08/27/2026
A Little Irony I Couldn't Ignore 😂
Since Dolly passed, I've seen SO much Dolly merchandise popping up.
And I've also seen a few posts from businesses saying they don't want to profit from Dolly's passing. And I absolutely respect that.
But then I see a giant AI-generated Dolly image attached to the post and think…
Wait a minute.
And it got me thinking about my own business.
I've become much more intentional about intellectual property and where I get the artwork I use.
I invest in design files and commercial licenses. Like this year's file drive from Soul and Grace Designs & Creative Studio. She's an amazing designer and I'm so happy to be able to use her art to create products. Sometimes though, a customer wants something I don't have and I try to find the original designer and purchase the appropriate file or license rather than recreating it myself.
I could easily copy and recreate it myself, but it's not how I want to go about it.
The world of creativity right now is a bit of The Wild West. Trying to navigate it thoughtfully and responsibly is a very real issue.
I am not accusing or pointing fingers at anyone. I do not know what licenses or permissions they have to sell what they do.
For me, I want to support the people who create the artwork I use, because I'm a creator too. I know how much time and creativity goes into making something.
Does that mean I never see something trending and think, **“Damn, that would sell”?**
Oh, absolutely.
Ha!
But I've decided that if I didn't create it myself, I want to know that I have permission to use it.
Sometimes doing things this way probably means I leave some money on the table. and that's okay.
I'm trying to build a business I'm proud of—not just one that gets the most likes.
Although...
I wouldn't hate 400 comments to help out the algo. Just saying.😂
P.S. The photo of spaghetti is completely owned by me.
I might engrave it on something.
