Blog - Artist Life, Colouring Tips and Lessons
Adventures in Puzzle and Game Design. Part 1
I have BIG news and it’s been torture to not be able to tell you. This is the first time I’ll be announcing it publicly.
Okay… here it is!
Back in early fall of 2020 I was approached by a game company. They make puzzles and games and sell them to stores all over the world. They noticed that something was missing, though. They dreamed of a line of puzzles and games which would do more than just help people play; they would teach people of all ages to reduce their stress and calm their body and mind.
They decided to create that dream! They asked a wonderful human and certified mindfulness educator, Amber Pavey, and myself to work with them to create a line of products focused on teaching mindfulness to all ages.
For the past few months we have been working hard to bring this to life. And by hard I mean HARD. It’s been bananas as we’re pushing to hit some very tight deadlines.
What are we making?
We’re making two puzzles for adults and two for kids. They’ll be high quality, filled with love and will feature my artwork on the puzzles. Each one will have a unique mindful theme with inserts written by Amber to teach you ways to calm your body and mind.
We’re also making two card games for kids. They’ll be GIANT activity cards which teach mindful activities. They’ll be great for parents and teachers to use with kids!
Where are they at now?
We’re now finalizing the packaging designs. Then they’ll print samples and have them tested in labs to ensure they’re completely safe. Then they’ll present the samples to international buyers to see if they’ll place orders for their stores (fingers and toes crossed!!!). They’ll also send me samples so I can show you!
I have never made products with a big company like this before. I’ve only ever done it on my own. Needless to say, I have learned a ton through this experience already: what it’s like to work with a toy manufacturer to design a product, how to understand a royalty contract, the process of creating and presenting product ideas to big buyers, how the big chain stores purchase products (which is nearly a year in advance, by the way) and so much more. I’m considering making some blog posts to share some of that with you so please let me know if any of those topics interest you.
This is a dream come true for me. My mission is to use my art to help inspire people and share happiness and positivity with the world. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and hope these products will truly help make a difference in someone’s life.
What will happen?
Will any stores even buy them? Will people buy them from the stores?
I’m scared stiff and wildly excited for the possibilities all at the same time!
I truly appreciate your support as these products come to life. I’ll keep you posted on the progress so you can join me on this adventure, too!
This is so cool Crystal. I don’t know when you wrote this blog but I actually came to your site to find a puzzle for my daughter. Combining your artwork with doing puzzles – perfect match. I would think there would be a huge market for this – schools, healthcare, wellness programs, etc.
I won’t tell Evelyn about the production schedule – she probably does not have the same level of patience as you (she’s 9). Can’t wait for the finished product to be released!
Hi Scott – how cool! I agree – puzzles are a great match and I’m VERY excited to be able to make some. I can’t wait for them to be available and to hear what Evelyn thinks once she tries them! Please do keep me posted! I would appreciate her feedback and insights. Fingers and toes crossed they’ll be available before Christmas this year.