<![CDATA[BITCHIN INC. DESIGNS - Blog]]>Thu, 14 May 2026 19:06:20 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[I don't know about you but I can't eat AI]]>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 16:02:31 GMThttps://www.bitchinincdesigns.com/blog/i-dont-know-about-you-but-i-cant-eat-aiI know it’s not exactly about “art” OR is it? With many “artists” dropping the pencils and brushes leaning into AI it begs the question, do you understand what you’re contributing to?

Listen I get it. It’s useful, it saves time, it can provide services for next to nothing. I’m sure you’re all aware of hearing the cons continually preached by those it’s quickly nudging out. Another perspective is gaining notoriety however. Land, water, power and pollution. Now there will be those that say, “ open ai doesn’t contribute to this problem”. Ok you’re right, however take the percentage of people using it as a tool for editing, creating and etc. vs the general public that have zero clue what any of that is or means. It’ll vastly outweigh the claim. Now they’ll say, “well it’s a consumers market”. Again yes you’re right, however at what cost? 
I can only speak to what’s going on immediately around me. Where my state is openly allowing and advocating for more data centers (137 total and counting) that are pushing farmers out with increasing property taxes, using loopholes to take land. Increasing power consumption/ power bills. Massive water intake where facilities like google on the Columbia river has basically pushed the city to buy 150 acres of mount hood forest to divert water again for its consumption. Morrow county has seen pollutants rise well over unsafe levels causing major health issues for the residents. Coincidentally the county commissioner that took initiative to have wells tested that failed, every single one of them, got ran out of his position by special interest groups working for these facilities. 
Not only has the damage been done and still ongoing, these multi billionaire entities receive massive tax breaks that not only take tax revenue out of the communities they’re in but the state as a whole. That’s hundreds of millions of dollars that a state is asking the tax payer to make up for. 


The other small ripple that’s starting is in fact power. Where again states like oregon are pushing feverishly for “alternative power” sources like windmills and solar farms. Did I mention how many acres of land these centers take? And where they take it? Most every one of them are in rural areas. That’s farm land, ranch land, beautiful landscapes and quietness that the residents who occupy those areas in fact live there for. But why are they buying up these areas? It’s cheap, the land owners such as farmers and ranchers have been in these areas generationally. Most of these are older generations whose family don’t want to farm, they’re tired and broke or just ready to give up. Certain dollar amounts per acre sets up retirement pretty nicely. Why does that matter? Farming is on the decline rapidly and being replaced with data centers and “affordable housing” which is a whole other discussion. That leaves corporate AG to thrive and import food sources which again is another discussion. Insert generalized opinion by people who can’t understand here, “the US has millions of acres of farmland already”. Ok yeah for now……. Since 2017 to 2024 it’s been recorded that 142,000 to 160,000 farms have closed or been consolidated with 15,000 small farms and ranches closed from 2023-2025. To which my reply is, “ I can’t eat ai, while adding, I’d rather know where my food comes from so supporting my local farms to me is crucial”. 


I know sounds like a lot. Sounds like a lot of propaganda maybe? Well I’ll argue you can research yourself. Ask locals what they experienced personally when these centers have come in. Yes not all are ai however they definitely add to a growing problem. It gives me an uneasy feeling using ai and even typing this out publishing it on a platform that in fact adds to the issue. I see a lot of so called “artists” lean into ai basically rebranding their so called hand crafted title into ai slop and no one is the wiser. The only way you can tell is I know people will get bent for pointing it out. So much so I’ve already been ridiculed and blocked by a few “brands” that felt they needed to defend it. Times are a changin I get it but being aware of what’s going on may force guardrails to be put in place which is desperately needed before it’s too late. In this AI race no one wins because you can fucking eat ai.
]]><![CDATA[Tracing Through Wood]]>Fri, 07 Feb 2025 19:19:02 GMThttps://www.bitchinincdesigns.com/blog/tracing-through-woodNot to beat a dead horse here but the events this week I feel need to be shared not so much for the situation itself but more so what that type of person will always do and maybe how to handle it and probably how to handle it better.
So the internet is pretty awesome especially for most of us like me that have been able to grow a business and career from it. The upside is everyone can see what you do. The downside is everyone can see what you do. It brings a vulnerability that most people will never deal with. Your career and business is your baby. You’ve most likely created it from nothing and depending on what you do and put out there into the ether can garner a lot of criticism. It’s expected for sure or at least it should be. Now in saying that there are those that for absolutely no reason and with no context of what you do, where you came from and how you built this business of yours, that will try to tear your hard work down just because they’re having a bad day or life. No matter what you say or do they will have the same opinion of you they built in their head, a person they’ve never met, they’ve never seen your work till they tripped over it cruising the internet and decided to be a cunt. It’s nothing you did it’s who they are.


