Guest LiterateParakeet Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 I just read a great idea on Facebook. If you are on FB, you can read the entire post here: https://www.facebook.com/escapeadulthood/posts/10153267381836828:0 Here's the gist of it: A Tinker Project is a playful endeavor of any size or scope that gives you permission to experiment with something that’s been tugging at your soul, without regard to any particular outcome. It’s a chance to chase your curiosity and try something new. It’s about venturing into the unknown, just because, where the act of exploration is reward enough.Your Tinker Project might be to take a picture every day on a morning walk, not to become a National Geographic photographer, but just to release a creative side of yourself that has been dormant for too long.Your Tinker Project might be writing a dozen short stories about an abandoned robot, not to become a bestselling author, but because the stories can’t stay locked within you for one more minute.Your Tinker Project might be to visit 24 new restaurants this year, not to start a career as a successful food blogger, but simply to stretch your culinary comfort zone a bit.Your Tinker Project might be to pen one handwritten letter a week, not to increase your business, but to connect more deeply with people you care about.Your Tinker Project might be to take a six-week ballroom dancing class, not to avoid embarrassing yourself at your wedding reception, but just because it might be fun.A Tinker Project may produce some productive, practical and perhaps even profitable benefits, but that’s not its purpose. In adulthood, our heart often takes a back seat to our head, with it’s incessant need for reason and fear of failure or looking stupid.A Tinker Project is about trusting that sometimes, your heart has reasons for doing things that take awhile for your head to understand.So my Tinker Project is to make 100 new pieces of artwork in 2016. Like I said, I don’t know what will come of it, but I do know this: when I get to the end of 2016, for the first time in a long time, I won’t be wondering what would’ve happened if I actually committed myself to making more art.If you’re interested, you can follow along on Facebook, Instagram or Tumblr. But I really hope you’ll be inspired to start a Tinker Project of your own. If so, I’d love to hear how it goes. Use the hashtag #TinkerProject to share it with the rest of us.Let’s do this. Who wants to join me? What will your #tinkerproject be? Mine will be something writing related...maybe blogging...I'm still fleshing out the details. How about you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 This is a hard one for me to decide on. There are things I want to do this year that might fall under this but they are just things I want to accomplish this year. One of them just to broaden my knowledge etc. 1) I want to visit as many Mormon historical sites and buildings throughout the state of Utah and take lots of pictures. I want to learn more about what each site represents and the history behind it. That includes visiting each temple site in Utah and taking pictures, visiting the Salt Lake City cemetery. So many people of Mormon history buried there. 2) Dedicating a day each week (or as much of a day that I can) to devote to doing crafts and sewing. I need a stress reliever after 2 jobs during the week and I've noticed over the years that I spend less time doing things that I enjoy doing. So I'm back to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeuroTypical Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 "A Tinker Project is a playful endeavor of any size or scope that gives you permission to experiment with something that’s been tugging at your soul, without regard to any particular outcome. It’s a chance to chase your curiosity and try something new. It’s about venturing into the unknown, just because, where the act of exploration is reward enough." Oh wow, I've actually been doing this for a year or two. I started dabbling in art here in my '40's. I went through the usual public school art classes and hated every second of it, yet always secretly wishing I could do stuff like that. Now, while mom homeschools two daughters, I get a second chance to start over from scratch. Although I tell people it's a way to stay connected to my girls (and it is), the truth is that those "tugging at your soul" words above really speak to me. The stuff I'm producing isn't very good, but I'm astounded at how fulfilling it is to go through the creative process. Conceptualizing something, trying to bring it into existence, and then reaching a stopping point where I call it "done" - really fulfilling. I share it with my daughters, where I hope it encourages them to not give up in their own efforts. I almost never share any of it with people I know, as I need to avoid the crippling embarrassment I experienced in public school. I've found supportive artistic communities online that have been really supportive, and I've also found ways to share some of it anonymously online, rejoicing secretly in positive feedback. Past successes: * Rewrote lyrics of a song and sang it to an audience (containing one non-family person).* Published a YouTube video and drove the view count past 100 (making it was easier than getting people to watch it).* Made a movie and showed it to (so far) one family member and one non-family.* Oodles of sketches, tracings, drawings. In pencil, pen, colored pencil, oil on canvass, and through software like Gimp and ArtRage.