Introducing… G33Kmade!

Wow. A lot has happened since my last post and there’s so much awesomeness and good stuff that it’s a little overwhelming.

Brace yourself.

Awhile ago, @KyleeLane and I had a vision. A dream. A great-minds-think-alike idea that we’ve set in motion to become something completely amazing. As geeky crafters, we were dreaming of a place where other geeky crafters could come together and be promoted and shared with the world. We wanted to showcase the crafty inspirations, history, and all of the things that go into creating something original by hand. A celebration of geeky craftiness and handmade for the greater geeky good. And G33Kmade was born.

What is G33Kmade? Well, without gushing too much, it’s a company. A community. A network. Even though Kylee and I are soapers, it’s not just about soap, we just happen to both make soap. G33Kmade showcases craft geekery and promotes it; pulling all of the epic geeky goodness together in one place so you can easily find whatever flavor of geek you’re looking for. Our thought on the matter is this:

Geek stuff because geek stuff is “cool” is merely demographically targeted marketing (e.g. “punk” after the 1980s), whereas *true* geeks want the people making the stuff to be as obsessed as they are about time travel, software libraries, or medieval Germanic Lit, or whatever. Once you compare even mediocre handmade things with mass produced, handmade always wins.

What’s exciting about G33Kmade is the potential to connect with so many other geeky crafters in one place. A community feeling. Imagine the huge HUGE amount of inspiration and coolness at your fingertips? Let’s say you’re a geeky crafter. You contribute by submitting yourself/your craft via our [Contact] page. We receive the submission and check it out and potentially get back to you for more info. We do a write up to post on G33Kmade and promote you – you’re featured on the front page, we spread the love on various social media outlets, and we help make sure that the world is made aware of how completely and totally awesome you are. GEEKS FTW!  Not only will the feature be great, but through G33Kmade you’ll have all kinds of access to other geeky crafters; you’ll be able to browse tutorials and get inspired by fellow crafy folk that think like you and enjoy some of the same things you do and put that love into their work just like you. But G33Kmade needs YOU to grow – to become this great, huge resource we need contributions and submissions from you. Check out our [Contact] page for more details. We want to hear from you, we really do! :)

But what if you’re not crafty? How will G33Kmade benefit you, you ask? Simple. Use G33Kmade to browse artists or crafts that you may not have otherwise stumbled upon on. Looking for the perfect geeky gift? Handmade is always better, and you’ll be able to sort through just about everything under the sun with a geek theme to fit any occasion or satisfy anyone’s geek tastes.

So it’s a positive thing for everyone involved, and that’s the major underlying feel: positivity! Spreading the love of geeky crafts and promoting artists and handmade. Sharing ideas, how-tos, projects, and inspiration. Providing a place to showcase all of this awesomeness together. If you’re a geek, you’ll love G33Kmade whether you make things or not, because seeing what others are doing out there and why is hugely fun and interesting. Did I mention inspiring?

See, now I’m gushing. I’m really passionate about G33Kmade and all it stands for. THIS is the way it’s supposed to be. It’s not about competition, it’s about supporting each others’ passions. I’m really excited to have found someone who holds the same values about handmade art, to spread the love instead of negativity, and roll all of that positive energy up into something that benefits everyone… and that’s Kylee. Even more fun and exciting is that G33Kmade will have an Exhibitor’s booth at Gen Con in Indianapolis this August to sell some handmade geek at the biggest 4 days in gaming. We’re also planning a G33Kmade Gen Con Tweet Up to accompany that – more info about that will be announced over at G33Kmade in the coming weeks.

So there’s LOTS going on around here. Besides all of this good stuff I’ve got orders up to my eyes and some really fun other crafty projects in progress. You should SEE this awesome custom order I just completed of Handheld Game Cartridge GEEKSOAP bars as wedding favors! Whew :) I have a week left of this school year, and then the summer off to focus hard on G33Kmade, prepping for Gen Con, and selling more and more GEEKSOAP! Next month is Lucas and I’s anniversary, and in keeping with the tradition, we’ll be staying in a bed & breakfast on the ocean… this time on the west coast in Vancouver, BC. We’re looking forward to a trip back to Canada and will be able to see a lot of Karpiuk family while we’re out that way. Score!

More soon – take care, and be sure to get on over and check out G33Kmade… keeping in mind it’s kinda in a “beta” mode as we roll things out, but at least you can get started and see where we’re going with it! :)