My mom is an artist and taught me crafts like sculpting and drawing when I was very young. In elementary school I would collect Babybel cheese wax from all my classmates so that I can add to the wax sculptures that filled up my entire desk. I would sculpt computers, desks, books, people, skateboards, pets, everything and anything my mind came up with.
I've also always been fascinated by all things
mechanical. I would love to take apart my grandfather's old film cameras and fix them up, and help my dad fix his boat and old cars. After I purchased my own 3D printer in 9th grade, my CAD skills finally found a good use and I spent most of my time making things.
I've also always loved programming and electronics. In middle school, every day at recess my friends and I would program our own games in the computer lab, and when I got home, I would mess with Arduino's and electronics to make my own gadgets and robots. For my 15th birthday I wanted nothing else than a lab bench power supply which has served me very well over the years.
Aside from that I have a long list of hobbies, including building/flying FPV quadcopters, rock climbing, photography, sailing, guitar, tennis, chess, skiing / snowboarding, amateur radio, web design, one wheeling / skateboarding, and many more.
In my fifth-grade yearbook you can find Google Sketchup under my name as my favorite hobby...
I'll never get over the feeling of coming up with something in your head and forging it into a reality. CAD just happens to be one of my favorite ways of doing that.
Design is fun and all, but the real reward comes after it's done. With all the advancements in rapid prototyping it's never been easier to make professional quality prototypes. I've been 3D printing since I was in 8th grade, and since then have expanded my skillsets to countless manufacturing processes such as SLA, FDM, Wax Casting, CNC, Injection Molding, Sheet Metal Forming, etc.
