So I'm pretty sure this is the closest I've even been to Halloween without having any idea what my costume should be. This is largely (or at least partly) because I work a closing shift on Halloween, and I keep forgetting to ask my supervisors what company policy on Halloween costumes is... :/
My half-plan at this point is to come up with something that fits the dress code (pants without holes + white shirt with collar + company apron), but also can be tweaked into some obvious costume... I'm thinking some sort of Girl Genius Jaegerkin, I already have the ears and horns, I just need to fit my fangs and find an appropriately fancy hat that won't interfere with the ears. Though I do wish I had some Heterodyne trilobite pins to tie the look together, or maybe a Mechanicsburg Arms patch...
Anywho, spending so much time handling random bolts of fabric at my day job is giving me all sorts of ideas for new stuff to make (I've had to make an "only buy it if you know exactly what you will use it for" rule, lest I entirely defeat the point of having a day job)... hopefully I can find some time to actually make said stuff in the near future. Right now, in addition to a couple commissions in the pipe, I have thoughts for drop-front LARP pants, some Viking tunic variations (which may include finally figuring out the Viborg shirt), revisiting my cotehardie pattern (the first pattern I ever made, over 7 years ago - haven't made another one since, but I still wear the dress, and hung it up as a display model while vending at an event, and it got a surprising amount of interest), continued dabbling in corsetry, a just-for-me scarf made out of this amazing Halloween fabric, and possibly taking up embroidery and/or stuffed doll making... I think walking through the embroidery aisle on my way to the break room may be having some sort of effect on me. But if I can teach myself how to do either, or better yet both, it would be REALLY cool to be able to offer custom-embroidered shirts or semi-period stuffed toys for baby larpers to play with.
Speaking of teaching myself new things, my fiancee gave me a big calligraphy ink color palette, as well as nib cleaner and extra India ink, for my birthday! I've had such things on my wish list since getting a proper dip pen at TeslaCon last year (I use it for conspicuously writing things at medieval LARPs), but now that I have proper inks instead of the too-thin fountain pen India, I think I'm going to have to learn proper caligraphy just to do the stuff justice! Maybe Unpronounceable Designs will branch out into papercrafting, just so I can justify the time spent on playing with ink and fancy pens...
One last thing before I wrap up this post: I've been working on copy for my Etsy store, as threatened... I'm not done quite yet, but I have info posted on my policy page for shipping and returns, as well as an allergen note. I also have some thoughts about shop organization (not really necessary right now, given I only have eight listings, but laying groundwork for the future is good) and aesthetic polishing in my head that I may or may not implement within the next couple of hours. If any of you would go check out the page and give me some feedback, that would be awesome. Thank you!
Talk to you in November! TeslaCon is next week, so I should have some cool stuff to share in my next post!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Friday, October 17, 2014
Suddenly: Things!
So, let's start this off with the big news for Unpronounceable Designs: I just made my first sale on Etsy!
Okay, so "big" should probably be in quotation marks. It was just a pair of leg wraps, $15 + shipping, and because they were a "custom" color I didn't have fabric on hand for, they actually cost more than that to make. BUT.
I MADE A SALE. To a guy in California that hadn't heard of me in any non-internet capacity. This is big, in its own tiny way. Proof of concept that this "business" thing may actually work.
Anyways, as you probably noticed, life happened and I fell behind on the blog/business maintenance front. Again. Things are settling in to a more organized mode, though, so I should be able to establish a more regular posting schedule from here... or at least that's the plan.
The big cause of my absence THIS time was... jobhunting. Much as I'd love to think otherwise, starting a business doesn't pay for itself, especially when there are also student loans to deal with, and I can only sponge off of my fiancee so much. Officially, I'm still looking for a possibly mythical Good Paying Part-Time Creative Job With Flexible Hours, but I accepted a seasonal-with-possible-option-to-stay minimum wage job at a fabric store, which so far I really enjoy, and I intend to work the employee discount for all it's worth.
Oh, and I'm also looking to apply to grad school, so that'll be all up in my scheduling with an unknown scope of effect, too.
SO. Those are things. Things that may create possible hitches in the plan to be a better blogger and businessperson. But hopefully not. The tighter schedule is making me prioritize stuff a lot more clearly (it's amazing what a difference you can make by changing the the choice from "which thing do I first?" to "I can only do one thing, which one is it?"), and the fiancee is pitching in a bit more with housework, so that's a major distraction out of the way.
My immediate goals are to follow up on a couple custom inquiries/orders, and to finish writing my shop policies and whatnot for the Etsy store... I was about halfway through writing them when the jobhunting disruption happened, and dealing with that first order (OMG I SOLD A THING!) forcefully reminded me that I have basically nothing posted about how I do business, ship stuff, etcetera.
But those are tomorrow goals. Or maybe Tuesday goals, since I have day job work the next three days, and will probably spend the rest of today getting ready and trying to eke out a small fraction of pseudo-weekend relaxation. Which I'm going to get to now.
Happy Friday!
Okay, so "big" should probably be in quotation marks. It was just a pair of leg wraps, $15 + shipping, and because they were a "custom" color I didn't have fabric on hand for, they actually cost more than that to make. BUT.
I MADE A SALE. To a guy in California that hadn't heard of me in any non-internet capacity. This is big, in its own tiny way. Proof of concept that this "business" thing may actually work.
Anyways, as you probably noticed, life happened and I fell behind on the blog/business maintenance front. Again. Things are settling in to a more organized mode, though, so I should be able to establish a more regular posting schedule from here... or at least that's the plan.
The big cause of my absence THIS time was... jobhunting. Much as I'd love to think otherwise, starting a business doesn't pay for itself, especially when there are also student loans to deal with, and I can only sponge off of my fiancee so much. Officially, I'm still looking for a possibly mythical Good Paying Part-Time Creative Job With Flexible Hours, but I accepted a seasonal-with-possible-option-to-stay minimum wage job at a fabric store, which so far I really enjoy, and I intend to work the employee discount for all it's worth.
Oh, and I'm also looking to apply to grad school, so that'll be all up in my scheduling with an unknown scope of effect, too.
SO. Those are things. Things that may create possible hitches in the plan to be a better blogger and businessperson. But hopefully not. The tighter schedule is making me prioritize stuff a lot more clearly (it's amazing what a difference you can make by changing the the choice from "which thing do I first?" to "I can only do one thing, which one is it?"), and the fiancee is pitching in a bit more with housework, so that's a major distraction out of the way.
My immediate goals are to follow up on a couple custom inquiries/orders, and to finish writing my shop policies and whatnot for the Etsy store... I was about halfway through writing them when the jobhunting disruption happened, and dealing with that first order (OMG I SOLD A THING!) forcefully reminded me that I have basically nothing posted about how I do business, ship stuff, etcetera.
But those are tomorrow goals. Or maybe Tuesday goals, since I have day job work the next three days, and will probably spend the rest of today getting ready and trying to eke out a small fraction of pseudo-weekend relaxation. Which I'm going to get to now.
Happy Friday!
Friday, August 29, 2014
The Aftermath of Awesome
...is that I have a hard time making a post about the awesome, apparently.
I'm back from GenCon! Also, I'm back from the second Deeplight 2-day event, because I started writing this post like a week and a half ago, and made very little progress content-wise. So I resolved that short post is better than no post, which apparently cured my writer's block... WTF, brain?
It was quite the adventure bringing Here At The End to GenCon... 15 people, 5 days, 3 hotel rooms, and one little post-apocalyptic LARP demo running 12 times a day. Our one-hour demo event, called "One Man's Trash," went well. Like, REALLY well. We were far more popular than we could have ever reasonably expected of a first-year event. We hit the "Evil Genius Overlord will dance naked on the roof as an expression of joy" around dinnertime Saturday, with the rest of the night and the Sunday demos still to come.
Sadly, although there was dancing, the Overlord reneged on his vow and neither nudity nor roofs were involved.
Overall, it was one of the funnest most harrowing experiences I've had in a long while, possibly surpassing the 24 Hour Project I did in college (in which a collection short plays were written, rehearsed, designed, and performed in a single day). On the first day we realized that one of our tables was just the right size for a human to take a nap under, and we took advantage of that regularly, because otherwise we would implode one by by one.
