I am sitting here waiting for 6 washers to finish baking (curing, setting, hardening) in my little, nineteen dollar Walmart toaster. I just got done powder coating them (Harbor Freight tool) with a stunning red paint for a venture business I am building that has to do with emergency contact information (Helper-ID.com). I won’t get into the business venture side, but I wanted to celebrate the work it takes to build something new by hand with the help of tools while utilizing my professional experiences.
- Coding : I’m learning how to build databases, data workflows, and apis in order to get a working proof of concept. YES, I am using a low code tool called Bubble.io (no shame, haters, read below), but don’t let that fool you…it’s not Dreamweaver and forces you to get deeper into the development if you want things to work!
- UX Design: I’ve paired the database development with my existing knowledge of front end design and UX research and design in order to create a usable and accessible interface. The UI still needs spit and polish, a design system
- Powder coating: I’m learning how to powder coat small items like washers in order to make bracelets. I am working on a repeatable system so that I can do larger batches of inventories to “drop”. Maybe I hire this process out eventually, but at this point, I need to know the quality going out so that it meets my standards.
- Laser cutting + engraving: I’m upgrading my knowledge of laser cutting to be much more precise so that I have a repeatable process. Getting this right is key to scale for what I see.
- Packaging: I’m using my packaging and design knowledge in order to create interesting, compelling, low cost, and high recyclable packaging for the “Helper Packs” my members will get. Ha, at the moment the cards are made from recycled cereal boxes! Honestly, using what I have at the moment.
Full hands in the dirt!!
I have my hands in EVERY detail and while it feels like a mess, it is my mess. A mess that I want to refine, grow bigger, and do more to help others. At times I’ve wanted to step away and hire someone to do the work for me…but call me stubborn, I want to know how all aspects of this is going to work so that when I do really get overwhelmed with the process because it is moving forward, I can hire much smarter-than-me people to help AND I will know what to tell them. Part of getting my hands dirty is so that I make sure some of me is not just supporting the output, but part of me is supporting the people that these Helper Packs eventually get out to. If I cannot shake everyone’s hands or give them a hug, the least I can do is put myself into the work.
Learning Curve Gremlins
I think a lot of people shy away from starting something new because of the learning curve it takes to get proficient enough to be successful at it. So, they stop in the process of making because their inner gremlin shouts at them about being dumb, looking stupid, or going against cultural trends. While we applaud successful actors, business people, health care providers, teachers, and athletes – we at the same time don’t appreciate the practice, sacrifice, bumps, bruises, haters, and failures these people endure. We judge these brave humans when they slip up OR rather, an immature gremlin inside us that is holding us back judges and shames these brave humans. It’s less about their slip up or failure and more about our own lacking ability to strive, struggle, and progress. We aren’t mad at their failure, we are made because we never tried, we never started, we never gave ourselves a chance to fail.
Making me think of the Man in the Arena portion of Theodore Roosevelt’s Citizen in a Republic speech and Brené Brown’s conversations about this part of his oration. For those that missed it or don’t know what I am talking about, here it is: 👇🏽
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Yes, my curing was successful. Writing this took a bit longer than the bake. They have cooled down and now it’s time for the next step, hand inspection before I load them into the laser cutter. LASERS – pew pew!!
PS. To Jamal the Creative, I saw your video recently about “Just make the content” and while you might never see this – I am starting to make the content (cringe…). Videos being edited soon, gremlin abatement still in the works….I watered them.
Hello, I am Shelton. 