About

AltmanTees is a unique brand of t-shirt designed by artist, Richard Altman. The eye-catching tees utilize bold colors and creative designs to introduce a new genre of expression to the indie tee scene.

Engineered to spread AltmanTee’s message of Fearless Expression, the artful designs are iconic reminders that we’re all endowed with special creative abilities we need to discover, develop and fearlessly express.

Since tees are used to promote ideas, messages and slogans, and serve as billboards for graphic expressions, why not use them as a platform to remind people to nurture their own creative abilities?

The images on the tees are original pen and ink drawings by Richard Altman (me). Because of their strikingly simple abstract designs (ok I’m a little biased), they are unique in the world of tees and indie fashion. The shirts are intended to attract attention and stimulate conversation.

Each shirt has a name. The name is conceptually related to the image on the shirt and calls attention to a concept or idea related to the creative process.

The blog portion of the AltmanTees website presents ideas, images and concepts encouraging people to discover and pursue their creative aspirations. Hopefully the evolving community becomes a powerful advocate for the nurturing of creative energy and its fearless expression.

“Woah! I just thought I was getting a cool t-shirt!”

So buy AltmanTees or give them as a gift and help spread the creative message of fearless expression!

Backstory

I love to draw. The photo above is a part of my sketchbook collection. But there’s an interesting story behind all the drawings in these books that will help explain what AltmanTees is about.

As part of my MFA, I was required to take a drawing class. My drawing instructor was an accomplished artist. During one of the classes I had a question about a style of drawing I was interested in learning. During the conversation he asked about my major. When I mentioned it was in photography, he stopped me to reveal a bit of wisdom from his personal universe “photographers can’t draw” and that was the end of the conversation.

Armed with this new information, and judging from the quality of my still life drawings, I was reluctantly inclined to agree with the guy, at least where I was concerned. For me to develop the skill required to draw a recognizable scene was going to take way more time than I wanted to invest. My intention was to learn art photography, but I still wanted to draw.

Long story short, with input from other artists and some persistence developing my skills, I developed my own personal style of drawing and sketching. Over time, I gained more confidence and adopted a fearless attitude towards creating the work. I eventually began to show the drawings. Along with a camera, I now carry a sketchbook and pen just about everywhere. The ability to sit and draw, doodle, sketch, whatever you want to call it, is an integral part of my creative life. The image below is an example of one of my drawing commissions for a children’s hospital….hmmm, how could that happen?

I’m sooo glad I didn’t internalize what the drawing dude had to say!

A Rare Reality (original) © Richad Altman

A Rare Reality (final) © Richad Altman

As it happens, that this isn’t the only time I have been the recipient of this type of “wisdom”. As a matter of fact this kind of thing happens all the time to lots of people in just about every medium of creative expression, and education, and athletics, and business, and on and on. I wouldn’t be surprised if people reading this have their own stories. Too many teachers, coaches, managers, friends and even parents don’t understand the importance of creative expression, let alone how to nurture it or encourage its use. That’s why we need to develop an attitude of fearless expression when it comes to working with our creative abilities.

About Ryan

Hey! I’m Richard’s son, Ryan.  The above info is what’s behind the designs, but here’s how my Dad’s designs found their way onto tee shirts and AltmanTees evolved into a father and son adventure.

The journey began when I was on the hunt for some new t-shirts. What to get?! Lot’s of options, but none seemed to feel right or were expensive. Then, it hit me! Why not use some of my Dad’s designs on t-shirts? Something original, artistic and unusual. I selected the Aspire image and printed up the first AltmanTee.

The shirt was an instant head turner. People constantly asked me about the origin and meaning of the design. I got comments like,” is that an eyelash?”, “is it a blimp?”, “is that a satellite dish?”

The shirt attracted a lot of attention and started some interesting conversations. I felt so comfortable in the shirt, and had such a great response, that it seemed like others may like the shirts too. Thus, AltmanTees was born.

–Ryan Altman

SP