Every month for the past year, I've been taking pictures of myself dressed as 4 different family members (mom, dad, young daughter, & emo son) and photoshopped them together to create an awkward family photo that relates to that month. I've documented the journey each month on TikTok and Instagram and even used my followers' help to decide what I should do each month. Together, this is what we've created.
This post may include affiliate links.
These calendars are for sale on my website.
Feel free to watch the behind-the-scenes videos on TikTok or Instagram.
Also, for more of my family content, see my previous posts on Bored Panda - family holiday cards, family road trip, and more holiday cards.
January - New Year's Day (the aftermath)
My name is Brynn Shuller, I'm a graphic designer, and I've been creating photoshopped pictures of these characters for the past 8 years. Back in 2015, I saw some costume chest hair at the 99-cent store and it spurred the idea of a weird dad character, which later inspired the idea for a whole awkward family. About a month later, I took my first picture which was a JCPenney-style family photo, and sent it out to my actual family and friends as my holiday card. In addition to my annual holiday card, I've created 2 calendars. One was when I moved from California to Ohio and took a picture in each state I passed through, and the second was when I took a themed picture for every month of the year.
February - Valentine's Day
March - Spring Break
The dad, Byron, is the awkward and goofy guy who always has a dad joke ready to go. The mom, Brynnda, LOVES her family and always wants to capture every moment with them. The young daughter, Brynnie, is happy-go-lucky and is (usually) excited to take a picture with her family. The emo teenage son, Frank, is the outcast of the family and is always annoyed and not enjoying whatever the family is doing.
April - April Showers Bring May Flowers
May - May The Fourth Be With You
My favorite member to dress up as and play is definitely the mom, Brynnda. She's quirky and fun and always tries her best, even though she may not be good at something. I've created a little series with her called Baking with Brynnda where I have her try and teach you how to bake something. They usually don't turn out too well, but she has fun trying!
June - Summer Boating Day
July - Camping Trip
I'm still deciding on what I want to do for next year. I had the awesome opportunity to collaborate with the co-creator of Phineas and Ferb, Dan Povenmire, for my October picture in this year's calendar. It was so great to get to add another person to my photos. I'd love to do some more collaborations with TikTok creators and celebrities. I think it could make for another fun calendar or just for some awesome pictures. I'm also thinking about possibly doing a children's picture book with The Brynns. I would need to figure out a storyline, but I think that could be a fun avenue to look at. The possibilities are really endless with them.
August - Birthday Pool Party (my birth month)
September - Renaissance Festival
It took me a whole year to make the calendar. I took one photo each month and had my followers give me ideas on what I should do for the next month. I loved the interaction and getting inspired by them. They helped me come up with ideas I never would have thought of and I love how it turned out!
Creating these photos isn't just something that I enjoy doing, but I love the reactions it gets from people slowly realizing each person is me. If it puts a smile on people's faces, that's what makes me happy and want to keep making more!
October - Trick-Or-Treating ft. Dan Povenmire
November - Thanksgiving with a Fall Leaves picture in the background
December - Skiing
Also, every year I make holiday cards. Here is for 2022, The Brynns traveled all the way to Colorado to ski
2021 - fam decided to go for a soak in the hot tub
2020 - safe and cozy holiday filled with so much joy!
And here's 2019
