Since we had a whack of unexpected bills from our daughter’s gastrointestinal problems — seriously it is shocking and offensive how quickly medical bills climb in the US* — which we are still in the process of diagnosing and could be anything from a motorcycle injury to kidney failure to something related to my genetic condition. Rachel suggested that I draw a shirt for BME, the sales proceeds of which would go exclusively to those medical bills. She has set up the pricing similarly to my shop, where you can set how much you want to pay, either just buying the shirt, or a donation if you’re able.
Please don’t think I expect a donation in addition to a shirt purchase — this community has already been more than generous enough to my family. However, I hope you will like the shirt design. I did it based on the very first logo that Scott Fox drew for BME just a couple months after I started it when we were living in a little apartment together at St. Clair and Bathurst (which Caitlin reminds me is near the wonderful ice cream parlor Dutch Dreams). I thought about how that logo might look if he were to draw it today, with the modification influences of 2012 instead of those of 1994. I tried to make something that was true not only to all my good memories of “the old BME” but also of where body modification is at today. Again, I hope you enjoy what I’ve drawn. If you can donate, it really is very helpful to us, but like the tip jar says, “always appreciated, never expected”.
* As Rachel points out, we’d have to sell 500 of shirts to pay off what I have spent so far, and I’d be blown away and on cloud 9 if that actually happens… But even if we only sell a tenth of that it helps make sure that there’s enough money to cover her until she’s back in Canada and the costs drop dramatically. If you’ve bought stuff from my Etsy shop, that helped too — in fact, every cent I’ve made off my Etsy shop for the last few months was swallowed up by these bills.
There are two other variations on the design, which you can see after the break, but this one with the rings of swastika-patterns is my favorite of the set. Oh and if you’re curious, I drew the logo by hand with a pencil on paper, and then scanned it, then redraw it in the computer using my Wacom tablet, and finalled hand-tuned all the linework with a mouse. If for some reason anyone wants a high res copy of the artwork feel free to contact me. Click the pictures to jump to the store page.
Bet you weren’t expecting this post, were ya?
6 Comments
Hey,
Is there a way to donate without buying anything? I wanted to let my friends know since BME isn’t quite their taste.
Thanks – (we’ll be supporting come Friday)
Shannon, that middle design is so “classic BME” it almost hurts! So nostalgic and yet totally modern. Thanks for making my evening.
Insurance companies in the US routinely pre-negotiate what they will pay for each procedure, and usually the amount is about 10% of the ‘cash’ price; I’d think it wise if you tried to do the same for cash as follows: “I know that you accept ____ medical insurance and they only pay X for this procedure, but it takes a lot of paperwork and time to even get that, can you meet that price if I pay in full before I leave?” The only thing you stand to lose is 90% of future medical bills! I apologize for the financially raped feeling you must be experiencing but as you know most Americans aren’t mature enough to realize that this is unacceptable; as George W Bush said “Americans are very meek” and he said it with a kind of pride as if he was thinking that meek people are easy to take advantage of.
Reading of difficulties like yours really does make me appreciate the NHS in the UK.
Can you give some idea of postage costs to UK. I’ve tried to see but need to register to find out.
Thanks
Some credit for the high cost of health care comes from the litigious nature of americans.
When I drive down the local interstate, I see billboard after billboard of law firms who sole specialty is bed sores.
Superman died from bedsores.
Americans love to sue.
I’m a very irregular visitor to your blog these days Shannon, but I can’t tell you how nice it is to see a BME shirt designed by you in 2012. Five years ago I would never have thought it possible.
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