Fight AIDS, Win Art: Zai's AIDS/LifeCycle Fundraiser

This June, I'll be participating in AIDS/LifeCycle, which is a seven-day, 545-mile bike ride from SF to LA. It's a massive fundraiser that supports the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center, two organizations that are doing crucial, life-saving work to curb the AIDS epidemic in California. Over the next month, I'm planning to raise $3,000 for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. To make this fun for everyone, I'm hosting an art raffle: I'll be giving away six unique, handcrafted prizes! Three of them were made by yours truly, and the other three were made -- and generously donated! -- by my insanely talented friends Nicole Sweeney, Jasmin Pamukcu, and Jeff Goodwin from Krakatoa Design. 

Raffle:

For every $20 that you donate toward my fundraising, you'll earn one ticket in the raffle. I'm going to divide up the drawing into six individual rounds. After I sell 25 tickets, I'll randomly draw a winner and raffle off the first prize. Once I sell the the next 25 tickets, I'll raffle off the second prize. I'll keep going like this until I've sold a total of 150 tickets and raffled off all six prizes. Take a peek at my scoreboard spreadsheet if you're having a hard time visualizing the structure of this contest.  

The fun part: All tickets will stay in the pool for subsequent rounds! So if you buy a few tickets in the first round, they'll stay in the pool for Rounds 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6! (Winning tickets, however, will be removed from the pool for subsequent rounds.) If you want to maximize your odds of winning a prize, make sure to donate sooner rather than later!

How to Enter:

Donate online with a credit card here. I'd recommend donating in increments of $20, as $20 equals one raffle ticket. So for example, if you donate $200, you'll earn 10 tickets in the raffle.

You can check the scoreboard at any time to see where we are in the raffle, and who's won so far!

Prizes:

Prize #1: Tall Prism Stand by Elektra Steel

This is a teeny little stand that I designed and welded from blackened steel bar and stainless sheet steel. At only 7" high, it's perfect for displaying your tiniest treasures: air plants, jewelry, or maybe a votive candle. It normally retails for $60.

Prize #2: Amaterasu Omikami by Jasmin Pamukcu

My best friend Jasmin Pamukcu generously contributed this beautiful, framed ink drawing of Amaterasu Omikami, the Shinto goddess of the sun. Earlier this spring, she raised money for a service trip to Cambodia by creating a coloring book featuring powerful goddesses from around the world. Enter the contest to win this original drawing of Amaterasu Omikami, which is worth $150. And if you want to learn more about her Global Goddesses Coloring Book project, you can read about it here!

Prize #3: Black & Tan Triangle by Nicole Sweeney

Remember those nesting triangular tables I made with my kickass woodworker friend a few months ago? Well, that kickass woodworker was Nicole Sweeney, and I was over the moon when she told me that she'd contribute one of her bold triangular wall hangings for my raffle! This striking piece is 24" wide, and she'd normally sell it for $150. If you don't end up winning this piece in the raffle, you can always head over to her online shop and see what's for sale! 

Prize #4: San Francisco City Map by Krakatoa Design

My very good friend Jeff Goodwin (the mastermind behind Krakatoa Design) makes all kinds of things out of both wood and metal -- benches, display cases, crazy wood-and-leather bags, cutting boards, spoons, you name it! This particular piece has become one of his signature items in the last few years. Part bulletin board, part cartographic wall art, these cork maps offer a new way to show off your 'hood. Mark out your favorite haunts, or plot all the places you've been meaning to check out. This map of San Francisco has been laser etched into a thick cork sheet, and is suspended between solid walnut hanging bars. The map is 24"x24" (slightly larger with the frame), and it normally sells for $160. Enter the raffle to win this beauty! And if you can't wait until the drawing, check out Krakatoa Design's online store!

