It's another of those things?

TIC (The ImageCrafter) started out as a consulting-side business many years after I left the U.S. Army. It allowed me to work at my newspaper job while picking up survival money from private sources.

Because of time constraints, there was never enough to contribute to growing the business. It was a spare-change operation.

Things picked up with the move to another state. Don’t take this wrong. Arkansas is a wonderful state, but it is not conducive (outside the major metro areas) to strong marketing communications in an environment already over-saturated with same.

One might say that a better firm could overcome this. One might. That opinion will be left to others to debate.

Upon returning to Northeast Arkansas, the business was dropped when advertising resulted primarily in requests for gratis work from churches and social organizations. Freebies don’t feed the kitty.

Why hang on to the idea? Primarily, it is nostalgia that prompts the continuance. The logo, at least the drawing within the wording, was provided by Stewart J. Stout, my daughter’s godfather and a very talented man who spent three tours in Vietnam as a grunt and also contributed to the Army through use of his artistic talents in the pages of the Ft. Hood Sentinel.

Stout was one of the finest men I have ever had the pleasure to meet. His guidance probably helped me avoid a court martial in the Army (along with the crusty but lovable Sergeant Major in our office).

Regrettably, another case of “lost touch” exists here, as is often the way it goes with comrades in arms.

Over the years, Photoshop has been employed to reduce the amount of hair on the sketch. Life has proved devastating to the old pate.

There are still the occasional “satisfied customers” who track me down and request work. God bless them. The ego needs every boost it can get.