Recently I had a guy by the name of Stephen Taylor who is a supposed “photographer” stumble upon my business on Facebook and decided to take it upon himself to start commenting rude shit on one of my posts. Calling me a stealer of artwork, a tracer and asked me to “prove it” otherwise. Armed with zero context as to why he was making such allegations or any proof to make the claims. In fact had he done a little investigating and I mean very little by scrolling to see what I do he may have just went along his way. However there was no “proving” anything because he had a bone to pick for whatever reason, I have a feeling I know why even though he didn’t admit it. I feel, from a few other convos had between him and a few of my clients, that one of his photos had been used by some other individual that “photoshops” all of their art in the same fashion that may look similar to mine. But that remains undetermined by him. Either way this angry individual stumbles upon my business and decides to make me his target for all that anger.


Unfortunately I allowed this individual to get under my skin because he was trying to tear down a 12 year business I worked my ass off to build. Not something I take lightly. And what should have happened was to just ignore, block him and move on. The lesson I learned after the fact is pretty much expressed at the beginning of writing this. These individuals do not care. They’ve come from a world of little consequence which the internet realm caters to. People that feel they can say whatever without fear of being hit. Which I don’t know about you that’s the world I came from which is you say stupid shit or be disrespectful you got hit. But having said that I feel sometimes it may be warranted to call these types out for a few reasons. One it’s not ok to say whatever you want without consequence. ESPECIALLY from a business standpoint because what you do in and out of your business reflects back on your business reputation. People may be more reluctant to work with you or buy from you if they know you’re an absolute piece of trash to towards people behind the scenes. Something a “photographer” should know. The the other is people get more comfortable living without consequence that is visible to others who may embolden others to do the same. The ultimate realty is people are going to be people no matter what but I believe setting boundaries shows it’s not ok to do especially for small businesses that take hits when dealing with these types of people.


Now if you’re just a shitty business owner you’re bringing this on yourself. There’s a difference between working hard and getting criticism and working hard but being a trash human and getting criticism. I wanted to share this because I know people get this from those that are just angry and it sucks because again they’re trying to tear down something you’ve worked extremely hard on. And depending on the type of person you are like myself it’s going to have an effect on you. I get it. If that is you and you can’t just let it roll off your back try your hardest to do just that because there’s always going to be those types and guess what they are not even 1 percent of the following and customer base you’ve built from all of your hard work. I think we forget that sometimes and really need to remember that from time to time. They’ve shown up for you and support you. That’s what really matters, not people like Stephan that are just angry human beings. Regardless continue to work hard and grow because the more you do the more people like this will crawl out of the woodwork with a bone to pick with you for whatever reason. And remember this that no matter what people may tell you it is possible to trace through wood because Stephan said so. I tried proving you couldn’t but here we are🤷🏼‍♂️.
]]><![CDATA[How much time did that take? And why I don’t care.]]>Sun, 06 Oct 2024 17:24:06 GMThttps://www.bitchinincdesigns.com/blog/how-much-time-did-that-take-and-why-i-dont-careListen I understand why people ask because it somehow validates artwork into being more or less impressive then what the images implies itself. Or maybe you just want to know just to know. I get and I used to ask other artists the same. Here’s why I don’t anymore nor do I answer the question. Every single artists skill set, skill level and methods are different. What does that mean? It means you take the same subject 5 different artists doing their interpretation of it and you’ll have 5 different time frames. But does that make each piece more or less impressive?
If I draw a subject now and in five years down the road I draw the same subject chances are it may take me less time. To me time doesn’t mean anything spent on a piece of art. It’s just tells me you may be more advanced or further down your career path. The other reason I do not care about the time spent is because almost every artist out there does not get compensated appropriately for their art when we are talking about time spent on a piece. Painters will tell you the same thing. If I charged by the hour NO ONE would buy my art. If I spent 80 hours on a piece and say the minimum wage in my state is around $16 an hour for a total of what would be $1280. For perspective that would be a 14x17” piece with a vehicle that’s got a good amount of detail and maybe a dog headshot included that I charge $900.


Now that’s on the low end. I’ve been doing this for 10 years. I’d like to think, and I have, been at businesses where I’ve made well over $16 an hour. Sure I can charge that but the big question is would it sell? You have different sides saying different things to that. One side would say yes you absolutely should! The other will say I wouldn’t pay half that for what you’re doing. Who’s right? Is it really about time spent on it? Who’s going to actually buy that says either opinion? This is why I don’t care about time spent on a piece. It’s not to be rude just the reality of it is that it doesn’t matter. As an artist, and I think others can relate, we have to charge accordingly. However that looks and works differently per individual. Some artists may even spend less time on their art because of that. Some like me I don’t really care because I want to progress more as an artist. Others may be doing neither and charging a mint for their work.