People loved us... even the staff! (Con AND hotel staff... we got hooked up with a sound system partway through Friday because some of the hotel staff loved what we were doing and thought we needed to take it up to 11.) Several folks said they would be willing to travel from out of state to play with us if we ever did a multi-day event, a few approached us about volunteering to help run the demos next year, and one largish group from Philadelphia(?) emailed the Overlord a week later about starting H.A.T.E. franchise of their own. Note: this is not to imply that said franchise will actually happen, that's up to the Overlord, but it's just so awesome that they WANT to start one. Note 2: we all loved this group, they were loud and sarcastic and having an infectious amount of fun with life, and, oh yeah, they came to the demo because they were looking for an event that would sweat-test their Drow makeup and garb (which was just lovely, and held up to the workout rather well), and it makes me so sad that I was not able to play with them because I was about to implode and needed to take a turn under the table instead.
Here's some footage from the Costume Parade, to which we sent a representative from each PC faction and one NPC faction...also a Minecraft Creeper (the daughter of the NPC faction rep). Creeper shows up at about 6:10, and forward progress got held up while the PC reps were RIGHT in front of the camera shortly afterward, so you get a great look at us.
I'll try to curate some of the many amazing photos, as well as find some good YouTube footage of our mascot, Buttons, and post that fairly soon, as well as do a post-Deeplight roundup after that... But for now, I have stuff to sew!
I'm back from GenCon! Also, I'm back from the second Deeplight 2-day event, because I started writing this post like a week and a half ago, and made very little progress content-wise. So I resolved that short post is better than no post, which apparently cured my writer's block... WTF, brain?
It was quite the adventure bringing Here At The End to GenCon... 15 people, 5 days, 3 hotel rooms, and one little post-apocalyptic LARP demo running 12 times a day. Our one-hour demo event, called "One Man's Trash," went well. Like, REALLY well. We were far more popular than we could have ever reasonably expected of a first-year event. We hit the "Evil Genius Overlord will dance naked on the roof as an expression of joy" around dinnertime Saturday, with the rest of the night and the Sunday demos still to come.
Sadly, although there was dancing, the Overlord reneged on his vow and neither nudity nor roofs were involved.
Overall, it was one of the funnest most harrowing experiences I've had in a long while, possibly surpassing the 24 Hour Project I did in college (in which a collection short plays were written, rehearsed, designed, and performed in a single day). On the first day we realized that one of our tables was just the right size for a human to take a nap under, and we took advantage of that regularly, because otherwise we would implode one by by one.
People loved us... even the staff! (Con AND hotel staff... we got hooked up with a sound system partway through Friday because some of the hotel staff loved what we were doing and thought we needed to take it up to 11.) Several folks said they would be willing to travel from out of state to play with us if we ever did a multi-day event, a few approached us about volunteering to help run the demos next year, and one largish group from Philadelphia(?) emailed the Overlord a week later about starting H.A.T.E. franchise of their own. Note: this is not to imply that said franchise will actually happen, that's up to the Overlord, but it's just so awesome that they WANT to start one. Note 2: we all loved this group, they were loud and sarcastic and having an infectious amount of fun with life, and, oh yeah, they came to the demo because they were looking for an event that would sweat-test their Drow makeup and garb (which was just lovely, and held up to the workout rather well), and it makes me so sad that I was not able to play with them because I was about to implode and needed to take a turn under the table instead.
Here's some footage from the Costume Parade, to which we sent a representative from each PC faction and one NPC faction...also a Minecraft Creeper (the daughter of the NPC faction rep). Creeper shows up at about 6:10, and forward progress got held up while the PC reps were RIGHT in front of the camera shortly afterward, so you get a great look at us.
I'll try to curate some of the many amazing photos, as well as find some good YouTube footage of our mascot, Buttons, and post that fairly soon, as well as do a post-Deeplight roundup after that... But for now, I have stuff to sew!
Thursday, August 7, 2014
This week...
...is progressing much more quickly than I would prefer. Darn TIME, advancing without asking my permission...
GenCon prep is shaping up... or, more to the point, it looks like I won't need to bring much more than I would for any other H.A.T.E. event & 5-night hotel stay. Probably won't be able to get any new props built/decorated in time, though, which is sad. We'll see how things look come Monday, I might be able to do some last-minute painting...
Most of what I've been up to has been what I tend to call "invisible work" - research, paperwork, organizational fiddling, etcetera - which can be a lot less satisfying than building a new Thing, but is nevertheless important. And sometimes pretty cool!
For instance, I should be able to accept credit cards when I vend now! Much of Friday and Monday were spent researching mobile card readers, which was... rather circular. The main contenders, PayPal Here and Square, are VERY comparable, so trying to find a clear winner was pretty fruitless. Overall, I think that PayPal might be the better choice for me, partly because I already use PayPal for online orders, but there are a few more identity-proving hoops to jump through to get it, so I'm going with Square for now, just to make sure I get the required gadget in time for Deeplight. Plus, it has an offline mode, which is pretty handy, and it never hurts to have a backup, especially when you're talking free gadgets!
Also on Monday, I ordered some really cool new business cards! Which, since I want them for GenCon (to hand out to folks who ask about my garb), qualifies as some fairly major procrastination, but hopefully they get here in time. They're just UPS-printed cards (one day I'll be successful enough to commission a custom die from Raky Press, the printers of my first set of cards), but I did a ground-up design on them and I'm really proud of it - one side is just the tentacle-face-me logo, business name, and a one-sentence blurb about what I'm about on a plain white background, and the other is teal with a neat list of ALL my websites and my email. They're pretty darn sweet, hope they look half as good in person!
Also also Monday, I picked up a new commission! Okay, so I'll admit that the fact that said commission will be delivered at the next Deeplight event all of two weeks and a very large gaming convention from now is a little intimidating (especially since I couldn't get the fabric I need until last night and won't be able to get the trim until this weekend at earliest), but I've got this. That I'm guaranteed to pass at least ONE piece of merchandise into the hands of a customer at that event is enough of a stress reliever to counteract the intimidation. Plus, it's for a Viking-style tunic, which is an innately awesome-looking project that's also a really easy build - I'll probably be able to knock out all the structural stuff on it this afternoon, which will be a nice change.
In other news, it looks like the blog has reached a point where a I get a tiny trickle of pageviews during the week or so between new posts, which gives me some warm fuzzies. This is a thing that is going rightly, albeit in a tiny way.
GenCon prep is shaping up... or, more to the point, it looks like I won't need to bring much more than I would for any other H.A.T.E. event & 5-night hotel stay. Probably won't be able to get any new props built/decorated in time, though, which is sad. We'll see how things look come Monday, I might be able to do some last-minute painting...
Most of what I've been up to has been what I tend to call "invisible work" - research, paperwork, organizational fiddling, etcetera - which can be a lot less satisfying than building a new Thing, but is nevertheless important. And sometimes pretty cool!
For instance, I should be able to accept credit cards when I vend now! Much of Friday and Monday were spent researching mobile card readers, which was... rather circular. The main contenders, PayPal Here and Square, are VERY comparable, so trying to find a clear winner was pretty fruitless. Overall, I think that PayPal might be the better choice for me, partly because I already use PayPal for online orders, but there are a few more identity-proving hoops to jump through to get it, so I'm going with Square for now, just to make sure I get the required gadget in time for Deeplight. Plus, it has an offline mode, which is pretty handy, and it never hurts to have a backup, especially when you're talking free gadgets!
Also on Monday, I ordered some really cool new business cards! Which, since I want them for GenCon (to hand out to folks who ask about my garb), qualifies as some fairly major procrastination, but hopefully they get here in time. They're just UPS-printed cards (one day I'll be successful enough to commission a custom die from Raky Press, the printers of my first set of cards), but I did a ground-up design on them and I'm really proud of it - one side is just the tentacle-face-me logo, business name, and a one-sentence blurb about what I'm about on a plain white background, and the other is teal with a neat list of ALL my websites and my email. They're pretty darn sweet, hope they look half as good in person!
Also also Monday, I picked up a new commission! Okay, so I'll admit that the fact that said commission will be delivered at the next Deeplight event all of two weeks and a very large gaming convention from now is a little intimidating (especially since I couldn't get the fabric I need until last night and won't be able to get the trim until this weekend at earliest), but I've got this. That I'm guaranteed to pass at least ONE piece of merchandise into the hands of a customer at that event is enough of a stress reliever to counteract the intimidation. Plus, it's for a Viking-style tunic, which is an innately awesome-looking project that's also a really easy build - I'll probably be able to knock out all the structural stuff on it this afternoon, which will be a nice change.
In other news, it looks like the blog has reached a point where a I get a tiny trickle of pageviews during the week or so between new posts, which gives me some warm fuzzies. This is a thing that is going rightly, albeit in a tiny way.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Slight Case of Flounder
I am in the sort of mental state where that post title makes me imagine turning partway into a weird sideways fish, and I can't determine whether that mental image is hilarious or sad.
I think I'm going to go with hilarious.
