Cam's Story

If you spend any time at all with Cameron MacKenzie, Chief Branding Officer for Ichthus Versewear, you'll see a whirling ball of positive energy. Quick with a smile, Cam always leans in and looks intently at the person speaking in his direction. His sense of the presence and concerns of others wraps you up when he is around you. His charisma for life makes you want to jump on board with whatever he has in mind.

When I asked him why he wanted to start Ichthus Versewear this is what he had to say, "I hate to sound like a 'Cheese Ball' but but I hope it makes the world a better place by putting the Good Word out there".

"I'm not out there with messages. It's kind of more personal to me but I am proud to be though. Ichthus works for me because I am the message without having to walk up to someone and start a conversation out of no where".

Cameron has been making and writing music since he was a kid. His father, an accomplished pianist in his own right, starting him playing the piano at a young age. "I played piano as a kid and when I got older, I tried the drums. My favorite instrument to play though is the guitar". As he grew up to be a teenager, singing called to him and he developed his voice in his early 20's with his 10-year tenure as the front man for the Boston-based band, 'Plank'. When he was brought the marketing idea of taking Ichthus on the road to sell t-shirts at Christian music festivals around the country, Cameron was sealed in his commitment to kick off the endeavor. "Connecting the message of the t-shirts to music, it's like connecting my two passions. It makes it extra cool".

Cameron brings 16 years of graphic design and marketing experience to Ichthus Versewear. He has worked with some of the best companies and agencies in the Boston area. Cameron's clean, simple and yet powerful designs make Ichthus come alive. From the mind of one becomes an image on MacBook of another. There is no more thrilling high than seeing your dreams and ideas become something tangible.

"If everyone could be more public with their faith, the world would be a much happier place".

It is my great pleasure to not only introduce you to my business partner and friend but the man behind the image, look and feel of what is Ichthus Versewear. We will have a website up soon and hope to show off our shiny new logo and some beta designs. Stay tuned!

When God Hits The Accelerator

Ichthus is in it's infancy. The business plan is being executed and we are in the middle of producing our product offering. It's exhilarating to see your ideas become something tangible.

Seeing Cam's designs on the computer screen gave me the tingling sensation that this was a real thing that was actually going to happen. The giddiness was almost impossible to contain as we huddled around his MacBook at a Panera Bread table in the middle of a busy lunch hour.

I've been working on the business end of the deal while Cam continues to fine tune the creative piece, and most importantly, finalize our logo. Reaching out to contacts at all the venues we plan to be at has been a very pleasant and encouraging experience. It is so refreshing to work with fellow Christians and help build momentum for a mutual interest, making Christ famous.

Doing the arduous things in building a business can be discouraging at times even when you have the best people around you. There will be days where we will wonder if this will turn out the way we want, we'll wonder if we have enough money to move on what we need to, we'll disagree on something, there are all these things that will come our way. Add to the fact that we are also serving the Lord in what we do and you can bet the other camp is going to bring trouble. Hinderance is their specialty. In times like these, we'll need to remember what it is that we are doing and remind ourselves and each other about what the big picture is. Where is God in this and do we have the right motives. If we do, then press on.

My first idea is now a final design and I can't wait to wear it. It is my hope to have it in my hands and ready to wear for Soulfest, where I will be volunteering in August. If you see a little blonde woman with a very cool t-shirt on there, that's me! Since we've been reviewing designs, my mind won't stop coming up with new ones. Seems like every day I come up with two more and I want to put them in front of the Design Guru but I don't to overload him either. At times, I am like "Whoa, Lord, slow down!" but that is just how He is. When He finds people who are receptive, He wants to show you what He is all about with great passion. I am just trying to stay in the flow and not get overwhelmed by what is coming at me.

Next post will be about the logo and where to get the beta designs so stay tuned!!!