Always be creative. This is the third and final Chinese New Year resolution for 2012. I guess I can make more but if I want to succeed with these I have to make tasks manageable. There are tons more I want to try to get done but these three are the most important and all-encompassing. But I digress….

Creativity is the main driving force behind everything I do. I’m a web designer by day and I have a few other side projects (Sinotology included) that all require some kind of creative energy. For Sinotology, creativity lies in the designs. My vision for this line is to keep things fun, whimsical, and of course, creative. I want to make Chinese t-shirts that you can’t find out on the streets or anywhere else for that matter. But I need to have my right brain at optimum levels if I’m to achieve that goal. To do that I must exercise it.

So starting now I am going to constantly work my creative muscles. I will create something once a week. Since I’ve never done anything like this before I thought I’d start slow and warm up the right brain before I tackle more ambitious numbers (once a day eventually maybe??). I plan on doing everything including digital art, illustration, photography (time to dust off that DSLR!), and graphic design. Hell, I’ll even try writing or cooking. Anything that can be considered an art form I am open to trying, no matter how horrible I am at it. The more I do something creative, the bigger my right brain will get. And I want my right brain to look like Arnold from the 80s.

On a side note, I live in the Los Angeles area, where there are hundreds of art galleries all over the city (There’s even one a mile away from where I live!). The key to creativity is to expose yourself to others’ art and not be isolated. Galleries are great places for inspiration and learning, or even to refuel if I ever feel burnt out. I will be making a point to visiting them as much as I can.

So there you have it. I believe these resolutions will benefit the Sinotology cause and help it grow, and I will be trying very hard to not break them. I have a feeling 2012 will be an awesome year for Sinotology!

I’ve had a few brainstorming sessions before to come up with some ideas for new designs but it never really made it past that stage. But now with all my Chinese New Year resolutions I’ve finally started to move forward. The other day I collected some photos from the interwebs to make an “idea board” to help me visualize the possibilities for tee illustrations. Not all my ideas are on here though, since some of them are more abstract and you can’t really find images for them. Additionally, some ideas are tougher to translate into a graphic. Nevertheless, this board gives me a good idea on the directions I can go. Can you name all the ideas that are on here?

This really doesn’t need any explanation…but I’ll explain anyways. Last year I launched Sinotology with 3 tee designs. It is now almost February and there are still only 3 designs available—that’s 7 months and no new releases. Needless to say, 2011 was not a very productive year.

I had such lofty plans for this venture and more than half a year later it totally stalled—hood up, steam bursting out, and the smell of coolant everywhere. So what happened? There are so many reasons I can give—work, life, and everything in between—but in the end they’re all excuses. Fact of the matter is I’ve been looking at Sinotology more as a hobby than a business, but that is not the way it’s supposed to be. Sinotology SHOULD be a part of work, life, and everything in between. It should be in the forefront of everything I do. It needs to be a part of me.

T-shirts are the focus of the company. By neglecting to release new shirts I’m cutting off the bloodline of this business. So priority number 1 right now is to work on new designs and get them launched. I’ve already brainstormed so many ideas and now it’s time to put pencil to paper and get sketchin’. This resolution is very straight-forward. Sinotology won’t grow without new shirts (duh!).

One more resolution to go. Check back later!

Since I missed out on the Gregorian New Year resolutions, I’ll make it up by making some Chinese New Year resolutions for my little t-shirt business. So here it is, resolution #1: Do not drop off.

This was single-handedly the biggest problem I had since I started the venture last year. Updates would come in spurts and the long period in between would be dead silence. It’s as if I dropped off the face of the planet. I mean, there wasn’t even a post about Christmas or New Year! That is inexcusable. This blog was intended to be a trove of information but the reality is I had neglected it for too long. I’ve been treating Sinotology more as a hobby than a business when it should be the other way around. Order fulfillment was timely but I must be more consistent with my handling of updates and information here, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

But what do I post? Sometimes there really is NOTHING to talk about. I can’t possibly be writing about Chinese t-shirts the whole time since there’s really not much to write about on that subject, and you will probably get bored if every post was about that. A blog for a retail site is different than an informational blog. The information released is more product- and company-based and since Sinotology is a tiny company with just a handful of products, there isn’t enough information to consistently update this blog—or Facebook and Twitter for that matter.

That is where I’m wrong. This blog and any other medium is an outlet for me to establish my brand. And because I am a one-man army, because I created Sinotology based on my tastes, the brand is me. My personal life, the things that make me tick, and any personality traits that reflect the brand are all topics I can talk about. I can use this blog, Facebook, and Twitter to build the Sinotology brand. Of course I must be selective and not have diarrhea of the mouth (or in this case, fingers). I will just post things that might be interesting to the public or pertain directly to the company.

So now I really have no excuse to drop off. Brand-building articles as will as future updates should be keeping me busy for a while. I’m already excited about the Year of the Dragon from this aspect. As a matter of fact, all the other resolutions make me excited too. I think 2012 will be a productive year for Sinotology. Be sure to check back to hear about the rest of the resolutions!

Traditional lion dances are cool enough, but add in LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem and a whole new dimension of awesome is added (These guys modified the lions’ heads with tiger heads). I’ve seen my share of lion dances before but nothing like this. Combining the traditional with the modern is a creative spin on this age old dance. I especially love the running man at 1:42. Check it out!

Via Channel APA

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! May the Year of the Dragon bring forturne and prosperity to all the good people out there! As my gift to you all shirts are marked down to $15 for one week. I can’t give you red envelopes but hopefully this will do. Sale ends on January 29 so hurry up and pick up a shirt or two! Happy New Year!

It’s been going on for a while but just thought I’d make an official blog post about it. Until Christmas day, all shirts are $17! So if you’re still doing some Christmas shopping, why not pick up a shirt or two? Be sure to buy them soon so they’ll arrive before Christmas day!

In observance of Black Friday, we here at Sinotology (we being just me…) will be having a ginormous sale. Black Friday is all about super deals in’it? So here’s ours: All shirts are just $12! Not only that, but the sale will go on through the weekend and through Cyber Monday (November 25 – November 28). You have four days to pick up a shirt for a ridiculously cheap price, because I know after Thanksgiving you might be in a food coma for a while. So if you haven’t picked up a shirt yet, there won’t be a better time than this to cop one! See you soon!

Just a little heads up: Black Friday is coming and that means there will be a huge sale! Haven’t picked up a shirt yet? Well, this would be the perfect opportunity. Check back for details…