Prize #5: Marble Prism Stand by Elektra Steel

This elegant tabletop stand features a slab of reclaimed marble with raw edges. The asymmetrical steel base was welded together, blackened with a dark patina, and then sealed with a deep blue metal oil to protect the finish. The Marble Prism Stand can serve as a standalone art object, or it can be used to showcase small treasures on one's vanity, kitchen counter, or desk. It's roughly 13" long x 8" wide x 5" high, and normally sells for $250.

Prize #6: Steel Diamond by Elektra Steel

This bold wall hanging was made from a mix of bright stainless steel and blackened mild steel. The parts were lasercut and carefully finished, sanded, and sealed by hand, and then mounted to a wood backing. A welded steel flatbar frame gives it a solid heft. This piece is 1'x1', and it includes a z-clip for mounting. This piece retails for $250. 

The Backstory

I participate in AIDS/LifeCycle every year for a number of reasons. I first got involved because the focus of my master's thesis research was HIV/AIDS, STIs, and sexual and reproductive health, and I wanted to find ways to support the cause outside of academia. I fell in love with AIDS/LifeCycle, and I kept coming back for more. This will be my fifth year in a row participating in AIDS/LifeCycle.

I ride because I have friends who have have been touched by HIV or AIDS, and I see that the fight isn't over. I ride because the federal government still refuses to fund effective harm-reduction programs like clean needle exchanges -- which means that we rely on private donations to keep these services afloat. I ride because I love the AIDS/LifeCycle community -- including everyone who has ever donated! -- and what we can accomplish together.

Recap: West Elm Pop-Up in Emeryville

I did a pop-up shop at the Bay Street West Elm in Emeryville, CA, on April 9th and 10th! I had some great conversations, and sold a handful of pieces, including a few Geo Bowls. Best of all, I got encouraging feedback on the large wall hanging -- people seemed really drawn to it! Check out the slideshow to check out my set-up.

Shop Tour with Design*Sponge

Check it out -- I'm in one of my all-time favorite design blogs, Design*Sponge! They put together a nice little shop tour that features me, my dog Simi, and my favorite metal shop tools. Come take a peek inside my studio!

Major thanks to Sabrina Smelko from Design*Sponge for this lovely write-up!

Customer Spotlight: La Bijouterie

I designed and fabricated these three Marble Prism Stands for La Bijouterie, my favorite jeweler in San Francisco. I met Set, the owner, because he designed and made my beautiful engagement ring. A few months later, he hired me to make these stands for his window displays!

In case you're curious to see the piece that Set made for me, here's a photo of me rocking my gorgeous new ring in the metal shop:

Photo by Ellen Wildhagen and Zachary Domes for The New Americans

Want a Marble Prism Stand for yourself? There's one available in my shop, and if you'd like a custom one, email me and we'll make it happen!

Customer Spotlight: Mary & Rob

Over the last few months, I've noticed a really wonderful trend: Customers have started sending me photos of how they're using their purchases! It fills my heart with joy to see my pieces being used and loved and integrated into people's daily lives. So, I'm starting a new blog series to show off Elektra Steel pieces in their new homes!

I'm kicking off the series with family friends Mary and Rob, who are some of my favorite repeat customers. Rob was my middle school math teacher, and their son was classmates with my little sister -- our families have known each other for a long time! Mary and Rob now have four Elektra Steel pieces: three Hex Votives and a Geo Planter. I love the way they've chosen to display and use these pieces! They're outside on a deck, surrounded by plants, flowers, beautiful votive candles, and, apparently, a glass of wine (#lifegoals, am I right?!). 

Thank you, Mary and Rob, for supporting my craft and my business from the very beginning, and for being such wonderful, loving people! And thank you for sending me these beautiful photos! 

Do you own an Elektra Steel piece? Send me some photos of it in its new home, and you could see them on the blog!

Recap: West Elm Pop-Up in Palo Alto

I hosted my very first pop-up shop yesterday! The wonderful folks at the Palo Alto West Elm invited me to set up shop for a day -- I got to take over an entire dining table of theirs and sell my work!

