Outside of teacher-led projects (God’s Eyes, a rocking chair made out of clothespins, etc.) or childhood stuff (tree forts, lots of tree forts), the first real thing I remember making was a profit/enemy. When I was in fifth grade, the sixth grade class was selling pom-poms made of yarn to raise money. I remember seeing them and thinking, “A pom-pom? Big deal.” So I would buy them for a quarter, take them home, add googly eyes, and then re-sell them at recess for fifty cents.
After a week of this, I remember talking to a friend, when a sixth grader tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Are you selling googly-eye pom-poms?” Thinking he was a new customer, I proudly answered, “YES!”
And then he punched me right in the gut!
Joey Veltkamp is a Seattle-based artist and writer. Recent drawings are on view in “The Blanket Show” at Seattle’s Cupcake Royale through March 31.