Who's your Umami?

 

Actually, I'm actually more likely your udaddy, though ChatGPT seems to think saying "Who's your daddy?" is a way of asserting dominance or control over someone. I never thought of it that way. But ChattyGPT has been known to be wrong.

I actually knew what Umami was before creating this design. I went though a phase of being obsessed with making my own Japanese noodles and encountered umami. If you are not a foodie or sophisticated in the ways of the world like myself, umami is one of the five basic tastes (at least according to the Japanese) and sits there along side sweet, sour, salty, bitter (or this tastes like shit...but that would be the sixth basic taste...how anyone knows what shit tastes like, though, is deeply disturbing to me). ChattyGPT says umami is often described as a rich, meaty, and broth-like taste that enhances the overall flavor of food.

I bought some umami seasoning from Trader Joes and I'm not sure I actually taste the difference. But I like mushrooms.

And what triggered my umami design? I confess that I go to 6 dollar t-shirts and scroll through their t-shirt designs. More often than not they trigger something that gives me an idea for a t-shirt design of my own that is much better than theirs. Their t-shirts are pretty basic. None are elaborate as mine. But they do sell a crap load of them.

I did sell a t-shirt today, but ironically it wasn't anything elaborate or overly clever.

This one was created before I discovered art AI and the magic that turns the simple into a wild tapestry of intricate nuances.  But apparently people just want the basics. I get paid the same regardless if they are purchasing puntastic genius or slap my ass and call me Sally simple designs.  I came up with rolls and responsibilities some time ago and posted it in my blog. It was based on my work experience and the constant litany about clarifying "roles and responsibilities." Every time I heard that phrase I would picture the medieval monks in Monty Pythons Holy Grail walking along chanting and then hitting themselves in the head with boards. I would walk out of meetings chanting, "Roles and Responsibilities" and hit myself in the head with an imaginary board. But now, selling a t-shirt about "rolls and responsibilities" makes it all worthwhile.

Six dollar T's had a design about bucket lists showing a bucket full of bottles of beers. I took that simple concept and turned it into this.

My AI friend Gemini Cricket helped me with this one. There is a certain sense of irony in it because a bucket list is supposed to be full of things you want to do before you kick the bucket. I turned it into that age old thing about what would you ask a Genie from a magic lamp if they offer you three wishes: more wishes. So if a bucket list is full of things you do before you die, the logical thing would be to not die. 

In the process of asking Gemini Cricket for images associated with a bucket list that has "Don't kick the bucket" on it, it spit out this random image:

Now is that freaky or what? But I liked it. So I figured out a way to actually turn it into a t-shirt design that made some sense.

Huh...huh? Impressed aren't you? I couldn't deal with the pigeon having human hands so I gave it pigeon feet. And bird seed aside, I've seen more than one bird picking at the carcass of dead birds before so I know they have a taste for bird flesh. So this design now makes a lot of sense to me.  I lived with the fact that the pigeon has no eyes, but it is symbolic of it turning a blind eye to its cannibalism. I tell you I am the Albert Einstein of t-shirt designs.

Who's your udaddy?