process : helper-id kit

✌🏽Helper-ID.com – Get on the invite list if you are interested!✌🏽

This maker’s messy and wonderful background

I get incredible joy out of making things for others and I think I got this addiction from my mother and grandfather. While they were makers at heart, they didn’t make things to put on their shelves. They made things to share with the world. They were both incredible artists in their own rights, trained not in a school or classroom, but by watching others, by tinkering, by trying, by failing and improving. They were my original innovation mentors. Their respective workshops were a mess, but they knew where everything was in the garage or office hutch desk. There was a bit of hoarder genetics at play with them and mildly with me to hold onto things, save things, repurpose things in order to build something later. Most of the time, later never comes, but when it does – FUCKING BINGO, you have the perfect wood piece, angle bracket, and hose length for the project. There is a patience, tenacity, and a bit of foresight in their madness and I loved watching them work, build, make, and share. While my mom’s art pieces and sculptures were shared with a small group of people that ventured to her house in Joshua Tree, my grandfather’s were on display and being used frequently at the high school he taught at and at the church where he was the adjunct reverend. Their works of art had purposes that might be simply to capture something in time as a sketch for them to remember and enjoy to a complete system of how to keep the wick on candles always accessible to the acolytes lighting them (me) during the Sunday service. Thanks grandpa!

I think my purpose in life is to make and give with purpose. To observe, understand, and build things and experiences to share with others in a way that gives them aid, laughs, pleasure, support, knowledge, growth, or praise. I want my work to acknowledge your existence, celebrate you, and hopefully leave you in a better state of being. It is a lopsided exchange most of the time (geez…that’s a summary of what my life feels like at times) – I want you to get more than you give me. Yes, yes…I need to open myself and my boundaries up to receiving more as well – that’s a conversation I am having with my therapist. I am working on boundaries and alignment so that I don’t burnout through the act of service. Oy…

Public version of the Helper-ID Kit

Speaking of making – here is Helper-ID’s Kit, the public version!! This is exciting times for me as I have been working long hours on the digital experience and have finally jumped over to the physical experience. As with all prototypes that emerge as public versions (GA in the work of software), this is definitely NOT my fully actualized design vision, but it is close enough to share with those Pioneers that are joining me on this ride.

I went down MANY MANY rabbit holes on Helper-ID to explore more efficient ways of building and production. From AI to lasers, I’ve tried to find scalable processes to help me build out Helper-ID. While some are interesting like vibe coding or laser engraved screen printing, they are so incredibly time consuming when things don’t work out or break. Similar to how my mom and grandfather hoarded material to build future things, I’ve been holding onto hand making processes that I learned almost 20 years ago. From basic coding to knowing how to set up old school emulsion processes for screen printing – this back pocket knowledge that I learned a long time ago allowed me to circumvent broken modern tools for those that just work. Human made, for humans. Will my current process scale – yes, I have the time, energy, and processes understood. Can it scale BIG – no, but I welcome the challenge!! Show me what you got Helpers! At this point, design is in the details, design is in the interactions, design is in the simplicity, design is in the empathy, design is in the compassionate action for human good. If I can sew those into the fabric of Helper-ID, I’ve done my job well as it’s initial guide.