* Wrote and published a fanfic on fanfiction.net, gathering numerous positive reviews and some decent constructive criticism.* Drew emotions. (Kind of the biggest success. It's one thing to draw a character doing something. It's very much something else to draw a character feeling something like anguish, embarrassment, joy/happiness, drowsiness, anger, etc. By far the most fulfilling of any of these.) My goal for the next few years is to be able to draw something original. Right now I'm copying/tracing/tweaking other people's stuff. Because I just stink to high heaven trying to start from scratch. I'd like to see if it's possible for that to change. I don't know if it's possible. Go TinkerProject! pam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 I've always dabbled in writing...In other news, I think I will tinker with quilting and sewing. pam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 I've always dabbled in writing...In other news, I think I will tinker with quilting and sewing. Now that's MY kind of tinkering. :) Backroads 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeedleinA Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 9 out of 10 times my tinker projects turn into full blown endeavors, so I have to be real careful what I start. Last one was raising and breeding ball python mutations (pattern/color). Started with a few for fun, ended with several hundred snakes and a not so happy wife :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 9 out of 10 times my tinker projects turn into full blown endeavors, so I have to be real careful what I start. Last one was raising and breeding ball python mutations (pattern/color). Started with a few for fun, ended with several hundred snakes and a not so happy wife :) That just gave me an extreme case of the shivers. :) NeedleinA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LiterateParakeet Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 That just gave me an extreme case of the shivers. :) Me too, LOL! Yikes, several hundred snakes?! I can't even imagine. On a different note, I love reading what tugs at other people's souls! Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 9 out of 10 times my tinker projects turn into full blown endeavors, so I have to be real careful what I start. Last one was raising and breeding ball python mutations (pattern/color). Started with a few for fun, ended with several hundred snakes and a not so happy wife :) This is waaaaaay cool! So, when my kids were 4 and 6 years old, I finally capitulated and got them a pet snake because I got tired of finding a snake from the backyard they put in a jar. So, I made a deal with them (and my husband who is the one that started it) - I'll get them a pet snake and they are not allowed to catch snakes to put in jars anymore. I went to the newly opened Reptile Store and asked the owner to get me a kid-friendly snake. I was expecting to spend about $50. I left the store with $500 worth of stuff - from aquariums, to heaters, and thermostats and hides... and a snake. Come to find out - the snake I took home was some fancy ball python they call a pastel. My kids, of course, learned everything ball python and one day, my husband found a spider ball python from some dude who can't take care of it anymore. And the tinkerproject starts... my kids put the two snakes together and we ended up with 4 snakes - 2 of them were the fancy bumblebee and 2 were the normal kind... so they sold the bumblebee for $800 and the normal one for $50. So we ended up with 4 snakes of different colors. My kids were like... we could make tons of money if we do this again! And I'm like... noooooooooooooo! So that was the end of that tinker project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 I've had a tinker project for 2 years now. I crocheted a bedcover for my son to match his wall paint. I was gonna give it to him for his bday. Well, I didn't finish it so I was gonna give it to him for Christmas 2014. I didn't finish it. So I was gonna give it to him for his next bday... didn't finish it, so I thought I'd definitely have it done by Christmas 2015... didn't finish it... it's currently on my bedside table waiting to get finished... hopefully before his next bday. Hah hah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeedleinA Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 (edited) On 1/4/2016 at 8:45 AM, anatess said: Come to find out - the snake I took home was some fancy ball python they call a pastel. My kids, of course, learned everything ball python and one day, my husband found a spider ball python from some dude who can't take care of it anymore. And the tinkerproject starts... my kids put the two snakes together and we ended up with 4 snakes - 2 of them were the fancy bumblebee and 2 were the normal kind... so they sold the bumblebee for $800 and the normal one for $50. So we ended up with 4 snakes of different colors. My kids were like... we could make tons of money if we do this again! And I'm like... noooooooooooooo! So that was the end of that tinker project. That is (was) WONDERFUL Anatess!! Here are some pictures of the fun on our end, I'm guessing you might recognize some of the mutations. Pastels and Spider are both single gene, so the combination of Bumblebee is a 2 gene python. At the time we closed shop, we were up to a 6 gene combo ...ah fun times. Edited February 15, 2016 by NeedleinA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 I am tinkering with a patent that I believe will improve my fitness and cycling performance. Starting my third prototype – the other are okay but needed