It sounds like I’m ranting and I’m really not it’s just more of a reality for me probably more then the people who are actually asking legitimately just to know. This is just what I think when I’m being asked. But it’s also what I’m doing for a living compared to fans and admirers just being that fans and admirers. Anyways welcome to my Ted talk hahah.
]]><![CDATA[Why you should workout no matter what you do.]]>Wed, 24 Jul 2024 17:44:40 GMThttps://www.bitchinincdesigns.com/blog/why-you-should-workout-no-matter-what-you-doThere are SOOO many reason to do this. I cannot express the importance of maintaining a body that may stay stationary throughout the day. I get it you work in front of a computer all day even if you have a sit down stand up desk you’re moving very little. You may tattoo, and even though you may have to bend your body on weird angles all day full body movement is very little. Or you draw and paint, weld, cut hair, or even having to stand all day your body simply needs to be maintained. Why you may ask? Well let’s break some of it down.
If parts of your body stay in one position too long or moves minimally our spines tend to compress, the joints and ligaments aren’t utilizing their full range of motion causing them to be prone to injury. And here’s the deal the amount of calories and everything stored causes weight gain compounding issues with our back and joints causing even more wear and tear plus a plethora of other health issues.


I get it trust me, you need to get the work done. You don’t have time because of everything else going on. But the longer you maintain that mentality the more damage we’re doing to our bodies. Now I’m not saying you need to sign up for any iron man contests or be the next mr. Olympia no, but what I am saying maintaining a level of fitness that keeps your body fit and most of all more prepared for your day to day work and activities you need to get done. I’m not talking about vanity but more so longevity and less aches and pains just living.


I sit a solid 8-12 hours a day. I do take breaks and move around a bit but most of all I try to maintain a level of fitness that keeps me from feeling like death sitting in one of the most ergonomic chairs money can buy. Yes I have a fancy chair. Does it help? Sure but if I don’t maintain my body all of that goes out the window and I feel like I’m 90. Working out and being healthy isn’t to feed my ego it’s simply maintaining a vessel I want to be able to still use as I get older. That includes this art thing.


For you youngins that feel you don’t have to, I assure you every single thing you’ve done in your life will catch up and being proactive now will save you that much more getting older. Just speaking from experience🤷🏼‍♂️. Having said that just get out and do something for an hour every day or most of the week that gets you moving, gets the heart rate up, makes you sweat and keeps you active. Oh and it shouldn’t be easy it needs to be hard, if it were easy just sit back down in your chair because that’s all it’ll be doing for you anyways. I’ll step off the soap box now and let y’all get back to it.
]]><![CDATA[Where in the world did Chris Frogett go and why?]]>Thu, 18 Jul 2024 23:06:17 GMThttps://www.bitchinincdesigns.com/blog/where-in-the-world-did-chris-frogett-go-and-whyNow it’s purely speculation on my part for most if not all of this. However I have my ideas or rather conspiracies. Having said that I have ALWAYS admired the work of this man. Obviously because it’s amazing and I believe anyone who has been in the hot rod world knows or has seen his work. But that begs the question, where did Chris Frogett go??
I have to ask this because being that talented and amazing what happened to him? I’ve heard that he is in fact still alive. Just no art? Why? It’s something I’ve thought about for a very long time. Did he fall out of love with what he did? Was it something that just wasn’t cutting it to live off of? Did pressures get to be too much? I can guess all day but I know the answers will never come and if they do most likely will be speculation as well.


I can only assume based off my own experiences. To be honest I’ve seen quite a few great ones rise and fall never to be heard from again. It saddens me really to create such a talent and poof gone. I can understand why though. There are very few who will actually appreciate what you do and the accolades aren’t the reward, it’s the pride you see in others who appreciate it. It’s why I’ve never wanted to be the “t shirt artist”. Sure it may look cool on a shirt but that vs someone owing a custom piece that’s hung up, protected by a surrounding of wood and glass speaks differently then something on a piece of garment. Maybe there’s a lot to be said about the consumption of throw away decor or really throw away everything we buy every single day. The pride in which we display for hand crafted objects is vastly over shadowed by cheaply made things of today. You really start to feel undervalued when you’re told constantly “I can have that done cheaper/ faster” and cheaper looks like every other store bought trash out there with the urgency of that to match right there waiting on the shelf.