Anyways, right now the part of my brain that chooses which of many tasks I need to work on has ground to a halt, as it often does. As usual, this is mainly due to an excess of choice and uncertainty regarding what to prioritize... I get so conflicted about which task I should be focusing on that I become very easily distracted and often wind up aimlessly caroming around the internet (latest landing point: Ze Frank videos).
The latest round of indecision goes a little like this (in list form, because expressing my conflict and confusion in a stream-of-consciousness-type manner worked a little TOO well, and you would have had no clue what was happening around you after reading it):
I think I'm going to spend what remains of the afternoon unpacking & squaring away the last of the debris from the Elmholm premiere (which was great, by the way - no sales, but some good conversations, and I actually got to get out of the booth and play quite a bit, so I had a fabulous time), before something tries to mildew... Hopefully with a couple household tasks out of the way, I'll be able to get some clarifty on the big projects.
P.S.: Entirely different note: This is the first post with an Amazon Associates link and/or since I set up my AdSense account (although the AdSense ads might not show up yet, since I'm still in the confirmation stage). Any feedback? It's not too busy or give-me-money-ish, is it?
I think I'm going to go with hilarious.
Anyways, right now the part of my brain that chooses which of many tasks I need to work on has ground to a halt, as it often does. As usual, this is mainly due to an excess of choice and uncertainty regarding what to prioritize... I get so conflicted about which task I should be focusing on that I become very easily distracted and often wind up aimlessly caroming around the internet (latest landing point: Ze Frank videos).
The latest round of indecision goes a little like this (in list form, because expressing my conflict and confusion in a stream-of-consciousness-type manner worked a little TOO well, and you would have had no clue what was happening around you after reading it):
- We're leaving for GenCon in two weeks, I should get stuff squared away for that... but I'm not sure what I'll need to bring other than the usual H.A.T.E. gear, and that'll only take like a day to get together (including wash & iron time). Maybe I should wait until after the pre-con meeting on Sunday, then I'll know what I'll need?
- So I should actually prep for the next Deeplight, because it's only a few days after GenCon, and I won't be able to get anything done in the time between the two. There's a bunch of relatively easy new inventory items I want to crank out before the event, and I could really use a proper sign rather than a sheet of parchment paper...
- But wait! I have a couple commissions that I've been sitting on for months because I won't be able to deliver them until the Old World event in September, and I'll be ridden with guilt if I sew other things before I finish them...
- But I really should paint the fiancee's LightStrike gear before GenCon, which takes a while, and what if it turns out I'll need to pack or build a bunch of other stuff I didn't even think of until the meeting?
I think I'm going to spend what remains of the afternoon unpacking & squaring away the last of the debris from the Elmholm premiere (which was great, by the way - no sales, but some good conversations, and I actually got to get out of the booth and play quite a bit, so I had a fabulous time), before something tries to mildew... Hopefully with a couple household tasks out of the way, I'll be able to get some clarifty on the big projects.
P.S.: Entirely different note: This is the first post with an Amazon Associates link and/or since I set up my AdSense account (although the AdSense ads might not show up yet, since I'm still in the confirmation stage). Any feedback? It's not too busy or give-me-money-ish, is it?
Monday, July 21, 2014
Fly-by Update
Oof! So much for posting at least once a week... I'll get the swing of this eventually.
Freefall was excellent. Have some pictures! Everything went down smoothly and with minimal drama (well, out of game, at least ;) ), so I think we may have even convinced the event organizer to keep it going for yet another year.
The fiancee is using up his vacation time, so last week and this week are like a giant weekend... which means a lot of much-procrastinated-about home improvement projects are finally done or underway, but I've managed to do next to no prep for the Elmholm premiere or GenCon... Panic may be required sometime soon. But in the mean time, it means I ended up skipping the Last Hope event in favor of a quiet weekend looking at butterflies, at least in part because I wanted to avoid the dreaded "pack for one event while simultaneously unpacking from another." Also because butterflies are awesome.
It came to my attention this morning that my all my Etsy listings had expired without me notice... I've renewed the listings, so everything's back up online and it's all fine, but clearly I need to either pay closer attention or rejigger my notification settings or something... (Related note: I'd love some feedback regarding product pricing - I may post a poll in the near future. I'm pretty sure my prices are fair, but they are on the expensive side, especially for a new shop, so I'm wondering if my generic inventory needs to be knocked back a touch. Thoughts?)
I'm in the process of signing up for AdSense right now (the page is open in another tab). If I can't get ads for things I actually support/use myself (I'm hoping for LARP weapons or other such complementary goods), then I won't bother keeping them on the blog, but hopefully I'll be able to generate a little trickle of supplementary income this way. I'm going to be doing a couple other things to create a revenue stream soon (as I threatened to do a few posts ago), pretty much all of which are cribbed from ByRegina's list "10 Non-Icky Ways to Make Money Blogging" (her blog is full of excellent advice for self-employed types, mainly focused on blogging, but there's a lot of helpful general scheduling/organizing type stuff, too).
I promise to make a better post, with topic transitions and everything, sometime soon. Until then!
Freefall was excellent. Have some pictures! Everything went down smoothly and with minimal drama (well, out of game, at least ;) ), so I think we may have even convinced the event organizer to keep it going for yet another year.
The fiancee is using up his vacation time, so last week and this week are like a giant weekend... which means a lot of much-procrastinated-about home improvement projects are finally done or underway, but I've managed to do next to no prep for the Elmholm premiere or GenCon... Panic may be required sometime soon. But in the mean time, it means I ended up skipping the Last Hope event in favor of a quiet weekend looking at butterflies, at least in part because I wanted to avoid the dreaded "pack for one event while simultaneously unpacking from another." Also because butterflies are awesome.
It came to my attention this morning that my all my Etsy listings had expired without me notice... I've renewed the listings, so everything's back up online and it's all fine, but clearly I need to either pay closer attention or rejigger my notification settings or something... (Related note: I'd love some feedback regarding product pricing - I may post a poll in the near future. I'm pretty sure my prices are fair, but they are on the expensive side, especially for a new shop, so I'm wondering if my generic inventory needs to be knocked back a touch. Thoughts?)
I'm in the process of signing up for AdSense right now (the page is open in another tab). If I can't get ads for things I actually support/use myself (I'm hoping for LARP weapons or other such complementary goods), then I won't bother keeping them on the blog, but hopefully I'll be able to generate a little trickle of supplementary income this way. I'm going to be doing a couple other things to create a revenue stream soon (as I threatened to do a few posts ago), pretty much all of which are cribbed from ByRegina's list "10 Non-Icky Ways to Make Money Blogging" (her blog is full of excellent advice for self-employed types, mainly focused on blogging, but there's a lot of helpful general scheduling/organizing type stuff, too).
I promise to make a better post, with topic transitions and everything, sometime soon. Until then!
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Such events. So prep. Many busy.
Well, it's that time of year again. The time when nearly every weekend has a Thing happening on it, and the few that don't are reserved for sleeping. Don't any of you dare invite me to a Thing on this, the first weekend of July, because that is my last and most vital weekend on which to prepare for the onslaught. And boy, howdy, do I need to prepare for this summer's events...
First up is this year's Freefall Game on July 12th-13th. Freefall is an amazing Firefly/Serenity themed airsoft LARP hybrid run by the guy who taught me how to LARP in the first place. This is its 8th year, so while it still definitely fits in the 'verse and flavor of everybody's favorite prematurely cancelled space western, it's also definitely taken on a life of its own and then some. I've been playing (and occasionally helping brainstorm for) this game since year one, it's my favorite annual event, and most of my favorite gaming friends and event designers (and my fiancee) are people I've met at this game over the years. I'm doing a lot less prep for this year's game than I have in the past, but for me, "less prep" just means "we already have everything we need to set up our 3-room compound with RFID-controlled locking doors, so all we have to do is load it in the truck." I also moderate the game's official message board, which has been super quiet and needs more people to post on it.
Then on July 19th there's a Last Hope non-combat game in Mauston, WI... I really hope to make it to this thing, because the last time I made it to an event was in February (and before that, October), and I'm starting to feel like a poser. But it will really depend on how strapped for prep time I feel, because...
...Elmholm Colony of LarpCraft is having its premiere event on the 26th, and I've agreed to vend at said event. I was a little hesitant when first considering it, because of how soon this event is coming up (and how many other things I'm trying to do at the same time), so I don't know that I'll have much more to offer than I did at the Deeplight premiere, but I'm starting to get really excited about it. I feel like I actually have some idea what I'm doing this time around, so even if I only have time to add a few little things to my inventory (I'm thinking that slipcovers to disguise 3-ring binders and notebooks would go over really well) and improve my signage, it will still be great to go in and set up with just those couple tweaks made and see what happens.
