Putting a bumper sticker on my car.

I see the bumper of my car as a blank canvas. What do I want the lucky folks behind me at a stoplight or people walking by in a parking lot to read? I certainly like puns, but I’m not sure a bumper is the best something like that. Maybe I want something deeper, something that will make people think.

But, what? It’s a question I’ve pondered for a number of years. When I added this memory to my list, it was my way of forcing me to finally stop and figure out an answer.

I went to Google for inspiration, using key aspects of my identity in my searches. What I felt strongly is that I wanted the sticker(s) to be an extension of my identity.

I first scrolled through lesbian bumper stickers, and although seeing so many rainbows in the multitude of designs made me happy, I didn’t feel connected to any of them.

Then I browsed options for vegan bumper stickers. These were getting closer. Yup. I wanted a message that challenged the folks who took the time to read it. But, although the sticker examples I saw were on the right path, none of them called to me as being The One.

A passing thought crossed my mind: I should design my own bumper sticker!

After laughing it off as somewhat ridiculous, I stopped. I could quite easily design my own. Heck! I’ve designed some t-shirts before. A bumper sticker couldn’t be any more difficult than that.

So, with Google still open, I edited the search to look for solutions for “custom bumper stickers” and found Vistaprint to be the best option for me. I uploaded one of my t-shirt designs into an oval-shaped sticker, and then used their built-in designer to print a rectangular text-only sticker.

These bumper stickers are, in every sense of the word, mine. And I’m proud of the final result.

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