It started like most things in my life do — with curiosity, hesitation, and way too many open tabs.
I’ve dabbled in design since I was a kid. I’d sketch logos in the margins of notebooks, redraw band T-shirts I could never afford, obsess over fonts and color palettes while building blogs or social profiles that nobody ever saw. I loved design, but I never thought I was good enough to do anything with it. I wasn’t “a designer,” just someone who messed around in Photoshop when the urge hit.
But recently, something shifted. I stopped waiting for perfect. I stopped caring if it was “good enough.” I just… started creating. And I couldn’t stop.
Discovering Fabrics and Finding Feel
It turns out, making T-shirts isn’t just about slapping a design on a blank. It’s textural. It’s about feel. I started ordering samples from different brands including Gildan, Bella+Canvas, Comfort Colors, AS Colour, Stanley/Stella. I wanted to know exactly how they fit, how they washed, how they hugged or hung from a body. Because I don’t just want to make shirts, I want to make sensory-safe, wearable comfort for people like me.
Comfort Colors 1717 stood out immediately. It’s soft, faded just right, with that pre-washed vintage vibe that feels like a warm hug. It reminded me of hand-me-downs I actually wanted to wear. It was also thick enough to hold ink well, but soft enough for sensitive skin.
From Brainstorm to Print-Ready
The first design wasn’t even serious. It was a goofy little cat I generated with AI and touched up in Canva. But something about it felt right. It was weird. It was neurodivergent. It was me. I uploaded it to Printify half as a joke… and then stared at it for an hour like I had just unlocked something ancient inside myself.
Then came more. Owls. Possums. “No words today.” “Keep staring, you might cure my autism.” Subtle mental health tees. Shirts for overstimulated weirdos. Designs that felt personal and playful and unapologetic. I wasn’t chasing trends — I was telling stories. In ink. On cotton. With pride.
Letting the Creativity Flow
For the first time in my life, I’m not holding my ideas hostage to perfectionism. I’m letting them exist. Letting them breathe. Some designs make me laugh. Some make me cry. Some don’t quite work and that’s okay. This isn’t about selling a million shirts. It’s about making things that mean something to someone. Maybe that someone is me. Maybe it’s you.
I’ve launched MadeBy13 as my first real experiment in wearable expression. Every shirt is printed on demand — ethically, without waste, and with love. It’s still growing. So am I.
If you’ve ever felt like you weren’t allowed to create unless it was perfect — this is your sign to start anyway. Let your creative energy flow. You don’t need permission.
You just need to begin.