Life is Balance^® T-shirts Debut!

Posted on November 20, 2010 by Sheryl Checkman

Celebrate the balance we add to our lives through activities that make us smile!

The first Life is Balance t-shirts have been printed and I am excited to be selling them this Sunday, November 21 in Fort Lee, NJ at Congregation Gesher Shalom (the JCC): 1449 Anderson Avenue, Fort Lee, NJ from 10:00am-2:00pm.

If you can’t make it out to New Jersey, I will also be at PS 183 in NYC : 419 East 66th Street on Tuesday, December 7 from 5:00pm-9:00pm.

The designs, all based on a yin yang symbol, are specific to a particular sport, activity or lifestyle choice. I have over 30 different sport and activity designs that will be produced. The first 4 designs that are available are: Yoga, Ski/Snowboard, Peace and The Environment. To see the other designs, please visit my website, checkmandesign.com

We’ve got shirts for men, women and girls so come join us at one of our upcoming events and get your holiday shopping started early!

Taking a Risk

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Sheryl Checkman

This is the Yoga design. My intention is to make a big success out of this brand!

If you’ve checked out this blog before, you’ll know that I started it when I designed my Life is Balance® line of t-shirts. I went through the process of registering the trademark and then found myself an agent and waited for the licensing deals to walk through the door. At first it seemed like this was the way to go. There was interest in the brand and a manufacturer agreed to take the license and promised us great sales. Then the economy hit a low and retail stores just weren’t looking to add a new line to their already unsold stock. I sat back, a bit depressed, I’ll admit, and did nothing other than wait, hoping that my agent would call me with news of another licensee. So far that hasn’t happened.

Rather than let that keep me down, I have decided to try to get my designs out there on my own. A risk, but one I hope will pay off big. I think that Life is Balance® will speak to people like me – people who work hard and play hard too. We all have our sports and activities that balance out the hard work that we put into our careers and family. These inspirational t-shirt designs pay homage to the yin and yang of work and play. I’m hoping that I’ll find a niche where these designs will fit in. I’m about to produce 5 of my designs (out of 30+ sport/activity/lifestyle designs) to start and will be selling them at some craft shows and flea markets within the next couple of months. With the holidays coming up, these shirts will make a nice gift!

I’ll be producing both men’s and women’s styles, on nice quality, light-weight cotton jersey (3.7 oz for women and 4.3 oz for men). The styles are soft and fitted for a more fashionable look and feel. You can view all my Life is Balance® designs here.

I am anxious to get a feeling for the sports or activity designs that most appeal to you. So, if you feel so inclined to help out a designer, please post your favorites in a comment.

September 11 — a day we must always remember…

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Sheryl Checkman

Photomontage of Ground Zero days after the attacks. Military guards, smoldering ruins and the clock stopped

I created this photomontage from photographs that I took at Ground Zero in the days after the WTC attacks of 9/11.

It’s hard to believe that almost 10 years have gone by since that awful morning. The photomontage above was selected to be part of “Here is New York : A Democracy of Photographs” an exhibition that was initially set up in a storefront in response to the World Trade Center tragedy. These images were also on exhibit at The New York Historical Society. While no longer a physical exhibition, all the images reside in an online gallery as a visual record of the events of 9/11. My image in the gallery number 7075.

Here is New York is also a part of the September 11 Digital Archive, a consortium organized by the American Social History Project at the City University of New York Graduate Center and the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University in Virginia. The September 11 Digital Archive is the major repository on the Web of digital materials related to the 9/11 attacks.

I created this montage at the time, as a way of expressing my personal anger, disbelief and sorrow at the magnitude of the events of 9/11. Now, years later, I still have trouble understanding how this could happen and I pray that as we remember those lost on 9/11, that we move forward in peace but never forget.