While I have always enjoyed tinkering, I got serious about designing and building around 2001 after returning from my maiden voyage to Burning Man. The breadth and creativity of projects at Burning Man stoked my desire to create. I felt the urge to (re)attend my 7th and 8th grade public school shop classes in wood and metal.
Fortunately, The Crucible, a non-profit industrial arts organization, had opened recently in Oakland. Over the next few years, I took a variety of classes in welding, blacksmithing, glass flameworking, mold making, electronics, machining and so forth. I learned solid fundamentals on how to design, craft and build.
And, along the way, I built a shop and acquired the necessary tools to continue my passion to build. There is something very powerful about crafting a project with one’s hands, whether it is done by oneself or as part of larger team.
