This is the Chuck Line

you're waiting for your food.

We’re on a 1000 mile cattle drive. I’m the Chuck Wagon cook. You’re the cowpoke. I’m gonna tell you how I made the chili. I’m gonna tell you how I made the stew. I might even tell you how I made love to the farmer’s daughter that one time. Simply put, this is:

1. Something I made.

2. Why I made it / what inspired me.

3. Insight to my process.

What I made

A self-titled t-shirt design for the first feature of The Chuck Line.

Why I made it / What inspired me

I love everything western. I’m not from the west, and the only time I rope and ride is in my dreams. But still, it’s a huge source of inspiration from me. I love reading about American Frontier history. I love what the west represents, the stories, the real life outlaws it harbored, and the lifestyle it still commands.

I got the idea to name this feature The Chuck Line because I envisioned it working the same way a cowboy chuck wagon would - one person creating something to share with others. For the design itself, I knew I wanted to illustrate a covered wagon as the main piece. It’s the whole namesake, so I’d be stupid not to include that. I flipped through my notebook and found an old, scribbled sketch of a beer delivery truck. That shape was enough for me to be able to picture the covered wagon in my head, so I drew it out in 2 different ways.

I liked the perspective of my second sketch better, so I ran with it. Scribbled some more minute details with pen and brought it into Photoshop. I knew I wanted to keep it loose and unserious. Cartoon style, with a sleeping cowboy sticking out of the wagon and random things strewn about below. Draw details, erase, and redraw until I’m fed up with it… and then I’ve got a mostly finished design.

Process Insight

Photoshop is where I finish and refine my designs. I always start with a sketch on paper - I have a better sense of scale and feel less restricted in my notebook. You can’t beat the scratching of pen and pencil on paper while watching your vision take form. Photoshop and the computer is great once the foundation is already laid. It certainly makes things a lot easier, convenient, and expands your limits for creation. I’m happy using a mix of both, and I’d recommend the same to anyone else… anything that makes your process more efficient will make it more enjoyable… which means you’ll have consistent energy and desire to keep doing it. At least that’s the case for me.

I draw, design, and create things because it’s fun for me. I have a “side hustle” called The Gallows Pole where I bring my creative ideas to life. I’ve experienced periodic burnout with it in the past - to the point where I will stop doing it for months at a time. Coming up with this idea for “The Chuck Line” series gave me a new energy and a new perspective on creating. The new perspective part is what I’m most excited about.

When I’ve done design work in the past, I actually realized I hated it. I didn’t hate designing and illustrating itself… I just really hated how I was doing it. Internet gurus sell the allure of blending your passion with work, or how cool it is to hustle and work your ass off for clients, or how freeing it is to control your work/schedule. But for me it was just that. An allure, and nothing more. Why?

Because I hated feeling like I was at the whim of whoever hired me. Most people do these kind of side hustles for money… and when you start from the ground up with 0 clients, you’ll often take on subpar work just to have something, anything. I took on projects I didn’t want to work on, solely because of the fact that it was money. Then I realized how lame it made me feel and how much I hated that. My biggest frustration with the way I was approaching design (creating for profit) is that I don’t want to create other peoples’ ideas. That sounds arrogant, but some of the ideas I’ve been asked to create are just awful, lame, and unoriginal. I have no freedom in my creative process. And I want no part in that. I would rather turn down a potential client than make their stupid ass “Fight club” shirt. That’s my name and reputation associated with your shitty brand now.

I’m not surviving off this - it’s just fun for me. So I’ll forego all the client work. I don’t want to make someone else’s ideas. I’ve always thought mine were better anyway. Is it pompous to think that? Open to interpretation, but if nobody ever thought, “I can do it better” then we’d still be using candles, eating unsliced bread, and I’d be writing this with a quill and ink.

I’m not selling a masterclass. Not peddling a workshop. Not making you join an exclusive club. Not creating for any sake other than just creating. I’m doing this because it’s fun… I think it’s cool… it makes me feel good mentally and physically… because I wish someone had done this for me…and because keeping things to yourself is the most surefire method to make sure you inspire absolutely no one.

Follow along if you love it. Follow along if you hate it and want to tell me how much it sucks. I’m happy you’re here under either circumstance. Thanks for hanging out in The Chuck Line. I’ll be serving you once a week from here on out. You’ll get what you get and you won’t get upset, but I’ll try my best to make it worth reading, worth following, and worth supporting.

Sorry for any typos. It’s late.

Thanks for reading.