the two together. I'm almost always inspired by something, and to be honest, "Failed Imagineer" is a song title that sparked a t-shirt, that pointed me down the path I'm on today.

Changing the subject slightly, what’s your feeling on AI-generated artwork? It’s such a weird time for design.

That's a heavy question. Overall I see value in AI being an aid to existing workflows. I can see it saving time doing redundant steps I have to do a lot with existing artwork. That being said, I think art that is fully created by AI is extremely recognizable as such, and overall lacks a certain something (soul? perspective?). As someone whose art is already extremely derivative, I don't see AI as something that's going to take my job, but hopefully something that may help. I hope?

I think that’s what we’re all hoping. So, what’s next? Where do you see yourself in 3–5 years?

I have some commissions I need to finish up, some more Gallery 1988 pieces I need to figure out, and a long list of things that I want to draw. In the next 3-5 years? That's hard to say, but I've been setting goals for myself and it's been really fun to see how I'm approaching or achieving them, even if it's in a way I didn't expect. I'd love to have some pieces for sale in some specific stores, I'd like to be a part of more gallery or group/curated shows, and mostly I just hope I'll still be having fun, and if not, I'll find something else to do.

Awesome, so good to catch up with you. Good luck with the Gallery 1988 project. (Love the Needlenose Ned print, by the way.) Thanks again for taking time to share what you are working on.

Hey there, and welcome to Feature Friday #004, our series highlighting some of the incredible people on Cotton Bureau. You can find Tim on Instagram and around the web. If you’re looking to pick up Tim’s new Design hat or his classic Heart of Pixels tee, you can shop his collection on Cotton Bureau.

(Oh, while you’re here, be sure to check out our new referral code program. You can read all the details on the blog, and you might just go home with a brand-new iPad Pro.)

Yo, Tim! We’ve had the privilege of knowing you and working together for over 10 years now. You’ve certainly moved around a bit during that time. Can you update us on where you are now and what you’re up to professionally?

Hello! You caught me at a rare moment where I'm in between full-time projects. I'm currently doing a mix of product design freelancing and advising, and have a bunch of keyboard projects running on the side as well.

We moved back to Belgium about 4 years ago, and I've been working remotely ever since (and loving it). We also got a dog, 4 chickens, and have 3 kids now (last time we spoke it was 1).

Wow. You’ve been busy! Tell me more about the keyboard projects. (But, also, have you seen the chicken orb??)

That chicken orb looks pure evil, not gonna lie. There's something diabolical about putting chicken in a cage shaped roughly like the eggs they lay/come from.

The keyboard thing…

Looking back, it was probably the side project I needed. After having been designing digital interfaces for almost 2 decades, I felt a bit burned out. During the lockdowns I slowly started experimenting with building mechanical keyboards (not tricky, most of the components are standardized, and you can customize anything you want to achieve the look/sound/feel you want).

Me being me, I started thinking about designing some of these components myself. So down the rabbit hole I went. This is where things started moving at a breakneck pace. Taught myself Blender to render out ideas for keycap sets (shout out to Youtube Premium), started learning a whole lot about the production process, got cozy with online shops all around the world to set up a global network of sales points, and so on and so on.

Today, I've got a nice little thing going (still a side project though). Every couple of months I release in-stock drops of keycaps, I've got some keyboards in the pipeline, and am working with some companies on commission projects (I design the boards and caps, my friend takes care of the production model, another friend is a machinist who actually makes the boards). Got some really nice projects coming up I hope I can share more details about soon!

The production pipeline is humming along, so all I really need to focus on is the design side. It's nice.

Very cool. The keyboards on your site look fantastic. Every one has a different vibe. I’m particularly digging Expo, maybe because it reminds me of Severance.

Do you think designing keyboards could eventually lead to other analog projects? Maybe other computer peripherals or desk accessories?

I fully expect that to happen. I’ve learned a ton about designing and producing physical goods over the past couple of years, and it would only make sense to use that knowledge on things outside of keyboards.

I’ve been asking a lot of designers how they feel about AI-assisted — or even completely generated — artwork. Where do you come down on this? What do you think the next 5-10 years of design and art looks like?

I personally see it as a tool which helps designers do even better work. The thing about tools is it’s about how you wield it. If you want you could do amazing work with MS Paint. I currently use it as inspiration, and that’s how I see myself using it for the foreseeable future; the final work will always be done by myself, but occasionally it’s helpful to get unblocked. Maybe one day I’ll be able to train it (like I would train a more junior designer), but I’m pretty against training AI by feeding it pixels and using the pixels that come out on the other side as the final product. Sure you’ll get some nice results, but you lose the human spark.

If I’m not mistaken, you’ve had a chance to live in some amazing food cities during the course of your career. If you had choose to eat the food of only one of those cities for the rest of your life, which one would it be? (And what would be your go to meal?)

