This is likely the last year we will sell our original silkscreened Native Botanical prints and here’s why:
At the end of 2018, we partnered with our friend, Alex, at Family Tree Design and licensed our Native Botanical Collection. This is a decision we came to after many conversations on where this collection is going & where this company is going. While building this specific collection we had many conversations about licensing our states when we saw the potential for growth in this area and took our time to think if it's really something we wanted to do ourselves. We are only two people, creating and figuring it out as we go, and there's something very special to our dynamic even though it may be a bit slow. The Native Botanical Collection is something we've always seen having potential to spin off other products outside of paper, like mugs, t-shirts, notecards, etc. and with those items comes the decision to become a product company with many SKUs, and inventory to manage, and employees to help market and sell. With every step toward that direction, it didn't feel right for who we are and the work we thrive at doing, so licensing the collection consistently became the goal on the horizon if we didn't want the designs to fade away and die.
We researched licensing companies, had a few conversations with interested parties, and ultimately, with a little patience, the pieces fell together as they always do. We've known Alex at Family Tree for many years and respect the way he does business. Here's how our decision broke down:
PRINTING: As a company that's always screen-printed our own work, the first mental hurdle was having someone else printing our designs and being unsure of the quality. Knowing Alex made this decision easy because he’s detail oriented and stands by his quality products and service.
QUANTITY & THE ENVIRONMENT: The more M.I.D. Goods has ventured into the product world, our physical footprint of resources has weighed on our shoulders. Although partnering with a large company to license our work could work out to be really great for our bank account, the thought never felt right in our hearts. We love that at Family Tree, Alex only prints to order and there’s no worry about leftover stock or big box store discount bins that clutter the environment or devalue our work.
OUR FUTURE: The work we’ve recently been posting (lots of random illustrations) possibly hasn’t made a lot of sense if you started following us after the Native Botanical Collection was released. If you’re a lifer and have been with us through the early years of merchandise and heavy gig poster work, then you’ve been around to see that our hearts have always been in illustration and the products have been a nice venture to grow something new. Last year we realized the product world can be fun, but we are not a product company that sometimes makes art. We are artists who sometimes make products and we’re ok if that means pivoting and figuring things out as we go–again. We have new ideas we're excited to try out and adventure into as our work keeps growing.
Thank you so much for those of you who have reached out & sent us messages and screenshots, worried that someone out there is stealing our work. It really is great to know that people value our work and have our backs. However, if you see Family Tree as the source of that work, please know it’s 100% legit and supporting them is supporting us. The treatment Alex has given our work by keeping our logo and name on the prints speaks a lot on his appreciation of other artists and we’re a fan of how things worked out.
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You can still buy our original silkscreened prints from us while they last. Right now our stock currently ranges anywhere from 15-100 depending on the product and after they are gone it’s unlikely we will do reprints of all products. So please stock up if needed & share with a friend. Thank you all again!
Cheers,
Alicia + Drew