No doubt you will have been bombarded by others sharing their achievements in 2023 by this point. It can be hard to remind yourself that social media is a distorted lens to view the world through. No doubt we all have things we are proud of this year but equally - for many of us, simply surviving is enough. It has been a challenging few years post covid with a lot of adapting to a faster paced world.
For me, my family has taken priority over the last few years. With 2 little ones, seeing them grow and gain their own independence has been a real high point. Lego hit the household this Christmas and we have been building Lego non stop near enough. The joy of making is strong in this family.
2023 has also been a frustrating year. A year of ideas swirling around unrealised. That’s where this newsletter came in - a means to hold myself to task. No New Years resolutions from me this year. This Newsletter started as a means to focus on direction not speed.
I am passionate about bringing moments of escape and adding a little more friction into our lives as I believe strongly that those moments are increasingly important in our fast paced world. This newsletter shares those values - long form content in a short form content world. I do hope you have been enjoying these updates and from my family to yours, I wish you a positive 2024.
If you have been enjoying these updates, I would really appreciate you spreading the word with just one person you think would appreciate this. Word of mouth will always be the most powerful marketing tool.
Laminar Update
*unedited, straight out of camera
Another quick update on the production samples having had the chance to speak with even more baristas and coffee shops for their honest thoughts as well as a little video of it in use at one of my favourite coffee shops here in Aberdeen - Figment.
This will only go into production if I can hit the target. We’re still quite a few away so if you would like to see this happen, make sure to click the link below and share with your friends/family :)
I plan on contacting everyone that has signed up already in January to get an understanding of how many sets you might be interested in ordering. As a result of this, we might be able to place the production order by the end of January.
Last months most clicked link: Luma AI (great to see quite a few of you taking advantage of the early access!)
My top 5 pieces of content I have found helpful/inspiring:
1.
Visune. Started by Liam Martin , this resource is invaluable to product designers around the world using Keyshot. Keyshot has been the industry standard for product visualisation for years now - renowned for it’s ease of use and powerful tools it has placed the ability to create photorealistic renders into the hands of very busy designers. Liam Martin has some incredible YouTube tutorials for Keyshot and if you haven’t checked out Visune yet as a designer, you’re really missing out
2.
Chicken Run: Behind the Scenes. No doubt many of you will have seen Ardman Animations latest movie, Chicken Run: Dawn of the nugget over the festive break. As a long time admirer of Ardman Animations, I have watched quite a few behind the scenes documentaries and this latest behind the scenes is a must watch in my eyes. It’s always inspiring to see just how much effort is put into stop motion movies - giving it a real sense of magic.
3.
Murder in Boston. Serial was my gateway into podcasts all those years ago and this true crime podcast is excellently produced. If you like your podcasts and a bit of true crime, this one’s for you!
4.
Lex Friedman ft Jeff Bezos. Jeff Bezos is a bit of an enigma. Whilst a lot is known about him and his business ethos, it has been through a very filtered, controlled lens. This is Jeff’s first long format interview (as far as I know) and it was quite an eye opener. I found his approach to cost reduction around accessing Space a little depressing with his focus on single use over re-use. This says a lot about Amazon’s approach to sustainability.
5.
James Hoffmann - Best espresso grinder under $500. When James Hoffmann releases a video like this, the coffee world pays attention. Single dose espresso grinders for home use is a category that has exploded over the last 5 years with some very impressive pieces of kit out there. Having backed Timemore’s Sculptor 64S, it was really nice to see this not only feature in Jame’s list but also come out near the top (if not the top!). Would love to hear what you thought of this one in the comments (no doubt we have some serious coffee enthusiasts in here!).
Introducing “Bud” a simple bud vase designed to celebrate a single flower or stem. Flowers can be a really nice way to brighten up the home and a bud vase gives us the opportunity to really showcase the elegance of a single flower. bring the outdoors in and reconnect to nature, making use of local wildlife.
One of the proudest objects I have ever made was made back in August 2021. My wife and I made 100+ wine tumblers for our guests at our wedding and getting to make these together was an incredible experience. We designed the tumblers before 3D printing the master, making plaster moulds, making our own slip and glaze, slip casting, glazing and firing - all ourself, all 100+ tumblers. It’s still an experience we reminisce about today. We have talked about making a collection together ever since and this month I am excited to launch “bud” which will be made by our own hands.
I look forward to the time in the workshop with my wife. As busy parents, both working full-time, this will be precious time together :)
I have been exploring a range of finishes for this bud vase and the beauty of making these in-house is that over time, we can experiment with different clay’s and glazes in short batches without having to commit to M.O.Q’s.
If you’re interested in following along behind the scenes on this one let me know below - I am considering running a side short format newsletter with updates on this, showcasing things like:
the final 3D model and tooling design
3D printing process and clean up
Silicone mould making from the 3D prints
Plaster mould making from the silicone moulds
slip casting and making slip
Glazing
Here are some finished I have been looking at (if you have a favourite, I’d love to here below):
Finally… I need your help with this one. Before I commit to tooling, I need to decide on which base to go for - ribbed or smooth?
Thank you again for sticking with me on this Newsletter and I look forward to seeing you in 2024.
I too, was filled with a sense of pride and justification when James Hoffman gave the Timemore gringer such a great review. He’s certainly my favourite of the coffee content makers and, having invested so much in the grinder It was nice for him to be so positive about it. I do however disagree with him about the clicker future. I find it noise and slightly brutal operation appropriate to its function. Wishing you every success and happiness for the New Year..