The end of last month marked an important milestone in my life. I realized along with my co-founders and partners that the direction our studio was headed in was not the direction we had originally intended. Our business had transformed from a shared passion for projects that bridged the gap between art and technology to a development studio for mobile software applications. The studio had originally emerged as a shared space where classes and workshops could inspire and support the community of hackers, scientists, artists and makers as well as create experiential installations and events. The money that we would get from developing web and mobile games and applications would go towards continuing this outreach and support of creative play.
What we realized along the way was that the work needed for the code development of the applications quickly overshadowed all other projects and endeavors. Had the studio petitioned for non-profit status there may have been more resources and manpower available to extend the educational development and event program, but as it was our basic sustainability needed to happen first. What started as sustainable development projects became long-term commitments and I had to adapt quickly to learning how to code. As we moved farther away from our original plans my business development and artistic skills where put on the back burner to the amount of coding help the studio needed.
Besides my new-found love of coding, the ability to think on my feet and understand both the big picture as well as being a part of all processes of a new business is a skill I’m proud to say I’ve achieved. And I do mean all, from knowing how to sweet-talk a government official into not making us refile our papers for a small name change to knowing what makes an iguana happy. [I'll leave you to figure out that one as it's one of the sweetest joys in life.]
The conclusion we reached together that DINO was not able to cultivate or require my best strengths was both heartbreaking and revitalizing. It’s allowed me the freedom to identify my next challenge and reassess where my abilities can be best applied. Thank you, David and Aaron, for everything. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Now, what’s next?