I don’t know maybe I’m thinking too much into it and it’s something simple. Maybe it’s my own intrusive thoughts clouding the whole deal. Maybe it’s a thought of my own that hits too close to home. But I will say this; Chris even though the world hasn’t seen anything new for a number of years now I do hope that all of the above is just that speculation and that the talent in which you grew and presented to the public still has a place in your heart. That you still create just to feel that satisfaction of a job well done. You are a master at your craft and selfishly I wish I could see something new look upon for the rest of my time on this earth.
]]><![CDATA[5 minutes of fame or legacy?]]>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 18:39:53 GMThttps://www.bitchinincdesigns.com/blog/5-minutes-of-fame-or-legacyAs you may have noticed with media the “viral fame” is basically the goal that’s been cultivated by all platforms. What standard does that set? What mindset does that create? It’s no wonder there’s a shortage of people actually willing to put in the work when there’s so many chasing after the fame. So that begs the question what would you rather have? That short dopamine hit of fame? Or building a career or business that creates a long lasting impact and legacy?
Would you rather be the “hauk tuah” girl or Michael Jordan one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game? I don’t even like basketball and I know that. And the only reason I know of the hauk tuah girl is because it’s literally everywhere. But for a short period of time. And here’s the difference, viral vs legacy. Ones claim to fame was for a few seconds while the other has taken a lifetime to cultivate.


I feel the difference is we don’t emphasize the importance of creating talent, molding it and creating a lasting impression that generations will read about while miss hauk tuah might have a spot on some obscure documentary years down the road titled “wtf was that in the 2020’s. If we want to talk about success and how we define that now days I really feel the importance should not only be noted but emphasized.


When you leave this world whether you care or not you will be remembered in some sort of fashion. Now is it egotistical to want to be remembered in a good light? Sure it is. But what if we want to be remembered for something greater? Legacy is creating something that it bigger than one’s self. Sure you may be the conductor of the story but what remains after is so much bigger. Insert Ed Roth. And if you don’t know who that is perhaps you may of heard of Rat Fink. Great artist with great vision but what was left behind is still relevant and thriving to this day.


I could go on for days on this especially how generations have been left to their own devices to try and figure out this thing we call life with some success or constant failures. That’s a whole other story. And maybe that’s what it takes in part to become great in the long run? Either way when I look at what I become and how I’d like to be remembered my hope is with what I’m doing will leave a lasting impression that carry’s on long after I’m gone. To me that’s far more important then getting 5 minutes of fame.
]]><![CDATA[How important is your style?]]>Sun, 23 Jun 2024 17:36:06 GMThttps://www.bitchinincdesigns.com/blog/how-important-is-your-styleNo I’m not talking about the way you dress or do your hair. I’m talking about the very unique style of your craft. Now it doesn’t just pertain to hand painted or hand drawn stuff no, it can be found in most things hand crafted. Because what do we do when we do things? We make them our own! It’s part of being an individual!!! So how crucial is it that we hold true to our uniqueness so to speak?
Well for starters when someone looks at a piece or something that’s hand crafted often times is recognizable by those in the know. But what if that isn’t the case? It’s still unique and maybe those who don’t know now want to know? Oh this is where you’ve set yourself apart and didn’t even know it till those people find you! When they do it’ll all start to click for them. Sure we want to set ourselves apart because we’re creative but the unspoken part about this what happens when others start to notice.


Your style is your calling card!! How important is it to stay true to that? Very important because doing something that is full on what a client wants with zero creativity from your end isn’t what creating art is about. This is why there are millions of us to choose from and given the power of media are now more accessible. I’m not saying fuck those clients no but what I am saying what they’re wanting still has to be uniquely you. If they can’t understand it’s more then ok to refer them to another artist or just pass on. At the end of the day you still have to be proud of what you create and setting a boundary to do so.


It’s also important to find your own style and that comes with time. Settling into your groove and getting your style figured out is a process. It’s taking me a long time to figure it out and to be honest will be something I’ll continue to hone. My old work looks nothing like what I do now but in the early days I was still figuring it out. And that’s ok because once you do people will take notice even when you’re not paying attention. That’s the power of having your own style.
]]><![CDATA[Media feeds bravado]]>Thu, 20 Jun 2024 18:50:10 GMThttps://www.bitchinincdesigns.com/blog/media-feeds-bravadoIf you put something out into the world you are inviting the good and the bad of EVERYTHING. Repeat that please. When we create and we expose our creations to the world you are opening an invitation for everyone. Media has made this possible in ways we’re still trying to grasp. Are there a ton of positives? YES! As everyone has noticed the amount of people benefiting from it has spawned full time careers and so many side hustles it’s crazy! But what does it mean for the flip side?
Let’s face it there are always people that just hate life. You know that one “friend “ that never comments unless it’s to disagree or to add their useless two cents on the subject. People will interject now thinking it’s just normal and when you react they get all defensive. These people have never been punched because of their mouth. Maybe it’s the era I came up in but if someone talked shit they got slapped, punched or just beat. I like to call that the reset button. But in all seriousness it set a precedence for being respectful. Remember the phrase “if you can’t say something nice don’t say it at all?” Yeah that’s because people got slapped if they didn’t or there was some consequence for it.