As you can see in the photos, it gave me an opportunity to debut my newest piece, a large 2D steel wall hanging. Almost everyone who walked by stopped to comment on it! It was validating to hear that people like this new direction -- I'm hoping to do a whole series of pieces like this.

I have two more West Elm pop-ups on the books for this spring! I'll be at the Bay Street / Emeryville location April 9-10 and May 21-22. Check out my upcoming events for the full list of opportunities to shop Elektra Steel in person!

The New Americans

Photographers Elle Wildhagen and Zachary Domes put together this beautiful piece about me for their project, The New Americans. It features 20 people across the U.S. with completely different lives and stories -- each one is poignant and thoughtful its own way. In my story, I talk about welding, impostor syndrome, and "mansplaining" in the metal shop.

It's clear that Elle and Zach are master storytellers, in addition to being skilled photographers. I loved talking with them, and showing them around the shop. I felt like they really "got" me -- It felt so good to be seen and heard and understood. What a gift. See the other stories on Vimeo.

Flash Giveaway!

UPDATE 2/18: Contest is now closed! The winner of this little welded sculpture is Instagram user @transitgal -- congratulations! (If you're curious about the drawing methodology, I recorded a screen-capture video of me using a random number generator to select the winner.) I will definitely be doing more giveaways in the future, so make sure to follow @elektrasteel on Instagram!

* * *

FLASH GIVEAWAY!! Head over to Instagram to enter to win this little welded sculpture! Contest closes tomorrow, February 18th, at 12pm PST. See Instagram post for details and rules!


Photo Styling with Interior Designer Noz Nozawa

Whether you're setting up a shop or doing online dating, you probably already know that it's important to have good photos. I was vaguely aware of this the first time I picked up a DSLR camera about a year ago. But now that I've gone through a few different rounds of product photography, I'm blown away by just how much of a difference it makes! My photos have improved dramatically over the last year, and I'm actually starting to enjoy the whole process! 

My most recent shoot was extra fun because I had some help from interior designer Noz Nozawa! She and I met a few months ago through Makeshift Society, which is a coworking space and community for Bay Area creatives. We bonded quickly over our shared background: Ivy League educations, tech marketing jobs, and finally, venturing out on our own. 

Noz's whole portfolio is beautiful, but her own home in Hayes Valley is insane -- charcoal walls, marble surfaces, and quirky accents and art. I'd been drooling over it ever since it was featured on Curbed last fall. So when Noz offered to let me photograph some of my pieces in her gorgeous apartment, I jumped at the chance!

Photo from Noz Design

I packed up my camera gear and my latest pieces in a couple suitcases, and headed over to her place. She made me feel at home, and let me rearrange pretty much anything I wanted so that I could get beautiful, clean shots. 

After experimenting a bit, I eventually got in the zone and played around with different ways of styling each piece. I even got some new ideas for how my pieces could be used! For instance, I'd always imagined the Marble Strip Stand as part of a vanity arrangement. But when I saw Noz's extensive (and beautiful!) whiskey collection, I realized the stand would make for a nice bar accessory!

Check out the photos from the shoot below. And if you like anything you see, head over to the shop to purchase it! (I finally set up a fully-functional e-commerce shop, yay!)

Huge thank-you to Noz for her encouragement, inspiration, and for sharing her space with me!

Recap: FUTURES Showcase

Nicole Sweeney and I had a blast at the FUTURES: RAW Artists Showcase on Wednesday night! It was a multi-modal art show hosted at the San Francisco nightclub 1015 Folsom, and it featured 60+ artists, including visual artists, live music, pole dancing, aerial performances, and poetry. Nicole and I teamed up on a joint wood+metal booth, which came out pretty well, if I do say so myself! 

A few days before the show, we decided to join forces on a booth, rather than doing separate, side-by-side booths. I think it came together really beautifully! Nicole had her gorgeous wood wall hangings up on the white walls she built herself (in her small, SF apartment, no less!), and I had my steel stuff out on the table. We strung up some cozy lights, unrolled a rug, and set up the nesting tables we designed and made together. Preparing for the show was truly a team effort, with both of our partners and Nicole's family helping out in the days leading up to the show. So much more fun than doing a solo booth!

