Editing The Pen Addict 123/transcript (section)

== Kickstarter Project ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' What's the name of his company? Zeller? Zeller Writing Company. Zeller Writing Co. That's right. So Aaron came up with this project he wanted to do on Kickstarter. And he launched it. And it obviously went really well. He's part of the Field Nuts group. And he's just an all-around good guy. And then all of a sudden, this logo pops up. I think it was after the Kickstarter, right? Or at least after the prototypes. It wasn't on the first.

'''Scott Fuller:''' It was during. No, no, no. It was during the Kickstarter.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So yeah. So tell us how that happened. Because that was a real kind of interesting, dynamic change in the Kickstarter. And it only totally enhanced the project as a whole, I think. So tell me about that.

'''Scott Fuller:''' Well, I can't say enough about Aaron. Just as a whole. Great, great guy. Recently married, too. So congratulations to him. Nice. But one of the things that has been kind of a hallmark of the way I work is I refuse to be a wallflower. Sometimes people get referrals. Sometimes I get that. And I get that from time to time. But most of the work that I do, I'd say well over 70% of the work that I get is me going out and emailing folks out of the blue, cold calling them, walking up to them, handing them a card saying, all right, let's do this. Well, I was on the, I mean, you saw what it did for me, you know, for Field Nuts. And that was really, really interesting. So I decided just to do it again. It's not a, you know, should I do this? Is he going to say yes? Is he going to say no? That doesn't enter my mind. I just, I see something that I want to work on and I just go for it. So I called him up and I said, hey man, you know, I'm looking to, you know, I see what you're wanting to do and you've been a big help on the group. I'd love to help you out. Is there a way that we can work together? And we went back and forth for probably a good 30 minutes. He, he helped me out a little bit. He gave me a little bit of funds to kind of get everything going. And I think I, it was about, had about two weeks to really get everything done. And originally I was just going to do the logo and then it turned into the belly band design as well. So he, you know, he told me what he was looking for. He told me about the books and then he just, he just let me go. And once again, back to the, the idea of, all right, where is this going to be used? You know, it's, it's going to be little. It's going to be little on these books. It's going to be, you know, little on the bands. So the idea of furrow books just, it just lent itself perfectly. Sometimes a name will lend itself absolutely beautifully with, with the design that comes out. So the idea of the furrows in a planted field, you know, out in the Midwest, great. And then the fact that they look like books opening, you know, each one of the, if you've seen the logo, take a look. If you haven't seen it, go to my website, thestudiotemporary.com, take a look at it. And it just lends itself perfectly to that. I handed it off to him. He was thrilled beyond measure with that. And I was, it was really, really neat. I just got mine last week. All the books, the three packs and the big books, the Kickstarter books, and all the special edition stuff. I just got all that stuff in last week. And to hold that in my hand, I almost started crying. It was amazing, you know, working on stuff like this. And then you see it come out in print. And you get to hold it. And it's the beginning of my career. So I haven't had a chance to do that a whole lot. And now, man, you know, got it sitting right here on my desk, you know. I don't know if I'm ever, I know that I'm, I use the books. I use every single one of my field notes, man. The special editions, the rare editions, you can't find them anymore editions. I use them all, you know, so I can relate to you on that one, Brad. But I don't know if I'm ever going to use these things, man. I mean, it's just so, so cool. But, man, and the coolest part about that, about that project, and I'll kind of throw in my own little bit on this one, you know, it's like a Bill Cosby, you know. So I told you that story to tell you this one. If you look on the back of the furrow books, one of the things that Aaron was very, very concerned about was he wanted to make sure that he knew that every single part of this thing was made in the USA. It was bound to USA. I mean, just the whole bit. Well, on the backside, on the left, in the left corner is a little USA logo. That is not a stock logo. That is not, you know, something I pulled off the internet. I was working on that logo just for a, just for fun, for a little project. And without asking permission, I put it on that belly band, man. I said, man, this is, this is kind of cool. This could work. Like, we'll see what he says. Didn't ask his permission. Didn't say, hey, you know, there's this other logo design I want to throw on there. You know what I mean? How do you, how do you approach that? Right? So I put it on there, you know. I mean, these things aren't out yet, aren't printed. So, you know, I could take a, I can take a chance. Well, I sent it off to him and I got an email back about 15, 20 minutes later. Three quarters of the email was about how much he loved that little USA logo on the back of that book. And now that's become, it's become a little mark. I've, you know, I sold t-shirts with it now. I've got some other stuff coming out with it. I've got it copyrighted now. And, you know, for those of you who are out there listening that are thinking about, you know, whether it's hiring me to do some work for you guys, man, you do a product. If I make a product for you that is made here in the USA, you may very well see me sneaking in that little USA logo on there, you know. And it's, it's kind of, it's kind of my way to get back and, you know, just be proud of things that are made in the USA. And, you know, to get to do that, you know, with, you know, with furrow books and then to kind of, you know, yeah, he kick-started his, his furrow books, you know, with that project. But man, he kick-started that little USA logo for me too. Thanks, Zell. I appreciate that for you. I appreciate that, buddy.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So, so here's the thing with designers that fascinate me. I don't know how this stuff comes out of your brain and it's so right. Like, like I look at like some of your work and other people's work and, you know, people who, you know, I follow online and you're like, that's exactly right. That's perfect. There's nothing, there's not another design that would work better. There's not, you know, any tweaks that need to be done. It's like, that's it. It's like, what's the, and I'm going to get you out of here on this and because I know it's not a short answer either. How does this inspiration happen? And like, I know you can't like, it's not a black and white thing, but like, how does it come out of your brain onto the paper? And you're like, that's it.

