Why I Share My Sloppy Work

Most of my builds are lacking in a fine finish. I won’t deny it. I don’t typically take the time to go back and refine all the rough edges, tuck the exposed wires, or miniaturize circuits.

In comments on my videos, people often point out that things look cobbled together, amateurish, or ask why I didn’t fix some aesthetic issue. The answer is pretty simple: It just isn’t in my list of priorities for these projects.

I don’t seek to compete with skilled artisans like Jimmy DiResta, Darbin Orvar, and Chris from Clickspring. I don’t have the skills, tools, or desire to do so. What I want to do is build functional prototypes of crazy ideas. Frankly, once I’ve proven that an idea works, I typically lose interest. This is one reason that I enjoy working with people such as Platinumfungi, who focus on the aesthetic, driving our joint ventures to new levels of quality.

Others who are more skilled than I am might inspire by giving you lofty goals to attempt to achieve. My projects are meant to inspire by showing that you, or anyone, can make crazy ideas come to life. You may find yourself thinking “Wow that really worked! I could do that prettier than Caleb” and I think that is great!

I shouldn’t use the word prototype as an excuse though. Sure, I’m building prototypes, but admittedly I could put some more effort into making things look better. I promise to spend more time toward that goal in the future. Keep in mind however, that what I’m aiming for are simply prototypes. They probably won’t ever look as good as some of the beautiful work from the other contributors.