Nature Has the Sense of Humor of a 12-Year-Old

The very real birds behind one of the things I explain most often at markets.

There is a very specific interaction that happens at Acorn & Artisan markets.

Someone walks past my booth.

They stop.

They back up.

They pick up something covered in birds and stare at it for a second.

Then they look at me.

“Wait. Are those actually called boobies?”

Yes.

Yes, they are.

And this is usually the point where I get to explain that tits, boobies, and woodpeckers are all completely real birds, because apparently nature was naming things with the exact sense of humor the rest of us had in middle school.

Welcome to one of the many things I tell people at markets.

Yes, Blue-Footed Boobies Are Real

Blue-footed boobies are actual seabirds—and somehow they're even more ridiculous than the name suggests.

They have absurdly bright blue feet. They do a courtship dance that involves deliberately showing those feet off. And they look just goofy enough that the name feels appropriate.

Basically, nature already did 90% of the character design for me.

That's part of why I love drawing animals in the first place.

There is this idea that being interested in nature has to be very serious. Neutral colors. Scientific diagrams. Tasteful botanical prints. Maybe a fern.

Meanwhile, the actual natural world is out there producing birds with giant feet, questionable names, bizarre mating rituals, dramatic personalities, and absolutely no interest in coordinating with your beige living room.

I prefer that version.

I Am, Unfortunately, Extremely Qualified for This

The other funny part of this story is that I have a master's degree in natural science.

There are probably many respectable things I could be doing with that information.

Instead, I use it to confidently tell strangers:

“Yes, that one's a booby.”

But the science background actually does matter to the work I make.

Before something becomes a sticker, mug, pin, tea towel, or print, there's usually a rabbit hole.

What species is it?

Where does it live?

What's weird about it?

What does it actually look like?

And—most importantly—is there something about it that makes me immediately want to text someone and say, “YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS.”

That's usually where the good ideas start.

The joke isn't being added to nature.

The joke was already there.

This Is Basically How Acorn & Artisan Works

A lot of my products start with noticing something.

A strange bird.

A wildflower growing somewhere unexpected.

An animal with a very specific expression.

A completely unnecessary nature fact that gets permanently lodged in my brain.

Then I draw it.

And somewhere between the research and the illustration, it usually becomes a little more colorful, a little more ridiculous, and a lot more Acorn & Artisan.

Because I don't really want to make nature goods that just say:

I LIKE NATURE.

I want to make the thing that another person picks up and immediately says:

“Oh my god. This is SO me.”

The bird person who cannot pass a bird without identifying it.

The grown adult who still laughs when someone says boobies.

The person who now owns binoculars and has no idea when that happened.

The person who stops for wildflowers.

The person who has accumulated seventeen hobbies and finally accepted that this is just their personality now.

Those are my people.

Apparently Growing Up Didn't Make Us More Mature

Maybe that's my favorite part of watching people discover these designs in person.

You can almost see the moment someone realizes they're allowed to like the weird one.

They don't have to choose the sophisticated nature gift.

They can choose the blue-footed booby.

They can put the silly bird in their kitchen.

They can hang colorful art in the house.

They can buy the tiny pin that serves absolutely no practical purpose other than making them happy when they see it.

We grew up.

We got jobs.

We acquired bills and calendars and very strong opinions about pillows.

But apparently some part of us is still delighted to discover that there's a real bird called a booby.

Good.

I think we should keep that part.

So, Yes. They're Really Called That.

If you ever stop by my booth and wonder whether one of the strange things on my products is real, please ask.

There's a decent chance I've researched it far more than necessary and would be thrilled to tell you about it.

And if you came here looking for a sophisticated explanation for why I made a bird design about boobies?

Sorry.

Nature started it.

Acorn & Artisan makes colorful illustrated goods for nature lovers with a sense of humor—all based on original artwork by Kelsey Champagne-Smith in Texas.

Next in Things I Tell People at Markets: apparently there are a LOT of adults who strongly identify with being a Silly Goose.