Design Creations

Long Before Design Creations

My appreciation for making things didn't begin with a computer, a 3D printer, or even the name Design Creations. It started with my grandfather and the beautiful things he could do with wood. His woodworking, his carvings, and the care he put into painting those creations fascinated me. He gave me an appreciation for craftsmanship that has stayed with me ever since.

As a kid, I was drawn to the plastic model kits you'd find at the local grocery store or hobby shop. There was something about taking a box of parts and turning it into something you could hold, look at, and say, “I made that.” Over time, that same curiosity would take me from plastic models to creating things in 3D on a computer, and eventually to 3D printers and other tools that could bring those ideas into the real world.

And not all of those interests came from hobbies. The military, law enforcement, EMS, the fire service, CB radio, professional radio systems, and amateur radio have all added something to the mix. Each brought different equipment, different challenges, and different ways of thinking about how things work. Some of the most useful lessons came from figuring out how to solve a problem with the tools, knowledge, and experience I already had.

That's probably why I've never thought creativity belonged only to artists. Sometimes it involves wood, paint, or plastic. Sometimes it's a radio, a computer, or a bit of code. For me, it's always been about curiosity, learning something new, and seeing what I can make of what I've got.

From Models to Virtual Worlds

That curiosity took me to a computer in 2003, when I was trying to teach myself GMax so I could model an airplane for Microsoft Flight Simulator. One project led to another, and before long I was exploring 3DS Max and learning what I could about creating things in three dimensions.

In 2006, I discovered Second Life and started figuring out how to adapt those early GMax and 3DS Max skills to a virtual world. It wasn't quite as simple as taking something I'd modeled in one program and dropping it into another, but I kept experimenting. As mesh started opening up new possibilities in Second Life around 2010, the skills I'd been picking up suddenly had a whole new place to go.

That same year, Nikki and I created Design Creations in Second Life. Over time, our projects expanded into InWorldz and other virtual grids. The places, platforms, and tools changed, but we kept creating, experimenting, and learning as we went.

From Virtual Creations to the Real World

In 2020, Design Creations took another turn. We started bringing our ideas into the physical world, working with 3D printers, paints, Cricut machines, a Glowforge, resin, and whatever other tools and materials caught our interest. Instead of making things that existed only on a screen, we were also making things people could actually pick up, use, and enjoy.

Nikki created Earth Song Naturals, adding soaps, candles, wax melts, and bath and body products to the things we made. What started as a creative outlet in a virtual world had grown into a whole collection of projects, skills, and interests that didn't fit neatly into any one category.

New Tools, New Directions

I've spent roughly 45 years around technology, and if there's one thing that experience has taught me, it's that the tools are always changing. Along the way, websites, servers, Git repositories, and software development became part of how we organize our projects, build what we need, and share our creations with other people.

AI has become another tool in that process. We've used it to help us learn new skills, tackle scripting for virtual worlds, and program applications that make our other projects possible or easier to manage. It's a tool to assist with the work, not a replacement for experience, creativity, or actually doing the work.

For me, it also helped open a door I hadn't expected to walk through. After about 45 years as an avid reader, I started writing in my fifties. A little story became a book, and the writing didn't stop there. Fiction, essays, personal reflections, commentary—I've found a new way to put a lifetime of experiences and ideas into something I can share. Those same websites, servers, and development tools now help me with the writing and publishing side of things, too.

Where We Are Today

Right now, Nikki and I are in another transition. We're searching for what we hope will be our forever home as we move toward retirement, with our sights set on new stomping grounds around San Antonio's River Walk.

That means physical creations are on hiatus while we find a home and space to work. But Design Creations hasn't stopped. For now, our attention is on digital projects, virtual worlds, software, technology, and writing—the things we can keep creating wherever we happen to be.

Once we're settled, the 3D printers, cutters, paints, and other tools may come back out. Or we may find ourselves chasing some completely new idea. That's part of what has always made this interesting.

The One Constant

From trying to model an airplane for Flight Simulator to building in virtual worlds, making physical creations, writing books, and programming our own tools, Design Creations has never been just one thing. It's grown and changed along with us.

If there's one thing that's always been constant, it's change.

Design Creations isn't ending. It's evolving, just as it always has.

Thank you for being part of the journey.