"Design or print/press myself"?, that's up to you hon. That's part of figuring out your own plan, how much time do you want to
put into this and will your own designs have a market? Will they
stand out from others? No one can decide that but you.
I started out selling pre-printed graphics...and did not do well. I lost about $300 on that. Being a nurse, I decided to tap into
the medical t's and having worked in ALL aspects of nursing, it was easy coming up with designs and sayings. For ex: ER Nurse, Vascular Nurse, Pediatrics Nurse, Respiratory Therapists, Lab techs...etc. However, if I hadn't worked in the field 32 years already, I would have been at a loss as to what kind of sayings fit each type of the medical profession. This is just ONE EXAMPLE.
I guess the idea is, coming up with a unique idea that is all your own. I can't draw either...on paper, not even a stick person. But with the right software, I was able to draw medical equipment, ventilators, dialysis machines, kidneys, body parts etc and not use PURCHASED CLIPART...which generally is awful. I have though, purchased holiday clipart to use with some of my designs, but draw my own X-mas trees.
For me, doing my own graphics has proven to be the most rewarding part of t-shirts...it allows me to be creative and provides a much needed outlet after a busy day in HOSPICE NURSING.
Good luck to you!!!
Gail, a nurse in Ohio
P.S. I don't do anything special to create sales, I am comfortable with $800-$1200 a month net profits. I simply don't have time to do much more. However, retirement is around my corner...then, I plan to kick it in higher gear with nursing seminars etc. Making 5-10 shirts a day...is enough to keep me busy.