'''Scott Fuller:''' Actually, a pen is amazing for getting ideas out of your brain onto, I'm just kidding. But, um, um, I think it's, for me, this, you know, everybody has a different story and all the stories are fantastic, I think. Um, but for me, it goes back probably a good 20 years to, uh, uh, my dad. My dad is a, uh, still is a machinist, you know, CNC, you know, all those things. He, he's incredible. He's an incredible craftsman. And people would come to him and say, you know, I need you to do this part for me. And it had a specific purpose. It had a specific reason for being built that way. And with these parts, dad couldn't take any, you know, artistic license on these things. You know, you know what, I'm going to put, I'm going to drill a hole here because it looks better. A little screw up the whole part, you know? So it's this idea of giving people, you know, not necessarily what they want, but you give them what they need. And, and, you know, when it comes time, they realize, you know what, that's what we were looking for in the beginning. I've been this way through my entire career, my short little career, where I believe the simplest solutions are the best. Um, I heard a quote, uh, a couple of weeks ago and it's been really, really well, you know, people call it minimalism or utilitarianism or whatever you want to call it. But he said that, you know, minimalism is not the least amount of, uh, of, of content. It's just the right amount. And, you know, I like with the fountain pen day logo, I could have done swooshes and I could have gotten in there and done all kinds of beautiful, intricate designs that I have no clue how to do, you know, on these little, on these, uh, like on the nib and everything. But at that point it becomes a piece of art. Um, I am not an artist. Uh, I'm a designer. I make work for people. I make work that gets the job done. And that's where the simplicity comes from for me. Uh, just figuring out what is the best way to set this apart. And most of the time, I'd say just about all the time, it's not about how much you can fit on that page or how much you can put into that logo. But the meaning and the, the simplicity and the shapes that people instantly recognize, that's what makes it, you know, you know, uh, what is it? You pair that with an incredible product and, you know, man, you've got this recipe for, uh, you know, uh, to make something good. But for me, it's always been about finding the simplest solution, uh, the best solution, solution, the, the way to say exactly what needs to be said, exactly the way it needs to be said. I hope that answers your question.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That answers it. That answers it perfectly, actually. Um, yeah, I, I am, I am a believer in, in that philosophy for sure. And, um, you know, using it, making it the right amount, you know, it doesn't have to be less, it doesn't have to be more, just make it right. And, um, that's what, that's what we go with. So shoot, man, this has been awesome. And, um, I really appreciate you coming on and talking design with us and, uh, we'll have to get you, uh, get you on again sometime for sure. But, um, is there anything, anything else? I want to give you a chance to, uh, to pimp anything you need to before we, uh, we call it an episode. I know you got, you have the USA shirts coming back on, uh, coming back available soon. Cause I missed out the first run and I want to get in on the second run. So that's coming soon.