Brief respite... a whole two consecutive weekends of not hauling costumes and props with us. Not totally empty weekends, mind, one of them has a wedding in it, but it's local, so it doesn't really cut into my prep time for...
*dun dun dun*
GENCON. Hoo boy. As I mentioned last entry, I'm going to be helping run the Here At The End demo event, "One Man's Trash," at GenCon Indy this year. Strictly speaking, my fiancee and I are there as trusted warm bodies, and Extreme Event Prep is mostly optional and self-imposed, but dammit, I want this to go spectacularly well. So a lot of back-burner projects for H.A.T.E. are getting moved right up to the front in an effort to make everything look as cool as possible. And, since I'm going to be in a (admittedly rather small) spotlight whilst wearing garb I've made, it would be severely foolish of me NOT to bring a large stack of business cards... which means I need to put on my graphic design hat for newer, more detailed business cards (my current ones just have my email and portfolio site addresses on them), and then my web design hat to make sure all of my various websites are properly updated before the (hopeful) traffic increase. Which doesn't sound like a lot, but there are a bunch of little fiddly bits to each task that can make it all hugely time-consuming.
And then, Deeplight is having its second event, a whole three days after we get home from the con. So all the stuff I'll be scrambling around getting ready for GenCon? That's all going to be happening during so-called "breaks" from building inventory and assimilating any shop-running lessons I learn at Elmholm.
I'm pretty sure that September is rather busy, too, but two months is as far in the future as I care to do any detailed planning... I also have two commissioned gambesons in progress with nebulous deadlines somewhere in the middle of all this, and I'm halfway through replacing the shelves in my fabric closet (rendering my sewing room slightly unusable for the time being due to the sea of fabric adorning every surface). Challenge: accepted. Wish me luck!
First up is this year's Freefall Game on July 12th-13th. Freefall is an amazing Firefly/Serenity themed airsoft LARP hybrid run by the guy who taught me how to LARP in the first place. This is its 8th year, so while it still definitely fits in the 'verse and flavor of everybody's favorite prematurely cancelled space western, it's also definitely taken on a life of its own and then some. I've been playing (and occasionally helping brainstorm for) this game since year one, it's my favorite annual event, and most of my favorite gaming friends and event designers (and my fiancee) are people I've met at this game over the years. I'm doing a lot less prep for this year's game than I have in the past, but for me, "less prep" just means "we already have everything we need to set up our 3-room compound with RFID-controlled locking doors, so all we have to do is load it in the truck." I also moderate the game's official message board, which has been super quiet and needs more people to post on it.
Then on July 19th there's a Last Hope non-combat game in Mauston, WI... I really hope to make it to this thing, because the last time I made it to an event was in February (and before that, October), and I'm starting to feel like a poser. But it will really depend on how strapped for prep time I feel, because...
...Elmholm Colony of LarpCraft is having its premiere event on the 26th, and I've agreed to vend at said event. I was a little hesitant when first considering it, because of how soon this event is coming up (and how many other things I'm trying to do at the same time), so I don't know that I'll have much more to offer than I did at the Deeplight premiere, but I'm starting to get really excited about it. I feel like I actually have some idea what I'm doing this time around, so even if I only have time to add a few little things to my inventory (I'm thinking that slipcovers to disguise 3-ring binders and notebooks would go over really well) and improve my signage, it will still be great to go in and set up with just those couple tweaks made and see what happens.
Brief respite... a whole two consecutive weekends of not hauling costumes and props with us. Not totally empty weekends, mind, one of them has a wedding in it, but it's local, so it doesn't really cut into my prep time for...
*dun dun dun*
GENCON. Hoo boy. As I mentioned last entry, I'm going to be helping run the Here At The End demo event, "One Man's Trash," at GenCon Indy this year. Strictly speaking, my fiancee and I are there as trusted warm bodies, and Extreme Event Prep is mostly optional and self-imposed, but dammit, I want this to go spectacularly well. So a lot of back-burner projects for H.A.T.E. are getting moved right up to the front in an effort to make everything look as cool as possible. And, since I'm going to be in a (admittedly rather small) spotlight whilst wearing garb I've made, it would be severely foolish of me NOT to bring a large stack of business cards... which means I need to put on my graphic design hat for newer, more detailed business cards (my current ones just have my email and portfolio site addresses on them), and then my web design hat to make sure all of my various websites are properly updated before the (hopeful) traffic increase. Which doesn't sound like a lot, but there are a bunch of little fiddly bits to each task that can make it all hugely time-consuming.
And then, Deeplight is having its second event, a whole three days after we get home from the con. So all the stuff I'll be scrambling around getting ready for GenCon? That's all going to be happening during so-called "breaks" from building inventory and assimilating any shop-running lessons I learn at Elmholm.
I'm pretty sure that September is rather busy, too, but two months is as far in the future as I care to do any detailed planning... I also have two commissioned gambesons in progress with nebulous deadlines somewhere in the middle of all this, and I'm halfway through replacing the shelves in my fabric closet (rendering my sewing room slightly unusable for the time being due to the sea of fabric adorning every surface). Challenge: accepted. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Here At The End
You see those punctuation marks, clearly marking H.A.T.E. as an acronym? Yeah, this is going to be a much less serious talk than the title and first sentence may make you think. But it IS very important, especially if plan to attend GenCon Indy this year (more on that later), and double important if you live near southern Wisconsin and like to play dress up and/or whack people with padded sticks and/or shoot little bolts of light at people.
Here At The End is quickly becoming my favorite roleplaying world (live action or otherwise). It's the first LARP series by a dear friend of mine (or rather, his one-man company, Evil Genius Enterprises LLC), and the fifth event ever was last weekend. I could tell you about the general premise of the world, but I think it would be faster if you followed that link above (or went to the H.A.T.E. page on larping.org) and read it straight from the Evil Genius' brain. I'll wait.
Okay, now that you're back, a few things to add: Yes, clearly the germ of this LARP owes a lot to the Fallout series, and if you're looking for a Fallout LARP but can't find one (or can't find one that fits your interpretation of canon), H.A.T.E. will definitely scratch that itch - play Old Guard for an original Vault 13/Brotherhood of Steel hybrid, or play Reborn if you're the type who recruited every useful ghoul and mutant you happened across. But it is so much more than that.
Everybody looks amazing, each faction still has its own distinctive look, and together we gel into a cohesive style for the world as a whole. Even if all you can bring to an event is yourself and a spoon*, you can play and fit in somewhere. Entropy and enthusiasm will rattle you into the shape you need to be for this game. There is really one way to explain why this LARP works... it's something that may scare some prospective players away, but hopefully will draw more in. Because here's the real secret, the magic ingredient that makes everything work:
Here At The End is INSANE. And I don't mean grim and chaotic "insane," although it is that, too. I mean that this game has some serious bats in its belfry. It's a PvP-geared LARP in which there has never been a major conflict between PCs (tension, thievery, friendly fire, and tripping non-faction members to use them as bait, but never conflict). The first event featured several characters getting into a loud discussion about the movie "The Road Warrior" while still completely in character. At event #4, I had to figure out on the fly which bit of the medical rules covered reattaching a severed hand. ...These are just the few bits of insanity that are easy to describe. My point is, while everything fits consistently into an internal logic, it is not always our Earth logic, and trying to predict how things will go is a fool's game. And this most recent event really went down the rabbit hole... LITERALLY. There was a tea party with the Red Queen and everything, including a gloriously disturbing Cheshire Cat.
*There's food at most events, usually a hearty soup or
chili. The Evil Genius and his minions will provide a bowl if you need
it, but keeping track of utensils invites the wrong sort of madness, so
you have to bring your own. Now, if that didn't scare you away (I hope it didn't), here's what you need to know: Events happen roughly once every other month, and to the best of my knowledge, the next one up is GenCon, where H.A.T.E. will be running one-hour mini-events all weekend long, for a total of 42 opportunities to try out this awesome new game. I'm on the volunteer roster for the event, so if nothing else, come by and say hi to me! I promise I won't bite!
Important Link Roundup (just in case you want to type instead of click):
https://www.facebook.com/EvilGeniusEnterprises
http://www.egelarp.com/index.html
http://www.gencon.com/
Photos in this post are courtesy of Shawn Smith and Anne Julia.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
And now, back to your irregularly non-scheduled blog...
