Dance is Music Made Visible

This is my favorite dance quote of all time. These words, spoken by the great ballet dancer and choreographer George Balanchine. He was a creative genius and very quotable dance artist. But of all his most quotable quotes, this is the one resonates most with me.  For years, I’ve kept a post-it with this quote on the edge of my computer to remind me of why I dance. When I hear the music and it’s good, I just can’t help myself, I just start moving.

This fall, I decided to go on a hunt for a coffee mug with this quote.  I shopped online, I shopped in stores, and I didn’t find it. I dreamed a dream of the perfect cup.  So, one evening when I was talking to some friends, (over coffee, of course,) and I mentioned my struggle to find my perfect mug.  After a giggle, and a dramatic clearing of the throat, I was reminded that I had made my own custom coffee cups in the past using Zazzle.

Making Your Own Mug

Zazzle is a one-off site used by small businesses to create print on demand products.  There are many different sites that provide these services, but I randomly picked Zazzle years ago to make my marketing items.  Last year, I designed and made a mug to celebrate the creation of the book “Zills: Music on Your Fingertips.”

My mission with the creation of this mug was not to make any cash, but rather, serve as a commemoration a tangible lasting memory of the celebration.  (If you want to see how I use this mug, keep reading.)  I have a Zazzle “store” but I’m not expecting to create a profit.  Print on demand coffee cups and bags are quite expensive, and I decided when I did the setup to set it at the smallest “profit” margin, I think it’s 50 cents.  What does this mean? Even if you bought this cup, I won’t see any cash until I meet some impossible sales minimum.  I honestly just design these cups to serve as a keepsake for my projects like this “Cloth of Egypt” mug that features the front and back covers of the book.

Use Canva to Design the Mug Graphic

Once reminded that I can make a mug about anything, I decided to turn the great Balanchine’s words into a motivational mug.  How did I do it?  I made my graphic using the free graphic layout website, Canva.  Here’s a screen grab from my initial layout.  The “free” version of Canva gives you access to a big selection of fonts and I went through the ones they offered to find a nice script font.  This is very easy to use, drag and drop software that can give you great results.

After much noodling around, and using some of my own font collection, I finally landed on a look that I like.  I have a paid account on Canva, so I can upload my own fonts, and I choose to use my favorite handwriting font, Boundless, that happens to have a D that looks a bit like my own handwriting.  When you design your own, you can choose to personalize things. Ultimately, I choose a dark interior to resist coffee stains and placed the quote on both sides so I can see when I’m sipping my beverage with either my right or left hand.

 

And it’s done!  It took me about 30 minutes to go from concept to upload on Zazzle.  Just know that if you set up a Zazzle account it can take up to 24 hours for your item to show up in your collection.  Once it appears, you and your posse can order your item!  I just ordered my mug and I look forward to it taking its spot in my cup rotation!

I mentioned I would share how I’m using my Zill book cup. Well, I never actually used it for drinking coffee or tea.  Instead, it wound up in my sewing studio, pressed into service as a makeup brush holder.  So when I’m getting ready for an event, I get to see my cup! I’m looking forward to having this new wonderful quote mug sitting on my desk, and perhaps I’ll even buy one for my besties in dance.  The holidays are coming up!

Off to work on the final edits of the Mandala Coloring book!  
Have a GREAT day!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Monday, November 13, 2017