09. Building Blocks
Hi everyone. This is my first (almost) weekly post on Sundays where I check in, jot down some musings, and share work from the last week. The political landscape continues to shift into scarier new territory, but it did make me happy and inspired to hear from several of you about the small things you're doing to take care of yourself, your family, and your communities. For example, my childhood piano teacher Rory shared his new practice of hosting "thingies":
A Thingie is an Un-Recital… intending to be non- formal, to engage the audience with the music and my ideas about what makes those pieces special to me. - Rory T.
Rory's concept of a "thingie" is inspiring me to take a more laid-back, even playful approach to creating. There are a lot of serious, difficult challenges ahead, but creating should still be fun! Also, this is a marathon, not a sprint.
Work In Progress
2/16/2025 - 2/23/2025
Below are photos of things I made in the past week or two. It is really easy for me to get overwhelmed these days and spin my wheels. So, I'm doing my best to stay true to my post from last week and focus primarily on consistency and taking small steps, every day.
Origami Forms
Origami homework for my Informal Robotics class.
Informal Robotics - a class I'm taking this semester - are soft, non-conforming, and bio-inspired systems of motion. Here are a few simple origami shapes I explored for my first homework.
Pact Stand
A really rough first machining pass on a small stand to hold small pact "cards." The idea is just to help remind me of the current on-going commitments I have with myself. I usually try to do much at once, so keeping it to three spaces should help keep me more focused.
Cartograph
Cartograph continues to evolve. I'll share some more about this in an upcoming post, but here are some progress shots!
In closing
I'm looking forward to sharing more consistently and I also loved hearing from others last week. I hope you are doing well and I look forward to hearing about the "thingies" that are helping give you purpose.
With care,
Max
Every week, I’ll share my latest design work, behind-the-scenes progress, and exciting prototypes—giving you an inside look at the creative process. If you are interested design, innovation, and social impact these posts are for you!
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