Frames of Wonder: Flower Man's Story

From Balloon Girl to Flower Man: A New Story Unfolds

Hello, this is Jey from DaaleelaB by NaaveelaB. As you may already know, I’m a designer who works with 3D printers and an AI artist. I’m also someone who brings my creations from South Korea to Amazon’s U.S. marketplace. In the first episode of this newsletter, I introduced the "Let Me Float" (Balloon Girl) frame. If you’ve browsed my Amazon store, you might have noticed that Balloon Girl isn’t the only character within the frames. Today’s episode is dedicated to another quirky creation, Flower Man, who also resides within one of these frames.

The image of Flower Man, or "Call Me a Flower," has been with me for quite some time. Whenever I visited serene, beautiful gardens, I felt as though someone with the face of a flower might be waiting there, hidden among the blooms. This idea stayed with me, and soon after I began working with AI art, I finally decided to bring this character to life.

Among the many creatures I’ve created, Flower Man became the first to be featured in a frame for a specific reason. As I briefly mentioned in a previous episode, I initially considered sourcing general products from China before committing to my creative works. One of those potential products was garden supplies. With that in mind, I thought Flower Man would pair nicely with the garden theme, should I decide to sell both framed art and garden items in my store. Ironically, I ended up focusing solely on creative products, leaving garden supplies behind. Yet, Flower Man found his way into the first batch of frames, and his curious presence has resonated with many.

Flower Man’s Journey: A Growing Appreciation

Recently, the frames featuring Flower Man have started receiving 5-star reviews on Amazon. And just yesterday, to my surprise, one of the Flower Man art prints sold on Redbubble for the very first time! To be honest, I uploaded a few designs to Redbubble a while ago without expecting much. After all, it’s up to creators like me to drive traffic to such platforms, which isn’t easy. I always thought I’d focus on building my Instagram presence and integrating print-on-demand (POD) items into my website or Amazon store before expecting any sales. But the fact that an art print—something purely decorative—found its first buyer feels encouraging. It’s a small step, but it’s motivating me to tackle some of the work I’d been putting off.

On that note, I’d love to know—what’s your favorite version of Flower Man? Let me know your thoughts, and who knows, your feedback might inspire my next product. I realize that in today’s world, unusual imagery is everywhere, so perhaps Flower Man doesn’t feel especially “out there.” Still, his presence isn’t conventionally pretty or cute; it leans more toward the strange and surreal. Truthfully, if not for the garden-related idea, I might not have chosen him as the first image for the frame. But looking back, this series has received a lot of love on Instagram (people left comments like “crazy cool”). Maybe it’s because so many of us carry the idea of a flower-faced figure somewhere deep in our imaginations.

A Tribute to the Past, and a Look to the Future

I’d be remiss not to mention that Call Me a Flower owes much of its inspiration to one of my favorite painters, Hieronymus Bosch (yes, his name even appeared in my MidJourney prompts). I’ve realized that I’m less interested in using AI to create sleek, high-tech aesthetics. With this series, I aimed to capture something closer to the timeless beauty of classical painting, rather than the polished look of typical digital photography.

In the next episode, I’ll share some practical tips for those of you who might want to embark on similar creative projects. Of course, I’ll continue to share stories from my artistic process, as well as small updates on exhibitions, awards, and other milestones. Until then, I wish you an early Merry Christmas and a season filled with creativity!