Hope I didn't bore you all too much with my adventure in online schoolwork! I had a lots of fun with it (once I remembered how to student and got over my complete lack of confidence in my drawing skills, that is), and as you may have noticed, it resulted in at least one new item to eventually add to my Etsy catalog! I plan to keep on taking Coursera classes, although I'm pretty sure getting graded on my blog entries was more of an exception than a rule, so they probably won't intrude here.
Now that the class is over (mostly - there's still this week left for last round of grading and whatnot, but no more assignments), I'll be returning the sidebar to something resembling its old self - perhaps I'll make a set of pages with links to various project updates, with the class posts making up the first page. I'll probably also make a couple other small changes as well, which I'd like your thoughts on:
Firstly, something I've mused about before but never acted on: I'm thinking of adding a PayPal "Donate" button... Because I started this business with NO outside startup funds or anything, there are some big limits on what I can do. It's hard to pick up commissions if you don't have any examples of similar work to show people, and even just the materials for some of the stuff I'd like to develop are pretty expensive - prototyping and product development alone on a spiral-boned corset (which I REALLY want to do) are cost-prohibitive for me - and that's not even touching the expense of building an inventory. So I'm thinking that a "Donate" button (or maybe a GoFundMe link?) could function as a crowdsourced small business grant. Whether or not I actually have enough people following my various social media for this to do any good remains to be seen, but it can't hurt.
Secondly... how do y'all feel about ads? I'm not a big fan of them, and I'd rather not have my blog and (possible eventual) YouTube channel cluttered up with them, BUT... I'd rather have ads than a day job. Since I'm pretty sure I don't generate enough traffic to even pay for my Netflix account, however, I'm leaving it up to you guys. What do you think?
Well, that's it for now, but with a little luck & determination, maybe I can keep up the whole "posting every week" thing now that the habit's semi-formed! I have some cool stuff I've been working on lately, so I should have plenty of fodder for keeping you up to date. :)
Now that the class is over (mostly - there's still this week left for last round of grading and whatnot, but no more assignments), I'll be returning the sidebar to something resembling its old self - perhaps I'll make a set of pages with links to various project updates, with the class posts making up the first page. I'll probably also make a couple other small changes as well, which I'd like your thoughts on:
Firstly, something I've mused about before but never acted on: I'm thinking of adding a PayPal "Donate" button... Because I started this business with NO outside startup funds or anything, there are some big limits on what I can do. It's hard to pick up commissions if you don't have any examples of similar work to show people, and even just the materials for some of the stuff I'd like to develop are pretty expensive - prototyping and product development alone on a spiral-boned corset (which I REALLY want to do) are cost-prohibitive for me - and that's not even touching the expense of building an inventory. So I'm thinking that a "Donate" button (or maybe a GoFundMe link?) could function as a crowdsourced small business grant. Whether or not I actually have enough people following my various social media for this to do any good remains to be seen, but it can't hurt.
Secondly... how do y'all feel about ads? I'm not a big fan of them, and I'd rather not have my blog and (possible eventual) YouTube channel cluttered up with them, BUT... I'd rather have ads than a day job. Since I'm pretty sure I don't generate enough traffic to even pay for my Netflix account, however, I'm leaving it up to you guys. What do you think?
Well, that's it for now, but with a little luck & determination, maybe I can keep up the whole "posting every week" thing now that the habit's semi-formed! I have some cool stuff I've been working on lately, so I should have plenty of fodder for keeping you up to date. :)
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Homework Assignment 7.1 - Beta Prototype (aka Final Project!)
Well, here it is...
Throughout development, I have been referring to this project as "The Adventurer's Day Pack," which is I suppose as good as any, and suits the final product very well. However, that name really describes the category of product it belongs to, rather than the finished product itself. Somewhere along the line, I also nicknamed it "The Bookshelf," which is very fitting, but not particularly marketable... Another name up for consideration is "The Mule," which doesn't really tell you what the product is. At this point, I believe I will stick with calling it the first in my line of Adventurer's Day Pack's (as I do plan to return to some of my other pack designs and develop them further), and use that as a placeholder while I do further market research to choose between the two sub-imprint names (or a possible third that I haven't thought of yet).
So, without further ado... I give you the finished beta of the first Adventurer's Day Pack!
It's lightweight, sturdy, has padded straps and back, one large storage platform for a water jug, two smaller shelves for various odds & ends, and retaining straps and flaps to keep everything in place.
I made this backpack because, in the Live Action Role Play community I belong to, we often have events where most of the players are hiking for most of the day and have to carry our own supplies. Because our clothes and gear have to fit into the medieval setting, we often end up carrying much less water than we need, or have to keep our water jugs in simple tote bags or sacks that are uncomfortable to carry for a long period of time, or get left behind when we have to continue on unexpectedly. So this pack was designed an built to address this problem by providing a cost-effective bag that could not only carry a day's worth of water while leaving one's hands free, but was comfortable enough that people would be less tempted to leave it on the ground after they had gotten what they needed out of it.
I had hoped to make something that also completely concealed the water vessel, which this version of the pack does not, but with this particular design that's not much of a problem... I can easily add a flap that covers the main storage compartment, or make simple slip covers for plastic bottles, but the main achievement is that the structure of the pack is sturdy and rigid enough that one could easily carry more period-looking glass bottles or jugs without any major risk of breaking them.
As I move forward with this design, I plan to experiment with different fabric panel shapes and strategies, so as to eliminate gaps (which will increase utility for carrying small items and reduce risk of tangling in dense foliage). I may also look into the possibility of making solid shelves, to increase load stability. My main priority, though, will be seeking a better way to join the corners of the shelves: currently, I'm using stock copper pipe fittings and lashing any additional pieces in place, but ideally I would like to use custom-made fittings on future builds (for which I will need to acquire a TIG welder), as well as generally refining construction methods, especially with an eye to increasing longevity of the product by observing how the pack stands up to more extended wear and addressing any problems that may arise.
Throughout development, I have been referring to this project as "The Adventurer's Day Pack," which is I suppose as good as any, and suits the final product very well. However, that name really describes the category of product it belongs to, rather than the finished product itself. Somewhere along the line, I also nicknamed it "The Bookshelf," which is very fitting, but not particularly marketable... Another name up for consideration is "The Mule," which doesn't really tell you what the product is. At this point, I believe I will stick with calling it the first in my line of Adventurer's Day Pack's (as I do plan to return to some of my other pack designs and develop them further), and use that as a placeholder while I do further market research to choose between the two sub-imprint names (or a possible third that I haven't thought of yet).
So, without further ado... I give you the finished beta of the first Adventurer's Day Pack!
I made this backpack because, in the Live Action Role Play community I belong to, we often have events where most of the players are hiking for most of the day and have to carry our own supplies. Because our clothes and gear have to fit into the medieval setting, we often end up carrying much less water than we need, or have to keep our water jugs in simple tote bags or sacks that are uncomfortable to carry for a long period of time, or get left behind when we have to continue on unexpectedly. So this pack was designed an built to address this problem by providing a cost-effective bag that could not only carry a day's worth of water while leaving one's hands free, but was comfortable enough that people would be less tempted to leave it on the ground after they had gotten what they needed out of it.
I had hoped to make something that also completely concealed the water vessel, which this version of the pack does not, but with this particular design that's not much of a problem... I can easily add a flap that covers the main storage compartment, or make simple slip covers for plastic bottles, but the main achievement is that the structure of the pack is sturdy and rigid enough that one could easily carry more period-looking glass bottles or jugs without any major risk of breaking them.
As I move forward with this design, I plan to experiment with different fabric panel shapes and strategies, so as to eliminate gaps (which will increase utility for carrying small items and reduce risk of tangling in dense foliage). I may also look into the possibility of making solid shelves, to increase load stability. My main priority, though, will be seeking a better way to join the corners of the shelves: currently, I'm using stock copper pipe fittings and lashing any additional pieces in place, but ideally I would like to use custom-made fittings on future builds (for which I will need to acquire a TIG welder), as well as generally refining construction methods, especially with an eye to increasing longevity of the product by observing how the pack stands up to more extended wear and addressing any problems that may arise.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Homework Assignment 6.1 - Alpha Prototype
Firstly, I was unable to finish my refinement sketch for last week's assignment in time, but since I did finish it, I'm posting it here for reference:
And here is my alpha prototype:
As you can see, I'm using the same frame as I did with the initial prototype. I chose to use the alpha stage to focus on the padded back and strap placement, as I felt the original CPVC frame got the point across well enough for testing purposes. The beta version will be much more similar to the refinement sketch, with the additional diagonal supports and a change in construction materials.
