Common sense should be more common.

For this update, I've recently been stumped. The whole blogging scene is not my forte. I can speak publicly to anyone about anything, but when it comes to getting my thoughts on paper (or in this case, digital media) I tend to find the process… less than pleasurable. Because of this, over the next couple weeks I will be transitioning to a vlog form of updates for all of you, which most of you will love. And to the few of you who won’t love it, I recommend not lying to yourself about how much you adore seeing my face plastered on the screen in front of you. Seriously, you know it’s great.

Anyway, on to the bloggy stuff where talk about the mystic wonders of innovation and the not-so-phantom (@JaredLCosta) menace known as common sense. In many cases, the best ideas are the ones you don’t immediately see, even though they've been dangling in front of your face for weeks. For me, that happened in two cases on the same day. First, this blog to vlog transition. I mean come on Dylan, that should have been my main focus for these this whole time. And a much more important second, Shop Club. I am a person who loves to build, invent, design, and with my recent promotion to head of reconstruction for our Innovation Center, I planned on giving my passions a home there. A very nice home.

The plans for the workshop are simple really. There will be plenty of adequate storage designed and created by students for hand tools, parts, and miscellaneous items in the main shop, while power tools and stationary equipment will be housed with the engineering department. 1/3 of the main IC space will be for traditional wood working, 1/3 for deconstruction and assembly, and the last 1/3 for prototyping and design (shout out Type A Mechanics). This setup will keep the area relatively quiet and clean, while still being able to maintain the other collaborative areas of the Center.

Back to the main point, with this addition I will be able to go crazy working on projects and new, fresh designs for the Center to continually update it as we see fit. And while this is a great thing for a couple students in the class, I want this space to be accessible for anyone wanting to explore their own creative side. I want to give people access to these traditional skills once again. Without trade specific classes being available, the skills and opportunities students can get is vastly diminished. All the way through elementary school I looked forward to taking my first shop class and learning how to fit dovetail and mortise joints, how to carve and shape intricate designs, and create things that would last for decades to come. Sadly without that option, I feared I would miss out on those opportunities.

With that sad realization and an Innovation class sitting in front of me, I realized that I could do something to change it. Shop Club. My main focus along with the IC design, is to establish a Shop Club that gives students the hands on skills to be able to create anything, and the experience to do it right (it also justifies the ridiculous amount and quality of the tools I plan on including). wITH THIS REVE… shoot, I hit caps lock… With this revelation, the next couple weeks will be spent planning and proposing this idea over and over again until it is perfect. Picking tools, designing cabinetry and storage, budgeting and finding sponsorship, etc, etc, will be a hectic process but I can’t wait to get started. And until that all begins, I don’t really have anything else to say on this specific topic so… Thanks for reading, recommenced if you enjoyed this, if not… do it anyway ☺. Thanks again!

P.s. If you wish to get in contact with me to share knowledge, advice, or services please don’t hesitate to email me at dylan.brown2309@gmail.com or text me at (317)504–2309.

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