TYED ART, INC - HISTORY II

From Product to Identity:

In 2000 I had been creating customized artwork using creatively arranged names of family members as a side hobby since my Portugal days. I did them as favors and gifts for family and friends, but was eventually commissioned to do them for a profit. Eventually I was doing them semi-regularly and my style of customized artwork needed an official name. “Tyed” artwork was made up of inter-woven or “tied” words & names. Of course, this name wouldn’t have worked had my name been anything but Ty. I thought it was clever, and it stuck. I think it was at this point that the seed was planted. I had gotten a little taste of what it felt like to produce, sell and be satisfied. It was business in its adolescence.

“Tyed” artwork evolved into “Tyed” Art, my unofficial company’s name, rather than just the name of an artistic style. My company, at this point, was still unofficial because I wasn’t registered or licensed to do business (let alone pay taxes), but was collecting small tax-free paychecks just the same. I really wasn’t making enough to make it worth it anyway. As an artist, I had friends referring me for different art projects all the time. One of these friend's projects was to design a logo for a company called InterSolutions, Inc., in Washington DC. They were an interim staffing agency. They were revamping their overall image, and needed a new look for their company logo. Although I had done some graphic design work for I-Sim Corporation back in 1997, this was my first real experience in designing a logo for a company as a self-proclaimed “Professional Logo Designer.” It was official enough that I decided to work on my own “company’s” image. Heck, I really wasn’t a company at all, but playing one was a lot of fun. I designed my own logo and specifically designated an email address for my “Tyed” Art business dealings... “tyedart@hotmail.com”. Needless to say, at this point, I didn’t use it a whole lot, but it FELT good to have it. I made business cards, too, just in case.