Last week, we sent designer Ryan Kittleson to 3D Print Show Santa Clara. While there, Ryan had the opportunity to observe how small businesses thrived in an ever growing market, and took a moment to reflect upon life as a 3D Designer and how he started his own business.
“You never realize that you’re part of an era until it’s over”
This is something that my friend, Conrad Winterlich, said to me in the the year 2008 about the feature animation renaissance of the 80’s and 90’s. Conrad is a traditional animator and worked on many films in that time period, so, basically, if you were a kid then, he animated your childhood.
Unfortunately, time has passed and traditional animation is barely hanging on by a thread these days. When I reflect upon why this quote still resonates with me seven years later, I believe it’s because at the time I was struggling to come to terms with the fact that the visual effects industry in the US was beginning to crumble just as I was attempting to break into it.
My dream career inspired by people like John Lasseter (Pixar) and Dennis Muren (ILM), nerds with a passion for making cool stuff, was being was being dismantled one film at a time by corporate greed, assembly-line drudgery, outsourcing and brutal overtime.
I believe that we are currently in a golden age of 3D printing; an exciting wild-west that is being won by the dreamers, nerds and individuals with ideas. And unlike what happened to visual effects and animation, I think that the 3D printing revolution is an era that will last for a long time.
Ryan at his exhibitor booth in Santa Clara
Last week, thanks to Shapeways, I had the amazing opportunity to exhibit my work at the Inside 3D Printing Expo in Santa Clara, CA. There were big corporations and small startups. There were techies and artists. Nerds and business types mingled freely, oogling the shiny new 3D printers and ever more detailed prints. And while there is big business to be done by players like Nike and Stratasys, it was clear to me that the real soul of 3D printing and what gives it its true power is its ability to make physical manufacturing accessible to the little guy.
One of Ryans 3D printed designs as a pendant
Regardless of how long it lasts, it’s clear to me that we’re at the very beginning of an amazing era of personal creative power. The ability to design an object and have anyone in the world get a copy of it is here to stay. Perhaps it will be a while before it’s a simple enough process for the non tech-friendly to manage. But like hiring a cake decorator, it won’t be long before it’s something that nearly everyone will be able pay a designer to do.
Just 4 years ago I never would have dreamt that I’d be running my own 3D printing design business. And now that it’s a reality I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t know what the future holds but I do know that we’re at the very beginning of it, and that is very exciting to me!