Most of the pieces are still available, so contact me if you're interested in buying anything you see!

Nesting Tables: Elektra Steel x Nicole Sweeney

This set of triangular nesting tables was a fun collaboration with woodworker Nicole Sweeney, and I think it might actually be the coolest thing I've ever made. Nicole and I designed the piece together, she made the rad geometric tops out of wood, and I welded steel bases for each of the three tables. We'll be debuting it tonight at the FUTURES show at 1015 Folsom in SF! And if you love it as much as I do, it can be yours!

Nicole and I actually only met a month ago, which seems crazy, given how close we've become since then! We were both selected to show our work at the FUTURES show, and we met at the walk-through for the event in mid-December. We struck up a conversation, took a quick look at each other's Instagrams (see here and here), and fell in love. As we were leaving, Nicole casually asked, "Hey, wanna collaborate on a project sometime?" 

Over the next few weeks, we texted ideas and sketches back and forth. Nicole's specialty is making beautiful, geometric wall hangings out of wood, and we thought it would be fun to turn her signature triangular pieces into a set of nesting tables. She came up with a striking pattern for the table tops, and I designed a simple set of bases that would complement the bold tops. 

Working with Nicole was magical. Not only did we work well together, but we also became fast friends -- we shared meals and coffees, met each other's partners, and discovered that we had a lot of the same passions (road biking, camping, yoga). 

We're also in similar stages in our careers. It's been so helpful to talk through business and creative challenges together. Turning one's art into a business is an emotional roller coaster, and having someone who both inspires and coaches you is such a gift! My studio mate Jeff from Krakatoa Design has played this role in my life for the last year, and I'm so grateful to now have two buddies who are going through the same things that I am! The three of us are already fantasizing about the kickass metal and wood shop we're going to share one day...

Come see our Nesting Tables in person tonight at the FUTURES show! We'll be at 1015 Folsom in SF from 7-11pm tonight. Tickets are $20 in advance; $25 at the door. And if you'd like to buy the set of tables, we're selling it for $1500!

Let me know what you think of our nesting tables! I have a feeling that this won't be the last Elektra Steel x Nicole Sweeney collab, so if you have ideas for what we should make next, leave me a note in the comments section!

Newsletter: January 2016

Elektra Steel is kicking off 2016 with an artist showcase at a nightclub, a pop-up shop at West Elm, and a wood+metal collaboration with Nicole Sweeney! Check out today's newsletter for more. Want to get the newsletter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here!

FUTURES Show + Raffle + Nicole Sweeney Collab

UPDATE 1/19/16: Raffle is now closed! You can still buy tickets to attend the show, but the drawing for the vase is over.

I've got some fun announcements to kick off the new year: details on my next show, a special friends-and-family raffle, and an upcoming collaboration with woodworker Nicole Sweeney! 

I'm doing a show in a few weeks called FUTURES, and it's going to be one hell of an evening: There will be visual arts, live music, dance performances, poetry, comedy, and a fashion runway show. It's at 7 pm on Wednesday, January 27th, at 1015 Folsom (nightclub in SOMA). Come by after work for an hour or two after work!

Tickets are $20 each, and I'm doing a special for Elektra Steel friends and family! For every FUTURES ticket you buy in the next two weeks, you'll get one raffle ticket to win a large Wedge Vase (worth $85). I'm capping the contest at 20 entries, so get your ticket ASAP! Use this link to buy tickets -- it's the only way I can track which Elektra Steel friends and family are entered to win the Wedge Vase. May the odds be ever in your favor!

I'm also excited to announce that I'll be debuting a new collaboration with woodworker Nicole Sweeney! Nicole is a kickass artist and maker who's based in SF, and I'm obsessed with her work. If you like her style, make sure to buy a ticket to the show -- you'll get first dibs on our upcoming wood + metal collab pieces!