improvements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) That is (was) WONDERFUL Anatess!!Here are some pictures of the fun on our end, I'm guessing you might recognize some of the mutations. Pastels and Spider are both single gene, so the combination of Bumblebee is a 2 gene python. At the time we closed shop, we were up to a 6 gene combo ...ah fun times.Here's my kds' tinker project baby:Here's mom:And here's dad (when he was a lot smaller. He's a hefty 3 footer now): Edited January 5, 2016 by anatess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LiterateParakeet Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) I've decided to tinker with art (drawing and photography) and writing. I joined a 52 week photography challenge to help generate ideas, and the first week's project is a selfie. Ewww, the camera hates me. But I found a way to deal...now if I could just figure out how to attach a picture, I'd share. Edited January 5, 2016 by LiterateParakeet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unixknight Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Mine is the construction of a full scale suit of Imperial Space Marine (Black Templars chapter) power armor from Warhammer 40,000 that I will wear to conventions. I'm about 1/4 of the way through the project and took a break in December. The full build thread is here, complete with progress photos: http://www.obscuruscrusade.com/forum/index.php?topic=2702.0 I intend to also wear it at the next Ward Christmas party. NeedleinA and Vort 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeedleinA Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 ..now if I could just figure out how to attach a picture, I'd share. I'm not very good at this yet and I can tell from other posts that my skills are still lacking, however... using the bottom right tab that says "More Reply Options" gives you an option to "Attach Files". That is all I know so far?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LiterateParakeet Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) I'm not very good at this yet and I can tell from other posts that my skills are still lacking, however... using the bottom right tab that says "More Reply Options" gives you an option to "Attach Files". That is all I know so far?? Oh my stars! How did I miss that?! Thank you. :) I'm getting closer, but it is only attaching as a small "thumbnail". Hmmm... Edited January 5, 2016 by LiterateParakeet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeedleinA Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Yep, my skills only get me the small thumbnails too. The thumbnails allow you to click through to the big picture, but I'm not sure how to embed the large picture from the beginning? Perhaps Anatess can help out, her skills are visibly more advanced :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) Yep, my skills only get me the small thumbnails too. The thumbnails allow you to click through to the big picture, but I'm not sure how to embed the large picture from the beginning? Perhaps Anatess can help out, her skills are visibly more advanced :) If you have your picture uploaded somewhere else - like on photobucket or something, you can embed it into your post by clicking the image icon on the top of the Reply box and putting in the image url... or you can optionally just paste the url in-between IMG bbcode tags (putting IMG inside brackets with a corresponding /IMG end tag). Edited January 5, 2016 by anatess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeuroTypical Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 The full build thread is here, complete with progress photos: Oh wow - I'm humbled. :) When I did a quadsuit a few years back, I bit the bullet and sprang for a set of professional drywall stilts. I'd never trust myself to make something that wouldn't break under my weight and kill me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Mine is the construction of a full scale suit of Imperial Space Marine (Black Templars chapter) power armor from Warhammer 40,000 that I will wear to conventions. I'm about 1/4 of the way through the project and took a break in December. The full build thread is here, complete with progress photos: http://www.obscuruscrusade.com/forum/index.php?topic=2702.0 I intend to also wear it at the next Ward Christmas party. UK, that is amazing. Almost thou persuadest me to be a cosplayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unixknight Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Oh wow - I'm humbled. :) When I did a quadsuit a few years back, I bit the bullet and sprang for a set of professional drywall stilts. I'd never trust myself to make something that wouldn't break under my weight and kill me. Yeah I was thinking of going that route, especially since I'm not exactly a thin person. Fortunately, my son is about to graduate from the University of MD as a structural engineer, and was able to examine a design I'd seen in another thread on the website I linked to, and was able to assure me that the design would hold my weight. Apparently, PVC pipe is absurdly strong in compression. That stilt design could be used as a jackstand for a car. UK, that is amazing. Almost thou persuadest me to be a cosplayer. Thanks! Maybe once it's done it'll push you over the line My mentor in this project is the guy who won the amateur cosplay category at Baltimore Comic Con last year with his Space Marine suit. My goal is to improve upon his design. NeuroTypical 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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