Aaaaaaaah that's a tricky one!

Austin is where I fell in love with BBQ, but if I had to eat that for the rest of my life, it wouldn't be a very long one…

I'd have to say San Francisco or anywhere in California. The fruit and vegetables there are just insanely fresh and tasty year round. Typing this from Belgium where summer is the only time of the year we can get overpriced crappy avocados.

At least you have frites! Last question then we’ll let you go. You’ve got a sweet new hi-vis orange Design hat on Cotton Bureau. Your website has strong neon vibes. You’ve got a blindingly yellow keyboard. Have you always been attracted to bold colors, or is that newer development?

Ah, fries, classic. Every Friday; fries with mayo and some poutine-like stew over them.

The bright colors is a relatively new thing. It started with a pair of shoes from my friends at Atoms, and quickly became an obsession from that point on. Partially because it's so hard to produce in print, plastic, fabric… These days I'm just hoovering up whatever bright things I can find. I'd show you my favorite vacation outfit but it might blind you.

Haha, incredible. We will just have to leave that outfit to the reader’s imagination. Thanks so much for your time! Good luck with the keyboards. Can’t wait to see what you do next.

Hey there, and welcome to Feature Friday #003, our series highlighting some of the incredible people on Cotton Bureau. You can find Amanda on Instagram, her website, or check out her entire Cotton Bureau portfolio.

Hey Amanda! How's it going? Looks like you're coming up on a year in your new home, are you happy with the move?

Hey Bethany! Life is good. I couldn't be happier with our new home on Vancouver Island. Not knowing much about the area before we moved (which was brave of us), we really lucked out. (Thank you Universe!) Not only is the town full of wonderful people, there's so much nature here and I really feel connected to the area. Life is slower, quieter, and more restful which is really inspiring new designs and even a new lifestyle.

I've been exploring new activities like spiritual circles & practices, volunteering with a forest society, spending even more time in nature (hiking, swimming, gardening), and just generally taking more time out to rest and turn my brain off - which I haven't done too much of in the last 5 years trying to build a business. So it's been a great change of pace and I'm really honored to have the privilege to be able to do that.

Aaah that sounds incredible, you paint such a relaxing picture of the area. That's awesome you've been able to create some time to disconnect a bit. I feel like sometimes that's exactly what's needed to inspire new ideas. Really sounds like the move was meant to be!

Is Kya enjoying the new digs? Being a floof on Vancouver Island must be the dream lol. I saw you guys had a close call with a doe recently. Any more animal encounters?

It does definitely feel meant to be 😊 And Kya LOVES it here. We go to the forest, rivers, and ocean more than we ever did back in the city. It's a little easier to do here - and less stressful to do so.

We have all kinds of nature encounters because of it too which has been such a pleasure.

Whether it's deer ripping through our campground, snacking on our lawn, or hidden in the shadows of the forest. Owls surprising you in a fly-by and nearly knocking you off your feet. Otters on the shorelines of the rivers. Fish spawning in the local river channels, Bunnies hopping by you on a trail. Bears happily snacking on fish during spawning season. And being in the company of so many eagles!

Magical stuff. It's so special to be so connected to nature and all her creatures - no matter how they decide to show up. I feel a little like Snow White sometimes 😅

Kya loves the animals too. Although she hasn't quite figured out that the deer aren't big dogs that she can play with. And her prey drive goes bonkers when it's spawning season or she see's a bunny. Definitely have to keep her in-check there or she'll have me exploring the pavement.

Definitely exciting to have such wonderful encounters - but it's also a little sad (since leaving the city) to see how much our human ways have really impacted wildlife habitats. I really hope this area can maintain its harmonious relationship with nature because it sure is amazing and an honor to be part of.

Sounds amazing, I can easily imagine why you and Kya love it so much. Also, thinking about seeing otters just makes me want to squeal so BRB while I plan a trip to Vancouver Island.

It's so neat to see how your art compliments the stories you share. Do you ever do any illustrating while you're out on your adventures? I imagine it would be so peaceful working in such a serene landscape but I definitely respect the need to just take a time out to enjoy your surroundings.

You definitely should come for a visit! It'll leave an impression for sure.

Nature is my sanctuary so I like to appreciate and spend some quality time with it when I'm out there. And I find it has so much to share & teach so I want to really be present with it to soak all that up.

The only time I might bring my sketchbook is when I'm going camping or will be away for an extended period of time. Because ideas do happen when you least expect it. And I don't like to wait days to get home to sketch those things out.

However, day-to-day nature walks, I tend to not bring much with me. A phone, for emergencies & recording cool stuff I see. On the rare occasion, I do like to record a story or two for Instagram to show people a little behind the scenes of where I live and the activities I indulge in for inspiration. But I mostly like to keep the phone in my pocket to fully unplug and immerse myself. Smell the smells. Listen to the birds. See what I can see. Even spend some moments meditating or walking barefoot on the trails. Then come home and sketch any ideas I get during that time.