'''Scott Fuller:''' Yes. I taught, I actually talked to, uh, the folks at Cotton Bureau today and, uh, we pushed it, we pushed it back up a limit. You know, whoever requested those shirts to be brought back. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Um, but they're back in the queue. Uh, I don't know, maybe by the end of this month, they'll be back up there. I'm not sure. Um, but it's going to be really, really soon, but, uh, man, it's going to be fantastic. But, uh, as far as that goes, if you want to check out any of the work that I've done, uh, go to the studio temporary.com. Um, if you want to follow me on Twitter, on Instagram, it is at studio temporary. Um, I actually already picked up a couple of followers while we've been talking, which is kind of cool.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Your, your Instagram feed is sick. Plus I make, I have at least two appearances in there. I'm pretty sure.

'''Scott Fuller:''' I think so. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You might lose some followers for that.

'''Scott Fuller:''' I mean, you know, it's, they say three strikes. So you've probably been in, you've been in there twice. Uh, I'm going to play it safe on that one and, uh, you know, we'll go from there. But, um, um, let's see, but yeah, check that out. Um, if you want to go buy some cool stuff, uh, from my shop, it's, uh, the studio temporary dot big cartel.com. Please feel free to check that out. We'll be adding some new stuff here in the next couple of weeks. So please stay tuned for that. And, um, and man, it's, uh, I'm just happy to, to be here. I'm happy to, uh, you know, to be on the show and that, uh, you know, that people, you know, still want to, you know, still talk, you know, and still talk about. You know, you know, you know what I work on. I'm, I'm blessed to be able to do this. I have a wonderful family who supports me. Uh, my wife, Julie, I would not be able to do this without her. She is, she means more to me than any of this. And, uh, my little boy, Sean just turned three, uh, little, little spark plug, you know, running around here. He'll, I gotta be careful about leaving my, my notebooks out because he will color all over these beautiful sketches that I've done. But, um, but you can't get too mad really, you know, cause if he's liking to, you know, he's liking to get out and draw and everything, I'm not going to say anything about that. That's right. But, uh, incredible family. Um, and man, I'm just, I'm blessed to be able to work in this industry to, to get to talk to people like you guys, to, to produce work, uh, for people like you guys that, that appreciate it, that, um, understand it and that support it. You know, you can get all the, all those in one, in one place, man. It is still just, just incredible to me.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Awesome. Well, we certainly appreciate it. And we'll have all those links in the show notes for the episode. Myke, you want to tell them where to get it and sign us off?

'''Myke Hurley:''' You can go get our show notes for this week's episode at relay.fm slash penaddict slash one, two, three. If you'd like to follow me on Twitter, I am iMike, I-M-Y-K-E. And Brad is at dowdyism, D-O-W-D-Y-I-S-M.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Brad also writes over at penaddict.com. And don't forget all of his fantastic stuff over at knock.co maybe soon. Redirect. Yeah, probably. Thanks again. It'll redirect tonight. Good. Thanks again to our sponsors, lynda.com and hover. Go check them out. Help support the show. Thank you again to Scott for joining us this week. And thank you all for listening. Until next time, say goodbye, Brad.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. Goodbye, Brad. Goodbye.

[[Category:Podcast Transcripts]]
[[Category:The Pen Addict Podcast Transcript]]