Part of a Team
The best part of making buttons for me is the connections I make with others through sharing my craft. I never know who’s going to walk into my vending booth or send me an email on any given day. Sometimes it’s just a quick order for someone who just needed a few buttons like these buttons I made for a music lover and football(real football, not American catchball) fan down in Orange County, California.
And sometimes it’s a real labor of love on both sides. With the orders that came in May, I also got to meet a man with a dream and an incredible eye for detail named Jamie. Jamie is the idea maker behind the comic book, Fish N Chimps, and SunkMunki Entertainment. I had the honor of making a ton of buttons in a variety of colors, sizes, and styles in preparation for the launch of the Fish N Chimps website, as well as as some other ideas he has that will be available at his retail spot that will be opening up in Renton, WA.
It’s rare that folks take me up on the offer to try to push the limits of what multiple designs per order actually mean, but I honestly don’t mind. I believe in making a quality product that you love. I believe that most people take a lot of care and time into making their logos and designs, so even if what I make is “just a button to some”, to me it’s so much more. I think you deserve to have just as much love and care put into your finished buttons as you did in creating or having someone else create your design. Placement matters, color matters, and the final product matters. Some people cherish buttons for years and years, so why shouldn’t the button they love be filled with all the heart and care that it represents?
Jamie took me up on this offer, and we spent many nights emailing back and forth to ensure placement was correct and that the final products was exactly what he wanted.
One day I’ll have a way to take pictures that actually do my buttons some justice. I’m a great button maker, not the best picture taker and the camera on my phone isn’t anything to write home about. But the buttons turned out great, and Jamie really appreciated the time I took in bagging each design separately. He also recently launched the website for his Fish N Chimps comic book. It’s great! You can even read the comic online, with a page turning app that almost makes it feel like the real deal.
They have over $5,000 in merch giveaways over the next year in support of the comic and other related projects. Definitely worth checking out.
After putting all these buttons together, I had kind of a cool surprise at the end of this initial order too. Jamie asked for a small run of Team Fish N Chimp magnets and buttons to give out to all the folks that have helped make this dream a reality, and he asked me to keep one as the official button maker of the team. I keep my magnet up on my workbench as a reminder that in a small way, I’m still making a difference and building genuine connection. So thank you Jamie for making me feel like a true member of the team, I am happy to be of service and it’s moments like these that make what I do the best job in the world. ♥♥♥
Peace, love, and buttons you amazing people!
-Becka