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Hecho En America

This t-shirt reminds me why I took 4 years of Spanish in high school.

Well, the first year of Spanish was just because I had to take some sort of "elective" class, and I wasn't a "metal shop" kinda guy, so I figured trying to learn a different language was a bit more "me".

I won't mention the alterior motive of trying to meet the cute girls that I figured would be taking Spanish. That was definitely a bonus :)

Es dudoso que puedas econtrarse un maestro (o una persona) mas bueno de Señor Howard.

Every now and then, if you're lucky, someone will impact your life in such a profound way, that it's almost embarrassing. Embarrising because no matter how much you could thank the person or how many times you say it, it just never seems like you've expressed enough gratitude.

Mr. Howard taught us Spanish those 4 years, but for those that were lucky enough to be a part of his classes during that time, he also taught us a lot about "life".

That's sounds cheesy to write, but he went way beyond la lengua. He taught us about respect, personal responsibility, making priorities, relationships, coping with life (and the afterlife). He had the conviction to tackle the hard, unpopular topics. He was also a pastor in a church, and love it or hate it, some of those beliefs sank into his class teaching. And not always on a straight religious topic. Even when you didn't agree with him, his class was worth listening to (he didn't mind a good debate :)

It's not an exaggeration to say that I probably wouldn't be sitting here today if it wasn't for him.

For example: in one of his lectures where he strayed off the "Spanish" topic for a while. He got on the subject of dealing with the idea of not living anymore. This blows me away even just to remember it, but he said something like "what would you do if someone came in here and started shooting?"

Side note: this was years before there was even a term called "s chool s hooting". So while talk like that was still frowned upon a bit, it wasn't an instant "you're fired" topic as it probably would be in today's environment.

He continued the discussion by asking us if we would be prepared for something as "sudden" as that. He talked about the reactions you might have at the time: "fight or flight". I can't remember all the details, but it was an after-lunchtime discussion that I halfway listened to, but some sunk in.

Less than a month later, our school experienced one of the first shootings/h o s t a g e situations on a grade school/high school campus. No, not by Mr. Howard sillyhead. By some disgruntled former student that flunked out a few years prior. I was in Mr. Howard's class when it happened, saw the perp, and huddled together with mis compañeros de clase during the 8 hour ordeal.



T-Shirts (and artwork in general) can be purchased for many reasons. Some can be bought to help a cause, some are bought because the buyer identifies with the artwork, others are bought because the buyer just really appreciates the quality of the work.

If you are an artist, musician or a t-shirt designer, my advice to you is to keep producing work. You never know who you might reach with your artwork and most likely you may never understand why.

Getting your work out there helps others remember, reminisce, dream, hope and wonder. It helps people to express themselves and see things in ways they never thought were possible.

One of the coolest parts of it all is the "community" aspect of artwork. It ties us together by letting us know that we're not alone in our feelings. If an artist can connect with someone, even in an unexpected (maybe subconsious) way, it gives me hope that we're more alike in this world than different.

I'm sure that PRG had no idea how their Hecho en America would touch me. I sure didn't when I started writing this t-shirt review :)

There is a market out there for all types of t-shirt designs and with this wonderful internet thing, buyers around the world can now have access to the coolest artwork imaginable.

If the Hecho en America t-shirt design speaks to you in some way, head over to PRG and pick up one today. They are printed on super soft AmericanApparel t-shirts in a variety of colors.

mini afterword: I majored in Spanish in college and still don't speak fluid spanish as well as I should. My goal was to become a Spanish teacher, but alas, life took me down a different, rewarding path. My wife had the same Spanish teacher in high school and no college courses and she is now fluent in Spanish. Another thing I learned from Mr. Howard: always marry a woman smarter than you are :)

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