HIS LIFE in Black and White
I’m screaming internally as I write this. It’s happening! I’m stepping out. I’m doing something new. What a scary and exciting feeling all at the same time. Sunshine’s 365 has a clothing brand launching. Y’all say hey to HIS LIFE!
Where did HIS LIFE come from? Obviously, the Bible. Ha-ha! But to understand the meaning and reasoning behind the brand, you must understand who I am as Sunshine. I started Sunshine’s Custom Creations, LLC (now Sunshine’s 365) a few years ago, and the name is based on the nickname given to me by my father as a baby; Sunshine. My goal has always been to spread light by BEING light to others in any way possible, and that includes in the work I do when customizing items. About one year into my business, I came up with the idea for a clothing brand based on my desire to be light to others. I very quietly got to work designing, planning, and preparing. Just as I was ready to go live, my very close sister friend released her business, and it was called Be the Light. I was excited and devastated all at the same time. Surely, I could not launch now. I went back and forth for awhile and decided I would still move forward. Then, she released a shirt with the slogan. I felt like my dreams were crushed. I feel the need to tell y’all that she and I call each other Twin because we somehow always seem to be on the same page, no matter the time or distance that passes when we talk, and this right here was proof positive! I supported my sister hard core, and I did not want anything I did to come across as anything different, especially not competition. So that was the end of my clothing brand. Or so I thought…
One night, about a year and a half ago, I was in a GOOD sleep! You know the kind where you wake up and don’t know where you are, and you’ve drooled all over yourself? Well, in the middle of all that good sleep, I was startled awake way BEFORE my alarm. I’m not about to try to get all spooky deep as my Bishop says, but when I woke up, my first thought was to open my Bible to the book of John. My first thought should be to open my Bible anyway, but we will save that for a different post. I grabbed my phone since it was right there and turned to John 1. If you’re in church at all, you’ve no doubt heard/read at least the first verse no less than one thousand times! Well, I began reading, and when I got to verse 4, I knew. That’s it! I grabbed paper and started sketching a shirt. HIS LIFE was born in May 2020 at about 1am.
If you are not familiar with John 1:4, the NASB version says, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” Him and Light in this passage refers to Jesus Christ, which is who I desire to model all my behaviors, including being a light to everyone around me. If you have ever met me, you know my brain works in acronyms. So immediately the word LIFE became Light is for eternity, and I could not leave that open to interpretation, so it became His Light is for eternity (HIS LIFE). It is not my own light that shines for others, it is the light of Christ. Y’all know it would be all bad if it were left up to me, but if I am a reflection of Him, I have no choice but to let His eternal light shine through me.
I have no desire to go crazy with the designs I have created (more images coming soon). They are intentionally simple and only done in black and white. Why? Because no matter how hard we try to claim shades of gray in the Bible, there are none. The word of God and the standard of God are black and white. It’s Him or it’s not, and it is really that simple. If you choose to support this brand, GREAT! If you don’t, that is ok too. It’s not about who likes it or who wants to wear it, it is all about LIVING it! Yes, the message is on the shirt, but it should first be in my actions, so if you see me, you should see HIS LIFE no matter what I have on. I hope that as His light reflects through me, you also make the choice to let it reflect through you! Remember, the sun shines every day when you ARE the light!
