THE MISSING LINK

As much as we enjoy chatting about drama with our online friends, there is one consistent refrain that I’ve heard, over and over – and over – again.

“I can’t talk drama like this with my Real Life friends.”

“There is no one in my Real Life who truly understands my drama love.”

I know you’ve heard it before too. You’ve probably said it before as well, yourself.

And much as I love our online community, I can’t help thinking of this as a missing link, for us as a drama-loving community.

A TASTE OF WHAT COULD BE

In my line of work, I get to meet new people regularly, and interact with them for a limited period of time, before we say our goodbyes and part ways.

Occasionally, through some unexpected turn of conversation, I stumble on the fact that someone is a drama fan too. And when that happens, it’s like striking gold, honestly.

Our conversation suddenly takes on a whole new dimension, and we get to actually gush about our favorite dramas, actors and actresses, and there’s an almost instantaneous feeling of kinship.

Coz in that moment, we know that the other person gets exactly what we’re talking about. And it feels fantastic.

And when those kinds of moments happen, don’t we all wish that we could have a taste of that Real Life, in-person gushing, well, more?

THE IDEA

That’s where the #FindMyTribe movement comes in.

The idea is, to help drama fans recognize other drama fans in their local area; to help us find our tribe.

You might be wondering, why tribe?

I’m using “tribe” as a word to describe “people like me” in a particular area.

I found “my kdrama people” by coming online and meeting all my lovely blogosphere friends. Now, I’d like us to take it to the next level, so that we can find “our people” in our Real Life orbits, wherever we might be in the world.

SENDING SIGNALS WITH OUR SHIRTS

I know that not everyone is comfortable with shouting out our drama-loving status to the world. I mean, most of us have already met the quizzical eye from more than a few friends when we happen to mention our love for kdrama. Why invite that quizzical eye – that you’re-kinda-weird-aren’t-you side-eye – from even more people, right?

Which is why I personally don’t own a “I ♥ kdrama” shirt, although there’s really nothing wrong at all with wearing one.

What I’d like to offer everyone, is a more subtle way to wear our drama love. To show our love for our dramas and all that comes with it, in ways that only a fellow fan would understand. 

It’d be like our “secret club handshake” in a manner of speaking.

Y’know, kinda like a nudge-nudge-wink-wink thing among us.

THE OPPORTUNITY

My belief is that when we spot someone in our orbit wearing these shirts, that we create opportunities to connect with other fans.

Essentially, I’d like the shirts to allow us to do 3 things:

1. To find other drama fans in your local area;

2. To then have the opportunity to reach out and have a once-off drama conversation;

3. And maybe even to make a friend.

I’ve hit it off really quickly with almost-strangers once we established a mutual love for drama, and have had some fantastic conversations right off the bat. And I believe you will too. I mean, there’s just this feeling of kinship, of “you GET it,” and “we are the same” when fellow drama fans meet that is quite magical. And I’d like us to make that magic happen a lot more.

THE SHIRTS

I will be putting out new shirt designs regularly in support of this movement, and while the focus may vary, ie, sometimes it’s focused on a show, sometimes it’s more general, I can promise you this: the designs will be subtle and obtuse to the non-drama fan.

To kick us off, here are the first 2 4 designs, celebrating the Healer awesome. I am personally loving that show, and wanted to give it some love.

If you click on the pictures, they’ll bring you to the detailed description of the shirt and a closer view of the design.

EDIT: To visit the #FindMyTribe store and view all shirt designs at once, go here!

EDIT 2: Click on the Promo Links I share here, for a 20% discount! 

EDIT 3! Sale’s been extended till 28 February 2015, AND, Relaxed/Men’s fit are now available, as are hoodies! Designs & details here!

EDIT 4! Check out the latest design for Kill Me, Heal Me here! 🙂

Healer1: Eyewear Power

Promo Link: http://teespring.com/findmytribe-healer1-eyewear?pr=WOOBLUV20

Healer2: Lady Hacker

Promo Link: http://teespring.com/findmytribe-healer2-hacker?pr=WOOBLUV20

NEWLY ADDED!

Healer3: Heart Aflame

Promo Link: http://teespring.com/findmytribe-healer3-heart?pr=WOOBLUV20

Healer4: Got Your Back

Promo Link: http://teespring.com/findmytribe-healer4-Ahjumma?pr=WOOBLUV20

* A special shout-out to my dear friend Jo, whose feedback and ideas were foundational in the design of these shirts. Thank you, Jo! You rawk.

If you’d like updates on future shirt designs, please subscribe! I’ll put out an update with every new shirt design made available. 🙂

HOW CAN I HELP?

1. Buy a shirt – or several shirts.

The shirts ship internationally, so you can buy a shirt no matter where you live in the world.

2. Tell your friends.

Like the idea? Spread the word, whether you’re ready to buy a shirt or not. Let’s share, and get the word out there, so that we can gather our tribe. 🙂

3. Reach out.

When you do spot someone else wearing a #FindMyTribe shirt, reach out. Have a quick introduction, enjoy a fab conversation. Maybe even make a new friend!

FINALLY

Let’s spread the word. Let’s find our people.