Documenting and Sharing the Process Behind the Field Skillet
We were instantly impressed by the Field Skillet’s project page. The thorough documentation of how the pan is made, why it’s different from other cast irons, and the images that show it in action really make the project stand out. We spoke to Chris and Stephen Muscarella about how they approached building out their project page and presenting the Field Skillet. And of course we asked them for some cast iron care tips and recipes, too.
Kickstarter Tips: Your project page is loaded with images and gifs that showcase the Field Skillet. What inspired you to provide such thorough documentation?
As individuals, we’ve seen and backed a fair number of Kickstarter projects. When we went to make our own project for the first time, one of our questions was: what would we love to see on a Kickstarter project and why?
The answer was pretty straightforward: we wanted to be inspired by a high level of execution on lots of details, but we also wanted it to feel deeply personal and authentic to what the creation process was all about. We didn’t want to be too glossy and impersonal.
When we went to make our own project for the first time, one of our questions was: what would we love to see on a Kickstarter project and why?
We tried to lay out our page in a way where someone hitting it for the first time can get a very quick idea of what’s going on and the level of attention to detail — and then if they’re into it, there’s some depth.
Also, the whole project started off from a very romantic place — getting into the stories of cast iron and its place in America. And we loved all the stories we were learning, so we tried to document that and bring that into our story as much as possible.
Kickstarter Tips: Did you create visual assets just for your project, or did you already have them on hand?
We did a lot of photo and video work throughout the process, because, having made things before: you know that you can never go back and recreate something without way too much effort. So we just tried to remember to bring cameras with us.
We were fortunate to work with an incredible designer and illustrator, Ben Barry, as part of developing the overall visual identity and system for the Field Company and the Field Skillet. And Ben wasn’t about to let us botch all of his beautiful work — so he helped lay out some of the images and diagrams that fit the Kickstarter page so well.
Kickstarter Tips: Any photography pointers?
We got lucky in that we have a naturally photogenic product and that our manufacturing facilities also have a beautiful, industrial feel to them. One of us (guess who!) has been a hobbyist photographer for a long time, so we tried to bring a camera whenever possible. We got help from a few friends for some of our final product photography, which is its own beast.
The biggest thing is: take lots of pictures. We have thousands of pictures starting from the beginning of the project. The biggest tip is that you will probably end up using 1/100 of the pictures you take. So if you plan on wanting 10 great images, plan to take 1,000 photos.
Kickstarter Tips: Your prototyping process sounded pretty meticulous (We saw the word physics!). How did you approach this process? What advice would you give to someone going through this for the first time?
Both of us are lucky to have made things before — software and furniture respectively. For the Field Skillet, it was a bit of a casserole of the scientific method, design process, and aww shucks…craftsmanship. Ultimately, people can make anything. To make something good, you have to choose a set of constraints or criteria to help you guide your way — and that also informs what you don’t do. For us, those constraints were weight, finish, fair price, and a bunch of things specific to thermal capacity and cast iron as a material.
To make something good, you have to choose a set of constraints or criteria to help you guide your way — and that also informs what you don’t do.
The biggest thing about making anything is you need to give yourself permission to do a lot of crappy work. The first thing we ever did was try and carve handles out of foam you can buy at an art store. They were all bad. But we had great pizza and beer and a couple friends to make up for it. That winnowing experience is something we did with everything: we called hundreds of foundries before finding a couple that would even return our phone calls and we had dozens of variations on handles that we cut down to three that made it to iron.
If we had to boil that down: be persistent, ask hard questions, and try to figure out how to talk to the most knowledgeable people you can find. If you rinse and repeat that enough times, you’ll get somewhere — even if there are some unbelievably tedious parts along the way. And you have to apply that to everything: the product design process, your own self, distribution for your creation, how you plan to get it made. It’s not rocket science — there’s very little that is — but persistence is what ultimately what gets you where you want to go.
If we had to boil that down: be persistent, ask hard questions, and try to figure out how to talk to the most knowledgeable people you can find.
Kickstarter Tips: Do you have a favorite cast iron skillet recipe?
Chris: I believe that the best breakfast is dinner with an egg on it. So, my favorite is to try and chop up something into some kind of hash (like roasted mushrooms and parsnips), put a fried egg on top, and serve it right like that on the table.
Stephen: My entire cooking game relies on simple, delicious ingredients produced from good sources. And black pepper. With cast iron, I enjoy the process as much as the end result. So the thing I enjoy most is a fried egg — over easy — that glides around my seasoned pan with the help of a little butter. Dash it with some salt and black pepper, and I’m good to go.
Kickstarter Tips: What’s your number one rule for cast iron skillet care?
Two Rules. Don’t be afraid of oil and healthy fats and just use the pan!
We hope that this stellar advice will help you craft a stand out project page, document your process, and developing a solid narrative around your campaign. If you liked this post, please show it some ❤ and don’t forget to check out The Field Skillet!