Now I’m not condoning go out and slap people but what I am saying how you react to these people will speak volumes about who you are as a person and a business owner. More and more there’s an all seeing eye on you whether you’re at your business or not at your business. I believe that’s important regardless of if you’re being watched or not. Anyways we can deal with these people by being eloquent in our responses or just not responding at all.


Personally I like responding. It’s not to feed into any bs but rather take a calm approach to people who feel they’re justified to do whatever they want. Because the more “we” stand our ground in a constructive way the more it sets boundaries for the general public to understand that it’s not ok to just be a dick because you have a keyboard. My point is to handle it with grace because this also shows others you’re someone reasonable to deal with whether it be in your personal life or business.
]]><![CDATA[Not all things are equal]]>Fri, 14 Jun 2024 19:44:36 GMThttps://www.bitchinincdesigns.com/blog/not-all-things-are-equalThat is the truth! The common misconception is that just because someone has a certain skill doesn’t mean they can do absolutely everything in that world pertaining to certain skill sets. It’s like going to a restaurant that specializes in hamburgers and asking them if they can make you some dim sum. Yeah they deal in the food industry but also are miles apart in what they offer.
Same thing with artists. One artist may specialize in portraits while another only does sceneries. Are going to ask one to do the others specialty just because they’re an artist? Same can be said for the style, medium and etc. Just because they’re an artist doesn’t me they do everything under the sun. It’s IMPORTANT to research the artist prior to asking them to commission something they may not even do.


Now is this to say that everyone is dead set on certain styles or creativeness? No, some may want to stretch their legs a bit and give new things a try. But understand this person has a certain style all their own and even though they may stretch their legs outside of the norm they usually do best believe they will put their spin on it. Again, and this is an over exaggeration, it’s like asking a person that specializes in portraits and asking them to do a tribal armband.


But this is the beauty of artists, there MILLIONS of us! If they can’t do what you’re after don’t bug them or be rude simply find someone else. And if you’re nice about it most times that artist will know of others that may be able to help you out. But it’s important to research the artist beforehand because like you time is important, spend it wisely.
]]><![CDATA[When does art become vanity?]]>Fri, 31 May 2024 16:54:38 GMThttps://www.bitchinincdesigns.com/blog/when-does-art-become-vanityI’ve always, no matter what I’ve done, been the type that the outcome of my experience and skills will speak for itself. I’ve never felt the need to have to over compensate for lack of this that or the other thing. I also feel what I do is a reflection of myself. I’ve never been the one to want to be in the spotlight I want my work to be.
Having said that I absolutely hate selfies, videoing myself and anything of the sort. Most artists I admire and are at the top or were at the top of their game you RARELY ever saw. Almost of an enigma. Not to say it’s right or wrong or personal preference but what I’m asking is when does it stop being about your work and more about vanity? Or the need to “fill a gap” or let’s just call it like it is “thirst trap”. Are you about your art or about selling yourself instead of your work?


Yes people like to put a face to things and that I understand but is there a need to do it in every single video looking like you were “feeling yourself” that day? Again what are you selling? Do you want the focus on you or your art? As an artist when you put your work out into the ether you’re already opening yourself to criticism and public opinion. Anything extra is inviting people to do what they do best and that’s people, insert hand on face emoji. There’s positive and negative with all of it but don’t be surprised with the negative.


Sure it may gain likes and followers because, let’s face it media focuses on certain things and certain things sell more then others. Again I’ll ask what’s more important? Vanity or creativity? When does the art stop and posing for the gram start? Be honest is all I’m saying. If you’re gonna sell your art SELL YOUR ART. If you’re going to sell yourself create another page and do that. Be mindful of what you’re inviting and what you’re trying to do with either or. If not don’t criticize people that were invited into your world based on what you’re selling. Yes I know people will be ignorant no matter what but at least we can try to mitigate that by being mindful and exposing them to the thing we want to sell the most.
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