And here is my alpha prototype:
As you can see, I'm using the same frame as I did with the initial prototype. I chose to use the alpha stage to focus on the padded back and strap placement, as I felt the original CPVC frame got the point across well enough for testing purposes. The beta version will be much more similar to the refinement sketch, with the additional diagonal supports and a change in construction materials.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
5.1 Concept Testing - 1 Concept
And now is where the real decision is made: which prototype gets developed into a final product.
I approached this decision by sharing the previous entry, containing pictures and descriptions of my prototypes, on the Facebook page of the LARP organization I intend to market the final product to (as well as on my business and personal Facebook pages). I asked for opinions on and questions about my designs, and formed my conclusion organically from their feedback - this allowed me to account for not only overt preferences of one over another, but what elements of each design my audience liked the most. It also brought to my attention a few potential weaknesses in some of my designs that I had not noticed on my own yet.
I also did a certain amount of hands-on product testing. All three of the prototypes I had made were comprehensive enough to perform the task they were designed for, although I did have to be very careful as the materials used were very lightweight and simply pinned together in places. This was more of an insurance policy than a determining factor - it wouldn't do if a design that looked great when photographed and posted on the internet turned out to be completely impractical when put to use. Fortunately, all the designs seemed to work well enough to move forward, although the soft pack seemed to have some problems in the realm of comfortable wear.
Both audience comments and hands-on testing point strongly towards the frame pack as my best choice to move forward. When you also consider that the prototyping process provided a clear path to move forward on, that pleases me a great deal. I do, however, plan on keeping the diagonal/single-shoulder bag on my to-do list. It has a lot of potential, and I've received some positive feedback and definite interest in it, but most of that interest is either for use in a slightly different market (a futuristic LARP rather than medieval), or as a general purpose bag rather than as a water carrier, so I'm putting it on hold in the interest of continuing to directly address my Gap.
So, onward with the frame pack!
I approached this decision by sharing the previous entry, containing pictures and descriptions of my prototypes, on the Facebook page of the LARP organization I intend to market the final product to (as well as on my business and personal Facebook pages). I asked for opinions on and questions about my designs, and formed my conclusion organically from their feedback - this allowed me to account for not only overt preferences of one over another, but what elements of each design my audience liked the most. It also brought to my attention a few potential weaknesses in some of my designs that I had not noticed on my own yet.
I also did a certain amount of hands-on product testing. All three of the prototypes I had made were comprehensive enough to perform the task they were designed for, although I did have to be very careful as the materials used were very lightweight and simply pinned together in places. This was more of an insurance policy than a determining factor - it wouldn't do if a design that looked great when photographed and posted on the internet turned out to be completely impractical when put to use. Fortunately, all the designs seemed to work well enough to move forward, although the soft pack seemed to have some problems in the realm of comfortable wear.
Both audience comments and hands-on testing point strongly towards the frame pack as my best choice to move forward. When you also consider that the prototyping process provided a clear path to move forward on, that pleases me a great deal. I do, however, plan on keeping the diagonal/single-shoulder bag on my to-do list. It has a lot of potential, and I've received some positive feedback and definite interest in it, but most of that interest is either for use in a slightly different market (a futuristic LARP rather than medieval), or as a general purpose bag rather than as a water carrier, so I'm putting it on hold in the interest of continuing to directly address my Gap.
So, onward with the frame pack!
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Homework Assignment 4.2: Prototyping
And here we have three prototypes, one for each backpack style in the previous post. I'd love to hear your opinions or answer any questions you may have as I try to decide which design to move forward with for the rest of the class.
First up, we have the soft backpack prototype. This one is basically my original idea, and the iteration/refinement work hadn't done much to improve my thoughts on construction methods. Rather than try to reinvent what I had done before, I made pin-modifications to the prototype I made for Week 1. It's still a little rough and in need of serious refinement, but it's getting closer to a usable design.
Next, we have the diagonal/single shoulder pack. This prototype went together very quickly (maybe a couple of hours work time), but it turned out MUCH better than I had expected. I didn't have very high hopes for this design, but considering how quickly it went together, it has a lot of potential to be a very cost-effective product... the downsides are that the general style looks a little too modern to my eyes, it's not going to be very easy to adjust for different people, and there's a lot less additional storage space than I was hoping for. The base water vessel is also considerably more expensive and difficult to clean than I was hoping, but I think that's counteracted by the overall speed and simplicity of the construction.
Finally, we have the frame pack. Prototype done in 1/2" CPVC pipe, but if I go forward with this design, the finished product would be a wooden frame. This was more labor-intensive, and there were some outside problems that affected the build - specifically, both of the hardware stores in town were short on 1/2" T-fittings, so I only had enough to make two shelves rather than the three I wanted. However, I am incredibly pleased with how this turned out. This is just a rough proof-of-concept prototype, with very cheap, lightweight fabric pieces and straps held on by pins, and without any sort of adhesive holding the frame together, yet here it is, comfortably carrying a full gallon jug of water. Clearly, there are a lot of changes and additions to be made before this can become a finished product, but I can very easily identify not only what those changes are but how to make them. The only problems that I don't have a solution for quite yet are end-user affordability - this took most of a day to build, and the final product would be more complex, driving up cost - and the need to remove the bottle from the pack in order to pour, the latter of which is a very small complaint.
Edit 05/19/2014: Added more descriptive language to my annotations so I could use this post as a target market research tool. Project content unchanged.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Homework Assignment 4.1: Concept Selection - 3 Concepts
Narrowing the ten design concepts from the previous post down to three candidates to be prototyped. Each concept is scored from 1-3 in each category (one being not-so-good, two being neutral, and three being very good), then the score is totaled at the bottom. My final prototype choices are highlighted in yellow.
As you may notice, my prototype choices are not necessarily the highest-scoring design concepts. Because my list of concepts all fit into three basic categories (frame pack, soft backpack, and diagonal/shoulder bag), I made the decision to prototype one from each category.
As you may notice, my prototype choices are not necessarily the highest-scoring design concepts. Because my list of concepts all fit into three basic categories (frame pack, soft backpack, and diagonal/shoulder bag), I made the decision to prototype one from each category.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Homework Assignment 3.2: Visual Expression III - 2 Point Perspective
My sketch of a chair in 2-point perspective:
Homework Assignment 3.1: Exploration - 10 Concepts
Breaking the design problem down to individual challenges:
Due to time constraints, I am unable to complete the sketches for my 10 design concepts. The concepts are as follows:
A. Two-shelf frame pack with removable jug
B. Two-shelf frame pack with fixed bottles
C. Three-shelf frame pack with fixed jug
D. Single-shelf frame pack with removable bottles and separate vertical storage pockets
E. Soft backpack with 3 patch pockets and retaining straps underneath
F. Soft backpack with separate lower chamber and side patch pockets
G. Soft backpack with shaped pockets
H. Diagonal pack with large pockets on back
I. Diagonal pack with small pockets on front and retaining straps on back
J. Diagonal pack with small pockets on front and back
Due to time constraints, I am unable to complete the sketches for my 10 design concepts. The concepts are as follows:
A. Two-shelf frame pack with removable jug
B. Two-shelf frame pack with fixed bottles
C. Three-shelf frame pack with fixed jug
D. Single-shelf frame pack with removable bottles and separate vertical storage pockets
E. Soft backpack with 3 patch pockets and retaining straps underneath
F. Soft backpack with separate lower chamber and side patch pockets
G. Soft backpack with shaped pockets
H. Diagonal pack with large pockets on back
I. Diagonal pack with small pockets on front and retaining straps on back
J. Diagonal pack with small pockets on front and back
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Homework Assignment 2.2 - User Needs
In looking more closely at user needs, I am pleased to discover that my initial gap statement holds up, needing little to no modification, although perhaps a little more unpacking... It reads now: "A convincingly medieval-looking ergonomic backpack for carrying a day's worth of water & eating utensils during Live Action Role Play adventures."
My list of user needs which I hope to address with my project is as follows:
My list of user needs which I hope to address with my project is as follows:
- Holds enough water for a full day
- Does not break/leak even after being dropped or fallen on
- Does not allow condensation from cold water vessel to soak through (!)
- Makes it possible to pour water without removing water vessel
- Internal water vessel is easily replaceable
- Easy to clean
- Can be carried for an extended period of time without interfering with other tasks
- Leaves both hands free while being carried
- Distributes weight comfortably
- Does not shift excessively while running. etc.
- Is adjustable for players of different height/girth
- Is lightweight enough to be carried while running quickly
- Has additional storage space
- Can carry at least one bowl
- Can carry at least one spoon
- Can carry at least one mug
- Has room for a small amount of food
- All pockets/compartments securely button or tie shut
- Has a separate space for small out-of-game items (cell phone, inhaler, etc.) (!)
