Beautifully design boxes of light and colour!!
7 years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue, which has been hard. Apart from my wife and very handsome dog, the only thing that has remained a constant for me is my desire to make my creative business work. It’s the thing that gets me to struggle out of bed each day, and without it I probably wouldn’t bother.
I didn’t excel in anything arty or crafty at school, so I kind of stopped doing anything creative. My work and further educational background then moved more towards science, which wouldn’t normally be the background you need to develop a creative idea. However, my scientific background does give me the discipline to experiment with things such as materials and natural light emittance.
I think my need to be creative streak really started about 15 years ago, with my first invention, the ‘Horticultural Chamber’ (basically a plant holding pot, with a clear lid, that could be attached to a window with the aid of a suction cup). Not the roaring success I hoped it would be. I realised after sadly investing a lot of money into it, that it wasn’t going to work. But I did learn some valuable lessons. One, being that if I can’t make the finished article for sale in a market place, then the whole process is going to be very expensive (product moulding costs and packaging for example). Another, is that the ‘Horticultural Chamber’ didn’t have enough USP’s; bit of a one trick pony really (and that trick wasn’t good enough). The final lesson I learned was that I’m actually very inventive, and love learning new skills to try and make something a success.
My work has really evolved though. The first models of ‘Mylittleglowbox’ were unpainted & crudely made. The slides were all hand cut, and I used glass paints to create the designs, which allowed me to blend colours, looking great, but was a very time consuming process. The second & current version is a painted, rounded, wooden piece of modern art. I now have the bare slides manufactured for me, which is worth the outlay, because I save so much time and get a better finish. The slide designs are created using a preprogramed vinyl cutting machine, which creates intricate shapes in adhesive opaque and translucent vinyl which I apply by hand to the slide. Such a time saver and a vibrant result.
The future… process streamlining; creating ‘Mylittleglowbox’ from moulds, and possibly acquiring a printer that can print my designs directly onto a clear transparent adhesive vinyl. I am extending my children’s range, developing more design themes and creating personalised artwork. I also intend to make versions that are suitable for permanent use outside to add interest to a garden. The ‘Mylittleglowbox’ will come in a variety of different colours, to match the décor of a potential customer’s room. The future’s looking brighter!
So if you want to see how I’m progressing please visit me on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Myglowbox/ or my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/myglowbox1/
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