What is up

A deeper introduction and signal of commitment.

Lately, not much.

The plain and simple of it is, my productivity (outside of work) has been fully slug. I had high hopes for myself early in the pandemic, when my partner L and I registered a business Les Original and made a few instagram posts. That was put on hold when we picked up and moved to Germany, and for the first few months I told myself that Job Hunting was my priority, and forgiving myself.

Well I found a job, I've settled into it, and still haven't managed to turn out any of the project I have on my docket. Of course there are some legal implications. My current visa (working holiday) doesn't allow me to establish any business of my own. This is a cop-out. Most of the stuff I'm interested in making isn't exactly commercially viable, I don't need to sell anything to count it among my successes.

What sort of projects are we talking?

Digitally, I'm feeling pretty fulfilled. I love working on hard problems and new experiences in digital niches, and my dayjob as a product designer has given me that in buckets. It's the handwerk I'm interested in exploring.

When I dream up a project, it's usually travel & outdoor gear, bike bits, or additive-enabled (some 3D printed part). In most cases, it's a combination of all three.

I'm hoping to develop a craft. Stuff that interests me most isn't usually commercially viable. It's niche product, produced at a small scale, and walks a line between craft and technical. Light goods and technical oddities for freaks in nature -- that's Les Original.

How's that going for you?

I brought some sewing equipment and technical fabrics from Canada to Germany. Within a few weeks here, I'd purchased a solid old sewing machine that reminds me of one I left back in Nova Scotia. We have an apartment with a spacious workshop storage room, and there's nothing standing in my way.

Yesterday I spent the day building this website! A near-perfect clone of one I'd already built a few weeks before, but #poweredbyEleventy. I guess if it makes me a bit more accountable that's alright.

Next week I will try to release a new set of 3D printable sewing notions - I've got some really simple designs mostly finished and getting it out would be a small motivator. I'm headed out for a bike ride today, maybe that will re-fire my will to make some bike bags! L and I are hoping when the shots get into arms it will be realistic to take some bike trips again, and what I found last year was that having all the gear is half the battle, and knowing you can be ready when the opportunity strikes is the rest.

Until next time.

Thanks for reading, say hi