Really cool. Sounds like a healthy work/life balance you have going on.

Can you tell me a little bit about the forest society you volunteer with? The respect you have for nature is really inspiring, I'd love to hear more about how you're leaving a positive impact with your volunteer work and art.

The forest society I signed to volunteer with, helps to protect and care for the Cumberland Forest. They do bat counts, toad migration protection, tree planting, fish rescue, and a number of other things I'm sure I'm missing.

Last week, we went to a creek bed that was drying up due to the extended hot, dry weather we've had and rescued fish fry that were living in the pools. They were released in a local lake, which is where they were trying to swim up to but got trapped. We saved almost 300 fish that will eventually make their way back to the rivers to spawn. Along the way came across some tree frogs, water beetles, wood peckers, eagles, all by being surrounded by old growth forest. Epic stuff! I'm learning a lot.

If I'm not volunteering my time, I like to donate to projects and organizations that I feel strongly about; The Raincoast Conservation, Canadian Parks & Wilderness, Comox Valley Land Trust, Cumberland Forest Society, Indian Residential School Survivors Society. While I don't technically do official fundraising with my business, I tend to assess what I can offer every quarter and donate what I can. This year has been challenging for that but I hope that turns around soon. I really want to do more.

Still trying to figure out how to better integrate this into my work without centering myself & not being too heavy-handed about the messaging. But I am slowing bringing that awareness factor in through my illustrations and collaborating with organizations to help them raise money for their efforts in these arenas. 8 Billion Trees is an organization I recently partnered with for this. Great people doing great work.

Hopefully by sharing my own stories & raising that awareness it inspires others to take action in their communities - whatever that looks like for them 😊 While one person can't change the world, I feel with small actions made by many, we can really make positive changes.

But that's just my unshakable optimism speaking 😃

That's really neat that there are people out there thinking up and planning ways to help all the little critters that need an extra hand. I can only imagine how eye opening these experiences are for everyone involved.

I absolutely think through sharing your stories and donating both your time and resources is creating a tremendous change not only in your area but also your online community. I'd be shocked if I'm the only person that is reading this wanting to put on some boots and go rescue the fishes.

Have you noticed your love of nature influencing your work at all? Has your style changed over the years? I believe I read on your website you've been a graphic designer for 20 years, that's so impressive. I'd love to see some of your earlier pieces compared to todays designs.

Oh yea, my love of nature & connection to it has informed & influenced my work. Having grown up on the Pacific Northwest, taking in everything on all my explorations outdoors, and my own personal advocacy for nature has woven its way into a number of designs in my catalogue. And I'm always trying to do my best when it comes to packaging the items I sell to ensure it's tree-free, reused material, recyclable, or not packaged at all. But, there's always more work to do there. I have had thoughts about not offering products at all eventually - but I'm not there yet.

Don't ask me about my old stuff - haha. It's pretty rough, sometimes even boring and ugly so I hesitate to even look back. Although it's kinda fun just to see how much my style has evolved and how I'd do things a little differently now. My work now has become more sure in spirit and clean in execution so am proud of the work I'm doing now. Even still, I'm always trying to level it up.

The graphic design work that made up the bulk of my career, was done under the umbrella of firms or businesses - a few freelance jobs. But it was a lot of ads, brochures, proposals, reports, and PowerPoint presentations *shudders* Again, a little boring 😝

Having said that though, it was foundational to my success now so I do value the experiences and what I learned in that industry. I also met people and friends along my journey that helped me get to where I am today, so I would never take it back.

I do feel I've left graphic design behind me, officially, though. Now, I'm focusing more on the artistic side of the fence; Storytelling through illustration & concept, some typography with a very healthy dollop of self-expression. Of course that's also graphic design, but in my experience, that artistic side was always a little challenging to bring to the forefront as a graphic designer. There are a few more rules and players in that game.

Being able to express my ideas freely through my own illustrations and business has been really rewarding and has allowed me to connect with people that value the same things, which make it even more rich. And I've actually just started taking on external illustration projects with like-minded businesses so I'm excited to see what comes of that. Always adapting and challenging myself so I'm sure 10 years from now, things will be different yet again 😊 Who knows, maybe I'll think of THIS as boring one day? Ha! How much more exciting can things get though? It's been pretty awesome.

sHaha a healthy dollop of self-expression, I love that. Joining forces with other businesses with shared passions sounds like it could be really gratifying. Looking forward to seeing what all that entails!

Packaging is such a project even without adding the extra challenge of making sure it's tree-tree, reused, or recycled. Any progress you've made there at all should be applauded.

I think that'll do it for our interview, Amanda! It's been so nice chatting with you and I'm so excited to follow along and see if things do get even more exciting for you in the next 10 years :)

Thanks so much for your time and the opportunity to chat and connect 😊