A Monkey of a Year

While January 1st marks the first day of the year for the U.S., China's New Year falls on the day of the first new moon, occuring between January 21st and February 20th. The Chinese New Year for 2016 begins today, February 8th, and lasts until January 27, 2017.

Among the traditions tied to China's turn of the year is their zodiac, which rotates annually among 12 animals. Legend has it that each of these animals answered the Buddha's invitation to meet for a race. The order assigned to a cycle of twelve years coincides with the order in which each animal finished in this mythical contest.

Based on the Chinese zodiac, 2016 marks the Year of the Monkey, the ninth in this succession of 12 creatures. Characterized by playfulness, creativity, and a bit of mischief, monkey years portend especially good fortune for entrepreneurs, and in general bring with them change and the unexpected.

Change has indeed graced the SandStorming shop in the form of a new line of austere, Scandinavian style prints.

Augmenting these minimalist items is a Year of the Monkey poster, the first of several monkey-themed products. SandStorming monkey year creations all revisit the retro appeal of sock monkey toys, which originated in Rockford Illinois, USA, from a pattern designed for use with Rockford Red Heel socks.

As the year progresses, keep an eye out for this and other Year of the (Sock) Monkey designs and, in the spirit of the Chinese New Year, happy monkey business!

Getting a Foothold in Design

Pursuing the world of design inspires me to:

Contemplate.

Innovate.

Laugh.

Yes; laugh. And when a design leads me to laughter, I know I've stumbled upon the gold standard in creative discovery.

I'm no stranger to re-defining and re-re-defining -- and then laughing! -- at the struggle to get it right: the right color, the right approach, the right feel. It all seems so personal and yet, countless other designers and innovators, creatives, all, persevere to get it right, too.

I came across an article yesterday about one such bold designer from Japan, and felt inspired to share that piece, here.

Why?

Perhaps the article itself best explains its ability to beg an audience with these tantalizing words linking feet and food, "Design inspired by nature (or cheese, in this case) is intriguing..."

If duly intrigued, follow the photo link to read on:

And if that tidbit leaves you hungry for more, here's another brief but useful feet-ure article on the same topic:

For further intrigue, take a moment to stop by the shop and see what's afoot among SandStorming's artistic concepts for 2016: