Hello.

I want to share what is going on in general and how I am going to organize everything and then you should poke around the site and see what you can see.

First off, I want to organize everything by project, but in a self referencing way, some of the site will be about the site and the blog and all that business (including business). I know some people just want to see videos or pictures or projects or whatever, so I am trying to keep it at a level where you can chose how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. I also want feedback, and some of the cross reference may make that muddy, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's just agree that we are both glad you are here.

I enjoy the blogging part of this a great deal, but I know that video is also a big part of what I want to get to, so I have to learn how to do that. I have also never built a website that actually went into the world or used social media in a meaningful way, so that will add a whole bunch of fun stuff and frustration. I will also try and keep a running blog on that process too. The goal being a body of multi-media content that will allow people to come along with me and hopefully help shape the projects.

At present, I have focused most of my energy on designing. This is because I am a designer, and that will mean there will be more to this than just "make videos" (which I love) or my viewpoints on design. Before I start, I like to scope out as much of a project as I can so that I have a roadmap for the future. It's a design tool that we use for large projects and it helps organize everything and set markers so we can track progress. The problem with it as a method, is that you can get lost in planning. It is easy to think of the plan as the project, and then you never get anywhere. It is as dangerous as fear of the blank page. To avoid this, I don't have all the content done, but will keep working and get it up as it is available. That will offer you a chance to contribute and critique. We can refine as we go.

As far as my current projects go, there are two: lighting and an apron. 

The lighting project is under Hemispheres and the apron Omentum. I am doing them as a part of my work in the Master's of Design program at IIT's Institute of Design but they are much more than school projects. Hemispheres started years ago while I was a design associate at Gravitytank. I always wanted to see where it could go. The apron came out of my personal life where I spend time with professional chefs. It just seems like I should do it. 

I think that is it for now, I have work to do.                                                         -Bates