- Can fit small in-game items and tools (!)
- Can secure a coil of rope (!)
- Fits into a specific aesthetic
- Does not appear anachronistic in a medieval setting
- Completely conceals modern elements (plastic water vessel, etc.)
- Constructed from natural fibers (cotton, linen, etc)
- Is customizable to match individual players' gear (!)
- Is affordable for high school and college-aged players
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Homework Assignment 2.1 - Design Problem Definition
Refining my gap project using "the 5 whys" methodology to break down the problem to its most general element (listed from most to least general):
In what way might I...
...protect the health and safety of my fellow LARPers?
...reduce risk of dehydration and food contamination while "adventuring" in the field?
...create a means to carry adequate water and utensils that fits the aesthetic of the LARP?
...ensure that water & utensils can be carried comfortably and hands-free for an extended period of time?
*...construct a convincingly medieval-looking ergonomic backpack for carrying a day's worth (1 gallon) of water & eating utensils?
In what way might I...
...protect the health and safety of my fellow LARPers?
...reduce risk of dehydration and food contamination while "adventuring" in the field?
...create a means to carry adequate water and utensils that fits the aesthetic of the LARP?
...ensure that water & utensils can be carried comfortably and hands-free for an extended period of time?
*...construct a convincingly medieval-looking ergonomic backpack for carrying a day's worth (1 gallon) of water & eating utensils?
Friday, April 25, 2014
Homework Assignment 1.4 - Design For You
For my gap, I've chosen to design a convincingly medieval-looking ergonomic backpack for carrying a day's worth of water & eating utensils.
My sketch (same disclaimer/apology as for assignment 1.3):
The initial prototype build (front, side and back views):
My sketch (same disclaimer/apology as for assignment 1.3):
Homework Assignment 1.3 - Visual Expression 1: The Basics
My sketch of a chair:
Crafted using the majestic MS Paint... I'm rather rushed today, and won't be able to do anything on the weekend, so I chose the medium with the best speed:quality ratio, rather than straight-up quality... I shall atone by doing proper renderings as the course moves forward.
Crafted using the majestic MS Paint... I'm rather rushed today, and won't be able to do anything on the weekend, so I chose the medium with the best speed:quality ratio, rather than straight-up quality... I shall atone by doing proper renderings as the course moves forward.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Homework Assignment 1.2 - Find the Gap
Product gaps that I have experienced, gap I've chosen for my product choice bolded & italicized:
- An authentic-looking early period corset (~16th century) that is flexible enough so safely fence in.
- A quick and easy way to clear (and unclear) an exercise space the in living room.
- A convincingly medieval-looking ergonomic backpack for carrying a day's worth of water & eating utensils.
- A better way to keep track of business income & expenses.
- A way to add a second level to my pet rabbits' enclosure.
- A system to store supplies for my hobbies that makes it easy for me to pack & bring them to events away from the house.
- A method for making lightweight, affordable, self-lit signage to bring to events.
- A more space-efficient way to store sewing supplies and patterns.
- A collapsible wooden garment rack for vending at events.
- A convenient shelving system for my pantry.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Homework Assignment 1.1 - Good Design
My example of an awesome household artifact: the Kitchen Aid pasta roller/cutter attachment (image sourced from www.luxuryhousingtrends.com via Google Image search).
This nearly magical device takes the previously tedious hours-long process of rolling and cutting a batch of homemade pasta and turns it into a handful of minutes, where you pretty much just feed the dough through a few times and watch it come out as noodles at the end. It gives the ability to make healthy, homemade pasta - flavor tailored to perfectly match complement my sauce - without sacrificing my whole day.
This nearly magical device takes the previously tedious hours-long process of rolling and cutting a batch of homemade pasta and turns it into a handful of minutes, where you pretty much just feed the dough through a few times and watch it come out as noodles at the end. It gives the ability to make healthy, homemade pasta - flavor tailored to perfectly match complement my sauce - without sacrificing my whole day.
And now time to complicate things...
I've been a very bad blogger lately... really, in general I haven't gotten much done lately. Between a bit of post-first-vending-gig funk (mostly consisting of not knowing which project to work on next, and thereby working on nothing, followed by guilt for not doing anything), and a just horrible stomach bug to start off April, there just hasn't been much to post about.
That's changing soon, however! I decided I missed being a student, and that I really need some more design training to really make this "having a design business" thing work, so using the magic of the internet (specifically, Coursera) I've signed up for a University of Pennsylvania class called Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society. One of the course components is creating a website or blog to chronicle the design project you've picked for the the course, and you're allowed to use a preexisting site if you have one... which, since chronicling my projects is sort of the whole point of this blog, works perfectly. The first couple weeks of posts will probably be a little strange, because they're very foundational blips of design process and also will be horribly out of context for you (some posts I may unpack a little, but a lot of the assignments have word limits, so if I want to go in-depth I'll need a second post), and I'll have to do a couple of weird layout/organization things to the blog for the 8-week duration of the course.
So, yeah, brace yourself to be a bit confused, but I should have regular (like, multiple times per week) posts with some cool pictures coming... pretty much now. I'm hoping to turn the Adventurer's Day Pack I posted about on Tumbr a while back into my project, although I'm waiting for the course staff to get back to me on that, since I have about a week's head start (in terms of course structure, at least). There are a couple other possibilities, like a LARP-safe 16th century style corset (although that may be a bit more time-consuming than ideal for an 8-week course), or maybe some sort of organizer for LARP/sewing/everything stuff.
Oh! I did this weeks ago, but forgot to put up the link here... my Etsy shop is stocked! With pretty pictures and everything!
That's changing soon, however! I decided I missed being a student, and that I really need some more design training to really make this "having a design business" thing work, so using the magic of the internet (specifically, Coursera) I've signed up for a University of Pennsylvania class called Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society. One of the course components is creating a website or blog to chronicle the design project you've picked for the the course, and you're allowed to use a preexisting site if you have one... which, since chronicling my projects is sort of the whole point of this blog, works perfectly. The first couple weeks of posts will probably be a little strange, because they're very foundational blips of design process and also will be horribly out of context for you (some posts I may unpack a little, but a lot of the assignments have word limits, so if I want to go in-depth I'll need a second post), and I'll have to do a couple of weird layout/organization things to the blog for the 8-week duration of the course.
So, yeah, brace yourself to be a bit confused, but I should have regular (like, multiple times per week) posts with some cool pictures coming... pretty much now. I'm hoping to turn the Adventurer's Day Pack I posted about on Tumbr a while back into my project, although I'm waiting for the course staff to get back to me on that, since I have about a week's head start (in terms of course structure, at least). There are a couple other possibilities, like a LARP-safe 16th century style corset (although that may be a bit more time-consuming than ideal for an 8-week course), or maybe some sort of organizer for LARP/sewing/everything stuff.
Oh! I did this weeks ago, but forgot to put up the link here... my Etsy shop is stocked! With pretty pictures and everything!
Friday, February 28, 2014
First of Many Finish Lines
Well, as you might guess from my previous post, I've been a little busy for the last month or so...
The LARP event I did makeup for & vended at was last weekend, and it was a lot of fun, although I didn't get to go out and enjoy it as much as I'd hoped, since my minion/fiancee got press ganged into helping with food & beverage service... He had a fantastic time, and has volunteered to keep working the tavern at future events, so I guess I need a new minion (I suppose I'll keep him for the fiancee job, though ;) ).
Makeup went on quite well, especially when you take into account that larpers are even more difficult to herd than actors... Sadly, though, our Medusa backed out, and the only people we could get to volunteer as a replacement were men with beards... plus, we were running low on time (see above re: difficulty of herding larpers), so we scrapped that design, covered the faces of the beardy menfolk, and let the snake hat do the talking. Which sucks, because the design I had come up with would have been awesome - I was going to do basically two "layers," the first of which was white marble, and then over the marble look I had patches of green-on-green (OD over grass) scales... if my phone's SD card survived its swimming lesson on Wednesday (yeah, that happened - it spent a couple days in a bag of rice, and the phone will start up, but it's... not right anymore), I'll post pictures of the test-application I did on myself.
Anyways, that simplified my job down to an assembly line of Drow and one well-preserved undead guy. Plus, I had minions to help, the chief of whom had an airbrush. So all my dark elves looked very pretty, and I was able to make my one undead dude look rather subtly gruesome... although I really should have put the spot where his skin was sloughing off on his cheekbone rather than his forehead, 'cause it got covered up by his hood....