What I'm Listening to This Winter

I love that I get to work with my hands for long stretches at a time: It's physically challenging, meditative, and enjoyable. And it means I can listen to my headphones for hours on end! In case any of you are looking for music or podcasts to queue up for your holiday travels, I thought I'd share some of my recent favorites. (Note: Some of this is just new to me, not necessarily new to the world.) 

What are you listening to these days? Leave your music and podcast recommendations for me in the comments!

"Working For It" by Zhu

This was my power song this fall! I listened to it on repeat in the shop and also while running a half-marathon last month (I attribute my sub-two-hour time to the combination of Zhu + caffeine). Favorite line: "She want it all / She want it all / She working hard for the money / She want it all." If you like this track, you might also like Automatic, As Crazy As It Is, and Zhu's sleeper hit from a couple years ago, Faded.

StartUp Podcast

StartUp documents what goes on behind the scenes at a startup, in real time. The first season follows former This American Life and Planet Money producer Alex Blumberg as he attempts to start his own podcasting company (#meta). We get to hear his blundered pitch to a VC, a tense equity negotiation with a potential co-founder, and many late-night chats with his witty and thoughtful wife. I am obsessed with this podcast! I tore through both season (almost 20 hours) in less than a week, and actually ended up listening to the entire first season again. It's well-produced, thought-provoking, and insightful. I'd especially recommend it to anyone who's interested in business or entrepreneurship. Tune in on SoundCloud or iTunes. And definitely listen in chronological order, starting with the first episode of the first season:

"Here She Comes Again" by Röyksopp

I love this dark and brooding track. It's creepy and haunting, and also pretty catchy. I did a lot of welding to this music! Other Röyksopp tracks I'm enjoying: Skulls, Monument (Feat. Robyn), and Something In My Heart (feat. Jamie Irrepressible).

the get.

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2016 is to consume less media produced by straight, white cismen. It's high time I make an effort to seek out women's voices, queer and trans voices, and voices of people of color. Listening to The Get has been a great way to kick off this project! The show is hosted by Ivy Onyeador and Rhiana Gunn-Wright, two whip-smart, kickass women of color from my class at Yale. They take on pop culture, current events, and meaty social justice issues in a conversational manner that's hilarious, riveting, snarky, and joyful. I didn't actually know them when we were in school, but, thanks to their podcast, I feel like we're practically best friends. More importantly, I'm a better-informed, more thoughtful feminist because of them. Check out The Get on iTunes! Here's an episode I found especially engaging: The Cost of Being A Bo$$. 

"One Time" by Marian Hill

I've probably listened to this sultry song a hundred times this fall. I don't know anything about Marian Hill's story or background, but her music is addictive and fresh and melodic. If you like this track, check out Lovit, Got It, and Lips. 

Planet Money

If you listen to NPR, you're probably already familiar with this snappy economics podcast. They have so many good episodes, it was hard to just choose a few to highlight! There's the one about Super Business Girl, a feisty 12-year-old entrepreneur; there's the epic, multi-episode investigation of how t-shirts are produced in the global economy; and of course, there's the one where they scrutinize a monthly ISIS budget that was recently smuggled out of Syria. Catch more episodes on iTunes or on the NPR website. 

"Masterpiece" by Jessie J

This is my shameless, pump-up, power anthem! Listen to this if you're feeling down about yourself and need a pep-talk.

Women of the Hour

In this podcast, Lena Dunham (creator of the HBO hit Girls) interviews all kinds of women on a variety of topics, including body, friendships, love, and work. Her brand of feminism has been criticized in the past for not being intersectional enough (i.e., not addressing the ways in which gender intersects with race, class, sexuality, etc.). But with Women of the Hour, I think she's doing an admirable job of listening, learning in a public way, and making an effort to understand -- and share! -- the stories of queer and trans women, women of different ages, and women of color. You can listen on iTunes or SoundCloud. Here's one of my favorite episodes:

Hello, World!

