This week we are highlighting Chandler Rowland, designer behind the quirky shop Things You Want to Buy. We love this shop because you can see Chandler’s imagination coming to life in the form of fun characters, chess pieces, quirky wearables and more! Read more about his inspirations below.
Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? Where are you located?
I am Chandler Rowland and I make things. I am located in Boston, Massachusetts currently, where I have lived for a few years.
What’s the story behind your designs? What inspires you?
What I make is derived completely from whatever I think would be interesting, original, or generally should exist. I am inspired by a combination of everything and nothing. Nature, world mythology, and speculative fiction (often filtered through Japanese video games) make up much of the everything part, but I usually try to make everything I do different than what inspired it. I do not base my creative decisions on what would be most likely to sell…
What brought you to 3D printing with Shapeways?
I discovered Shapeways shortly after I learned what a great medium for creativity 3D printing can be and also how cost prohibitive it is. I still can’t afford a 3D Printer, but with Shapeways, that doesn’t matter.
How did you learn how to design in 3D?
I learned the basics of 3D modeling in an animation course I audited in my last year of college. In retrospect, that should have been the focus of my studies, but I didn’t know it at the time. A few years after graduation, I taught myself Blender, Sculptris, and various other software tools for 3D printing with the help of the Internet. I’m still learning as I go.
How do you promote your work?
I use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I also display some of my printed works at Out of the Blue Too Art Gallery & More in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Who are your favorite designers or artists? Who in the Shapeways community has served as an inspiration to you?
Favorite artists include Salvador Dali, Go Nagai, Joan Miro, Ken Sugimori, and countless ancient creators whose names were never recorded, but who had a vital part in making their world what it was and ours what it is. On Shapeways, I am inspired by all of the other designers and artists who use 3D printing to innovate and create rather than just make more of what they see and like.
If you weren’t limited by current technologies, what would you want to make using 3D printing?
I would continue what I’m already making, but in a greater variety of sizes and colors.
Anything else you want to share?
Shapeways is an incredible tool for expressing my ideas and I’m glad it exists.
WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THIS SHOP:
- Fun, imaginative product line
- Sections for easy shopping
- Fun Customizable products
Thank you, Chandler! Keep up the great work – such a fun shop. Don’t forget to follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as his shop, Things You Want to Buy. To be featured, email aimee @ shapeways.com.