As for the vendor booth, I managed to build enough stuff over the month and a half to keep my booth from looking too empty, although it was still pretty sparse. I had a selection of belt pouches, a few hoods, shirts sized small through XL (one of each size, plus a couple "factory seconds" as it were), a couple pairs of leg wraps, and a couple of dice bags up for sale, and I also made a display of some of my personal garb as examples of custom work. Pictures of the booth are up on my Facebook page.
Sales weren't exactly great... I sold one belt pouch, and am following up on one custom job I may have picked up at the event (a replica of the very first pattern I ever designed seven years ago, which I suppose is a good omen). I'm trying hard not to be too discouraged... objectively, not only was it was my first show, but it wasn't the most sale-friendly environment - the light was really dim (because Underdark), and the "market" was positioned so that it didn't have any non-shopper through-traffic, which since this was a LARP event and not a trade show or other shopping-related event means I don't think any of the impulse-buy-only crowd actually even SAW the stuff I was selling. Realistically, giving out a half-dozen business cards and doing any business at all under those conditions is a pretty great start, but I can't pretend I'm not bummed. (And please don't interpret this as a comment on the event organizers - they ran a damn fine event, the very first at this venue, no less - it's just that "friendly retail environment" and "Drow city" are nearly mutually exclusive, and generating sales isn't a major priority for making a good LARP.)
Oh, well. Onward and upward, and all that... at least I have a bunch of stuff to list on my Etsy store now! Watch this space for a link once it's up and running. :) And I learned a lot, so when I do this again I'll have a much better idea of how to create a good vending experience. Like, it was really cold down there, so I bet I could have made some bank if I had a bunch of wooly cloaks for sale. :P
The LARP event I did makeup for & vended at was last weekend, and it was a lot of fun, although I didn't get to go out and enjoy it as much as I'd hoped, since my minion/fiancee got press ganged into helping with food & beverage service... He had a fantastic time, and has volunteered to keep working the tavern at future events, so I guess I need a new minion (I suppose I'll keep him for the fiancee job, though ;) ).
Makeup went on quite well, especially when you take into account that larpers are even more difficult to herd than actors... Sadly, though, our Medusa backed out, and the only people we could get to volunteer as a replacement were men with beards... plus, we were running low on time (see above re: difficulty of herding larpers), so we scrapped that design, covered the faces of the beardy menfolk, and let the snake hat do the talking. Which sucks, because the design I had come up with would have been awesome - I was going to do basically two "layers," the first of which was white marble, and then over the marble look I had patches of green-on-green (OD over grass) scales... if my phone's SD card survived its swimming lesson on Wednesday (yeah, that happened - it spent a couple days in a bag of rice, and the phone will start up, but it's... not right anymore), I'll post pictures of the test-application I did on myself.
Anyways, that simplified my job down to an assembly line of Drow and one well-preserved undead guy. Plus, I had minions to help, the chief of whom had an airbrush. So all my dark elves looked very pretty, and I was able to make my one undead dude look rather subtly gruesome... although I really should have put the spot where his skin was sloughing off on his cheekbone rather than his forehead, 'cause it got covered up by his hood....
As for the vendor booth, I managed to build enough stuff over the month and a half to keep my booth from looking too empty, although it was still pretty sparse. I had a selection of belt pouches, a few hoods, shirts sized small through XL (one of each size, plus a couple "factory seconds" as it were), a couple pairs of leg wraps, and a couple of dice bags up for sale, and I also made a display of some of my personal garb as examples of custom work. Pictures of the booth are up on my Facebook page.
Sales weren't exactly great... I sold one belt pouch, and am following up on one custom job I may have picked up at the event (a replica of the very first pattern I ever designed seven years ago, which I suppose is a good omen). I'm trying hard not to be too discouraged... objectively, not only was it was my first show, but it wasn't the most sale-friendly environment - the light was really dim (because Underdark), and the "market" was positioned so that it didn't have any non-shopper through-traffic, which since this was a LARP event and not a trade show or other shopping-related event means I don't think any of the impulse-buy-only crowd actually even SAW the stuff I was selling. Realistically, giving out a half-dozen business cards and doing any business at all under those conditions is a pretty great start, but I can't pretend I'm not bummed. (And please don't interpret this as a comment on the event organizers - they ran a damn fine event, the very first at this venue, no less - it's just that "friendly retail environment" and "Drow city" are nearly mutually exclusive, and generating sales isn't a major priority for making a good LARP.)
Oh, well. Onward and upward, and all that... at least I have a bunch of stuff to list on my Etsy store now! Watch this space for a link once it's up and running. :) And I learned a lot, so when I do this again I'll have a much better idea of how to create a good vending experience. Like, it was really cold down there, so I bet I could have made some bank if I had a bunch of wooly cloaks for sale. :P
Monday, January 13, 2014
When it rains, it pours...
So, dear readers, I had a plan. I thought it was a good plan.
My plan was to putter throughout January. You know - work steadily, but at a very leisurely pace, and on a whole bunch of things at once. I would make a company logo (which I'm partway through - take a look at my profile picture!), get plates on my car so I can actually drive it, finish getting all my social media profiles networked & polished, file for a sales tax ID & trade name, and perform an epic clean on the house (so when I start treating sewing/design/blogging as a job, it's easy to maintain a relatively slob-free standard of living).
Last week (I want to say Tuesday), a friend contacted me about the premiere event of his new LARP venue towards the end of February, and would I like to design the makeup for the NPCs? Oh, and how about setting up a booth to sell your garb and stuff?
...So much for my plan. Because, of course, I said yes (well, officially the booth is still at a "maybe"). Why wouldn't I? Talk about starting things off with a bang!
I could maybe follow through with my plan if I was JUST doing makeup, but that would probably be pushing it. And the booth? I don't have any inventory. So I'm also embarking on a marathon of building pouches, bags, shirts, chemises, and hoods. Big stuff will have to wait - maybe I'll find time to do some sort of posterboard with pictures of some of my commissioned pieces (wood grain contact paper and a fauxtoshop "oil painting" filter should be enough that it won't look totally out of place in a medieval fantasy game), or perhaps I could ask some past clients to let me display the pieces I've done for them...
I'm all sorts of excited, albeit a bit overwhelmed. But I can do this. It's really not that different from the stacks of projects I did in college. If I can calm down and focus on one task at a time, decisively choosing only one or two tasks per day, it may not even be hard. Keyword being "if."
More likely, I will accidentally multitask, scramble away at everything at the last minute like Wile E. Coyote running on air, and just barely slide in under the action-movie-automated-door of a deadline as a manic, slightly narcoleptic, disheveled homunculous, but with all my projects complete. Like I usually do.
Oh, and I picked up another gambeson commission yesterday. ::headdesk::
Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for me to stop internet-shopping for makeup supplies, and start sewing some stuff. Tally-ho!
My plan was to putter throughout January. You know - work steadily, but at a very leisurely pace, and on a whole bunch of things at once. I would make a company logo (which I'm partway through - take a look at my profile picture!), get plates on my car so I can actually drive it, finish getting all my social media profiles networked & polished, file for a sales tax ID & trade name, and perform an epic clean on the house (so when I start treating sewing/design/blogging as a job, it's easy to maintain a relatively slob-free standard of living).
Last week (I want to say Tuesday), a friend contacted me about the premiere event of his new LARP venue towards the end of February, and would I like to design the makeup for the NPCs? Oh, and how about setting up a booth to sell your garb and stuff?
...So much for my plan. Because, of course, I said yes (well, officially the booth is still at a "maybe"). Why wouldn't I? Talk about starting things off with a bang!
I could maybe follow through with my plan if I was JUST doing makeup, but that would probably be pushing it. And the booth? I don't have any inventory. So I'm also embarking on a marathon of building pouches, bags, shirts, chemises, and hoods. Big stuff will have to wait - maybe I'll find time to do some sort of posterboard with pictures of some of my commissioned pieces (wood grain contact paper and a fauxtoshop "oil painting" filter should be enough that it won't look totally out of place in a medieval fantasy game), or perhaps I could ask some past clients to let me display the pieces I've done for them...
I'm all sorts of excited, albeit a bit overwhelmed. But I can do this. It's really not that different from the stacks of projects I did in college. If I can calm down and focus on one task at a time, decisively choosing only one or two tasks per day, it may not even be hard. Keyword being "if."
More likely, I will accidentally multitask, scramble away at everything at the last minute like Wile E. Coyote running on air, and just barely slide in under the action-movie-automated-door of a deadline as a manic, slightly narcoleptic, disheveled homunculous, but with all my projects complete. Like I usually do.
Oh, and I picked up another gambeson commission yesterday. ::headdesk::
Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for me to stop internet-shopping for makeup supplies, and start sewing some stuff. Tally-ho!
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