"A+E" by Clean Bandit, feat. Kandaka Moore & Nikki Cislyn

I didn't really fall in love with Clean Bandit until my best friend Jasmin took me to see them play live. They're so good! Global dance beats, strong vocals, and real instruments (which is refreshing if you mostly listen to electronic music, like I do). Don't miss Come Over (feat. Stylo G), Real Love, and of course, their Top 40 hit, Rather Be. 

Song Exploder

In each short and sweet episode, host Hrishikesh Hirway deconstructs one song while interviewing the artist. Check out this episode, which is all about the Game of Thrones theme song! If you want more, find Song Exploder on SoundCloud, iTunes, and on their website.

"Talk is Cheap" by Chet Faker

I'm pretty much always in the mood for Chet Faker. His music is melodic, soulful, and mellow. Side note: If you need a good Pandora station for a dinner party, you can't go wrong with Chet Faker! Don't miss Gold, Drop the Game, I'm Into You, and his stellar cover of No Diggity.

This American Life

I know I'm super late to this party, but I finally discovered how amazing This American Life is. If you've been living under a rock like I have, each episode explores several personal narratives that center around one theme. The stories are riveting, important, charming, and occasionally heartbreaking. The best part is that they have a mobile app that has twenty-five years' worth of archived episodes! Goldmine! I think I averaged about seven episodes per day during my peak welding days this fall. (They also have old episodes on their website.) Here's a powerful episode about haters on the internet:

Anything by Akon

This is not a joke. I love Akon. Not exactly a feminist hero, but you can't deny that he makes catchy music! Including a Bollywood song! In which he sings in Hindi! Did you know that?! I almost died when I first heard Chammak Challo. I also love Keep Up, Beautiful, and Right Now (Na Na Na). 

If you've made it this far down my list, then here's a little Easter egg for you. It's a silly little tribute to Akon that I made after welding, grinding, and sanding 26 Geo Bowls in one week. Cheers!

Time-Lapse Geo Planter, Start to Finish

Ever wonder what goes into each Elektra Steel piece? Here's a time-lapse video of me creating a Geo Planter from start to finish. You'll see me cutting out all 17 stainless steel parts with a power shear, drilling a hole for drainage, TIG welding the parts together, sandblasting the interior, sanding down the exterior welds with an angle grinder, buffing the outside with Scotch-Brite, cleaning it with alcohol, and finally sealing it with a clear metal oil. All in a day's work!

Recap: Urban Air Holiday Market

I had a booth at Urban Air Market's Holiday Show in the Dogpatch this past Sunday, and it was a BLAST! 

The weather that morning didn't bode well at all. There was torrential rain during load-in, deep puddles that forced a number of vendors (including Jeff from Krakatoa Design) to relocate, and high winds that gusted through the giant roll-up doors and knocked over several booths. I honestly couldn't imagine that anyone was going to leave home in favor of a gusty, freezing warehouse. Boy, was I wrong!

When the event opened at 11am, the rain died down, people trickled in slowly, and I mentally prepared myself to not make many sales. But then around lunchtime, it started picking up. And it didn't slow down until the event ended at 5pm. I definitely got the vibe that people had holiday shopping to do, and they were on a mission to get it done that day!

A lot of my friends came out, including my parents, my partner Phil's dad, aunt, and grandparents, half a dozen members of my cycling team, two of my financial advisors, several family friends, and, of course, my best friend Jasmin. And just like last time, I ran into a few friends who didn't know I'd be selling there -- the look on their faces was priceless!

I had a lot of great conversations with fair-goers about my process and my background. I especially enjoyed talking shop with the folks who had some welding experience. I can now spot them a mile away! They're the ones who immediately pick up a piece and start turning it over in their hands, trying to figure out how I'd made it. For this craft fair, I added an iPad to my display that played time-lapse videos on loop of me welding and sanding. It ended up being a useful tool: it drew a lot of passers-by into my booth, and I was able to better show the work that goes into each piece. 

