Thing A Day

June 1, 2014 I’ve spent too long looking at my “ideas” folder on my desktop and not doing anything about it. This month, I’m going to try to make something from that folder nearly every day. I anticipate this to be difficult, but I hope to show that ideas don’t have to wait for the time and circumstances to work out. This is all theory, though. I won’t know until I have a chance to work on it.

Some of these things will be 3D printed. I’ll share the files online and link to them here. Others will be crafts that don’t require the use of a computer. I will try to be detailed in my descriptions, but I might have to fill in the holes at the end of the month. I don't really want this to be a "how to" guide... there's instructions online for about everything I'll do, but hopefully I'll explain why I decided to make it. I think that's more important.

One of the big reasons for this loss of productivity is my job. It’s not that it’s bad and that it drags me down, but it’s because it gives me a creative outlet. I have a nice computer with modeling software, a 3D printer, access to a small machine shop and the time and freedom to work on ideas that come up. This satisfies my creative urges enough that when I get home, I would rather sit on the couch and surf reddit than get up and make something. I don’t know if this is good or bad, but I know when I had a job that was boring, I made an object that ended up in Make magazine, a book on 3D printing and became an inspiration for a whole line of products that upcycle consumer waste. I also came up with a part that, while dumb, solves the first world problem of broken clothes hangers, as well as a cover for a safety razor that I still don’t know why doesn't exist in the world. Hopefully this endeavor will inspire some of that creativity again. If anything, it will give me something to do with this domain name. I've been sitting on it for a long time, waiting for the “right” idea to fill it up.

Thanks...

Mark