walter.craven.design.studio

06/10/2020

05/01/2020

...a friendly reminder. If anyone needs help, please reach out.

03/25/2020

I know we’re all going through a difficult time. Quite honestly, the situation we find ourselves in….sucks.

Obviously, small businesses built on the foundation of social gathering are particularly vulnerable right now.

In an effort to give back and help, I've designed a bunch of apparel and put together this storefront as a fundraising portal of sorts, to help my friend Ken and Portland House of Music and Events, in hopes that it might help navigate the situation the club currently finds itself in. Having to close the doors for close to 2 months is a hard reality that stings.

Ken is a community builder that truly cares about people. He worries about taking care of the local musicians and his staff and has lovingly gone out of his way to help grow the local music, comedy, and live events community for over 20 years. The community is like family to him.

I still remember the first time I met Ken – big smile, friendly handshake, and an authentically enthusiastic hello. If you know Ken, you know the greeting I am speaking of. I still get that same greeting, some 20 years later. I’m proud to call him a friend.

I can never return all the generosity that Ken shown to me over the years, but, in an attempt to help give back even a little bit of that love, I present this to you for examination:

https://teespring.com/stores/phome

All profits will go the club to help with costs while the doors are closed.

Full transparency: the ‘profit’ from selling each of these items is between $10 and $12 per item. I set this storefront up with a DTG (direct to garment) partner who takes their cut first to cover the cost of printing and the garment. Also, the cost doesn’t including shipping, which is around $4 - $6 per item.

Thanks for reading and stay safe!

walt.

10/28/2019

I found this dope old stencil set at an antique shop and created a personal lettering system with it – which then inspired me to create a new, hockey apparel line that reflects on the unique culture of hockey and it's lingo and slang.Hockey Stuff For Hockey People is the result. Having fun with this! https://teespring.com/stores/hockey-stuff-for-hockey-people

10/21/2019

I’ve been lucky to work with the amazing non-profit for many years, creating designs for the program (in partnership with ), which helps to divert the use of single-use plastic water bottles by providing concert goers with cool, reusable Nalgene bottles. This work is rewarding on so many levels and I’m looking forward to our continued work together! These are a collection of designs I’ve created for concerts at Thompson’s Point over the past few years.

10/20/2019

OK.

I've been creating and utilizing hand lettering in my own work lately and I'm having so much fun with it.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/W4L73R

10/15/2019

Not sure about you, but early morning walks help clear my head a bit.

I've been doing a lot more hand lettering and I'm excited about the all the new directions it offers.

10/07/2019

There wasn't a ton of music around the house when I was growing up, until 1984, when my dad inexplicably brought home 5 records; ZZ Top Eliminator, Hall & Oates H2O, David Bowie Let's Dance, Michael Jackson Thriller, and Van Halen 1984. I hadn't started playing guitar yet, but I was immediately drawn to the VH record (so much so, that I would bring the record in the car with me even though there was no way to listen to it). Van Halen was my first favorite band, even before I started playing guitar, and of course when I did start playing, there was no greater inspiration than Eddie.

#1984

10/03/2019

For real. I was psyched to see what the new releases were on Spotify...

10/01/2019

Did you know it was National Black Dog Day? Of course the first thing I think of when I hear 'black dog' is Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, and THAT RIFF! I'm sure that's not the intention of National Black Dog Day, but nonetheless...

09/20/2019

I was out for a run this morning, and a new track from Tedeschi Trucks Band came on and I was quickly reminded of my love for Derek Trucks' guitar playing. He's one of the greatest guitar players of our lifetime. Truly inspiring.