When I got home at the end of the night and checked my sales numbers, I thought I'd accidentally pulled up the wrong date range -- the total was over double what I thought I'd made. Still incredulous, I checked to make sure I hadn't accidentally overcharged someone by, say, $1,000 (I hadn't, thank goodness). Once I was sure that it wasn't a mistake, I celebrated! I still have a ways to go to make Elektra Steel a sustainable business that pays all my bills, but Sunday's show told me that I've got a good product-market fit, and I'm on the right track.

Major thanks to Phil, who was a champ for helping me with load-in and load-out logistics, all of my friends and family who showed up to support me on a stormy day, and to my growing list of customers! I'm heading back into the shop now to finish up a few remaining holiday orders. Cheers!

Holiday Newsletter: December 2015

Shop small this holiday season with Elektra Steel! Check out today's newsletter for details on how to buy in person and online. Want to get the newsletter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here! (Scroll down to the bottom of the page.)

Successful First Craft Fair!

This past weekend, Elektra Steel made its retail debut at the SF Etsy Indie Holiday Emporium! The event was held at Pier 35, a massive warehouse right on the water next to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. It was held over two days, Saturday and Sunday, and I believe over 50,000 people attended (crazy!). I'm thrilled with how it went! 

I could write a short novel on my thoughts and reflections, but here are the highlights:

Realizing I can go into production beast-mode. I amassed an inventory of 85+ pieces in six weeks!

Setting up my booth with Jasmin and Phil, and realizing that all my meticulous checklists and packing paid off, and I didn't forget a thing. Whew! (Don't miss the time-lapse video of booth set-up below!)

Seeing everything come together after months of research, planning, and agonizing. (This online class from Creative Live was crucial to my success! I highly recommend it to anyone preparing to sell at a craft fair.)

Talking with prospective customers! I loved explaining how each piece was made, answering questions about my process, getting feedback, overhearing people gush (!), learning what pieces people are drawn to (or not drawn to), and geeking out about welding with the few people who had some experience welding. (Side note: Working a booth all day is exhausting! I'm an extrovert and enjoy this kind of social challenge, but I can't imagine how introverts manage it!)

Seeing friends! I had a bunch of friends and family members show up to support me, and that made my day. I felt like I was at my own birthday party! Also, I ran into a few friends who came to the show not knowing I'd be selling there. Those surprise reunions were so much fun! 

Getting ideas for new pieces. I had some unexpected hits (like the Prism Stands!), and it gave me ideas for new directions to pursue with my work.

Making money! I had no idea what to expect going into it, but I sold way more pieces than I'd expected, and I'm pleased with my sales.

And most importantly, feeling like this business is a real thing. It was magical seeing my vision come together in real life.

Below is a time-lapse video that shows how Jasmin, Phil, and I transformed a 10'x10' space in a warehouse into a welcoming little room in just over two hours. The three of us are a well-oiled machine: We've built two Burning Man theme camps together, and set up countless campsites. I couldn't have asked for a better build team! I definitely couldn't have gotten through the last few months without their constant emotional and logistical support. Not to mention that they kept me fed, hydrated, caffeinated, and sane throughout the show itself -- so grateful. On Sunday, my best friend from high school, Yennie, took a shift at the booth so that I could slam some food and use the restroom. Truly a team effort!

A couple other thank-yous... Huge kudos to my studio-mate Jeff (the woodworker behind Krakatoa Design), who's a craft fair veteran -- I can't tell you how many times I bugged him with questions about the minutiae of booth set-up and logistics! And it was great having company during those long days at the shop. And lastly, a big thank you to my friends and family who braved the lines and the crowds to come support me, customers who paid me real money for things that I made, and everyone who's shown their support for me and my fledgling business over the last year.

If you missed this craft fair, you have one more chance to shop Elektra Steel before the holidays! Come by the Urban Air Holiday Market next Sunday, December 13th -- it's at Pier 70 in the Dogpatch, from 11am-5pm. I'm excited to do it all again in just over a week! See you there!

(All photos by Phil Reyneri)