🐙✨Buddy the Octopus: The Story Behind OCSA’s New Creative Writing T-Shirts

🏫 About Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA)

If you’re not familiar with OCSA, it’s a public charter school in Santa Ana, California, that gives students professional-level training in the arts while they complete their academic classes. Students spend half their day on academics and the other half in their arts conservatory – whether that’s dance, music, acting, digital media, visual arts, or creative writing.

The Creative Writing Conservatory is where students become poets, novelists, screenwriters, and journalists. They write poems that make you pause, stories that take you to other worlds, and essays that shine light on truths in our community. But one thing connects all these writers together: their mascot, Buddy the Octopus.

🐙 Who Is Buddy the Octopus?

About 20 years ago, Creative Writing students chose an octopus as their mascot. They named him Buddy, and he has been part of the conservatory ever since. Why an octopus? Because writers are a lot like octopuses:

• They blend into their surroundings. Writers observe people quietly and watch the world, just like an octopus hides in coral or rocks.
  
• They fit into small spaces. Writers often find quiet corners to read, write, and think – like an octopus curling up in its den.
  
• They defend themselves with ink. An octopus shoots ink to protect itself, and writers use their words to stand up for ideas, share their truths, and create powerful stories.
  

He was named Buddy because it’s such a friendly name, and at CW we are super proud of our inclusive, friendly nature.

Buddy reminds students that their words are their ink – strong, creative, and important.  You can see what’s going on with the conservatory by following Buddy on IG.

👩🏻‍🎨 Meet the Student Artist: Edissa Rodriguez

For OCSA’s upcoming 25-Year Alumni Bash and Mr. Wood’s 50th birthday, the Creative Writing Conservatory wanted a special t-shirt design featuring Buddy. They asked one of their talented student artists, Edissa Rodriguez, to create it.

Edissa is graduating in 2026. She is known around school for her bold, detailed art. Her classmates love how her art combines bright colors with strong lines and emotion.

On the front of the shirt, Edissa designed a small ink bottle with a feather quill dipped in it. On the back, she created a giant purple octopus holding up the words “Creative Writing.” Buddy looks powerful and wise – the perfect mascot for young writers finding their voice.

You can see more of Edissa’s amazing art on her Instagram: @mega_edart. We’re excited to see where her creative journey takes her in the future.

🎉 A Big Celebration for Writers

On July 18th, 2025, OCSA will be throwing a double celebration:
🎂 The Creative Writing Conservatory’s 25th Anniversary
🎂 Mr. Wood’s 50th Birthday Party

There will be birthday-themed games, fun activities, and two bands performing. The bands include members who once studied or taught in the conservatory. It’s a giant reunion of writers, teachers, musicians, and friends coming together to celebrate creativity and community.

These shirts are being given out at the event, and any extras will be sold afterward. Wearing these shirts is a way for students and alumni to feel connected to Buddy and to each other.

✍️ Notable Alumni: Elise Bryant

The conservatory has helped so many students grow into professional writers, including Elise Bryant, who started as a YA romance writer and has now branched into adult mysteries – something that’s not easy to do. Switching genres takes bravery, skill, and dedication, and Elise has done it with grace. She lives in Long Beach and often comes back to OCSA to talk with students about writing, publishing, and staying true to their creative voice.

👕 Printed by Kustom Imprints

At Kustom Imprints, we were honored to print these shirts for OCSA. We used a beautiful cream-colored shirt to make Buddy’s purple really stand out. The ink bottle and feather quill design on the front looks crisp and detailed. We love working on student artwork like this – it makes our job so meaningful.

We take pride in every shirt we print, whether it’s for a giant festival, a small club, or a special school celebration like this one. And don’t forget, Kustom Imprints always has a Low Price Guarantee, so schools and teams can get high-quality prints without going over their budgets

Eight Reasons Why Buddy Matters 

(Get it? Eight reasons for eight legs?)

1. Creativity – Finding New Ways to Tell Stories
   Just like an octopus changes colors to match its mood (blue for Monday, purple for poetry class), writers create worlds and characters that are just as colorful… minus the slime.
   
2. Strength – Facing Challenges with Courage
   An octopus might be small, but it wrestles sharks if needed. Writers wrestle blank pages, caffeine crashes, and plot holes with that same unstoppable bravery.
   
3. Adaptability – Learning and Changing When Life Shifts
   An octopus can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter. Writers squeeze through deadlines, writer’s block, and existential dread like pros.
   
4. Protection – Using Words to Stand Up for Yourself and Others
   An octopus shoots ink when threatened. Writers shoot… well, words. But words can sting, inspire, and start revolutions, which is basically the same thing.
   
5. Intelligence – Thinking Deeply and Solving Problems
   Octopuses open jars to get food. Writers open Google tabs to figure out if their plot twist is physically possible before abandoning reality altogether.
   
6. Observation – Quietly Watching the World to Understand It
   An octopus watches everything around it with giant eyes. Writers watch people too, but try not to look creepy while secretly gathering dialogue ideas.
   
7. Mystery – Keeping Some Secrets to Make Stories Intriguing
   Nobody knows exactly what an octopus is thinking. Nobody knows what a writer is thinking either, until their draft finally drops and everyone gasps (or cries).
   
8. Resourcefulness – Using Whatever You Have to Create Something Beautiful
   An octopus uses eight arms to multitask like a pro. Writers use two hands, one brain, and three cups of coffee to craft beautiful, world-changing stories.