MachinePix Weekly #28: Laura Kampf, Maker Extraordinaire
Laura Kampf talks about starting a massively popular Maker YouTube channel, why trash is amazing, and staying weird. This week's most popular post was a pistachio harvesting machine š³āļø
This weekās interview features Laura Kampf, a Germany-based Maker whose YouTube videos on upcycling scrap into useful tools has inspired tens of millions of viewersā side projects.
The most popular post this week was a tree shaker system for harvesting pistachios (and other tree nuts!) by Custom Orchard Equipment.
Iām always looking for interesting people to interview, have anyone in mind?
āKane
Interview with Laura Kampf
Your first video is a DIY walnut lamp from 2015; what were you working on before that, and what made you start documenting your work?
Itās a bit weird, because with my career, looking back, it makes senseābut going forward I had no idea what the hell I was doing. Right before I made that video Iād quit my job as a display artist at Urban Outfitters. It was a great job, but I kept hearing I was āover-motivatedā and should āslow down and take a break,ā that āweāre just working,ā I was ātoo serious, calm down.ā
I felt that if I was hearing that from my boss, I should work for myself. Thatās why I quit my job and found the Maker community on YouTube. Iād had a weekly blog but somehow had never gotten into the scene. My blog had 12 followers I think. Because I had more time and was watching a lot more YouTube I began to understand the channel structure and comment sections, and seeing the same few people and realizing they were doing it as a job.
On my blog I was just taking pictures of my projectsā final results, not showing how it was done. Back then I was working with a lot of trash in my projects, and I realized the process was a lot more exciting than the end result.
I just decided to give it a try, and I had a few motivations: I just wanted to document how I did my projects for myself. The walnut lamp, it looks really simple, but there are a lot of choices that go into it. How I cable it, how I hung it: I wanted to document it. I also wanted to give back to the community instead of just being a consumer.
What inspires the projects you choose to work on?
I got into a weekly rhythm, so I know I have to make a project each week. In the end, my product is the YouTube video, not the actual projectāso it has to have an interesting narrative and story. It has to be financially okay for me to doāI canāt build a walnut bed every week! Because of the big time constraint, some weeks are really busy as a result. Those are all factors that narrow the field for me.
It usually takes one spark that piques my interest. A new tool, a new technique, a piece of metal I found, or a needāI needed a new deskāitās just taking the ideas that are there and using the constraints to filter. I build so much, I'm building every dayāsometimes it doesnāt even matter what the specific idea is. For example those things that cats play with, the furniture, what are they called?
Scratching posts?
Cat scratching postsāI donāt even have a cat but think thereās just some interesting ideas there.
Where do you make all these videos?
Iām in Germany outside of Cologne a little bit, in an abandoned mill. Itās creepy as hell sometimes but the neighbors are very interesting. I traded with a neighbor for an old Russian troposphere helmet. I posted it on my Instagram and people lost their minds. I traded an old camera for it.
What is your favorite project in the portfolio?
My favorite project is the one Iām working on at any given moment. Thatās whatās most exciting to me. When Iām done I usually forget about it. When I built a BBQ I accidentally left it outside for months. The actual things rarely matter to me, but I love the process.
But the thing I remember most is this tattoo gun I made from trash in design school. I wanted to be a photographer when I graduated and before I worked for a TV studio for 3 years but then went to design school for a broader understanding, but thatās where I discovered I really wanted to work with my hands, building thingsālike sculpture and furniture. The tattoo gun sparked everything.
Any side projects youāre working on right now?
Actually, I started painting! You can see a little bit in the background. Itās not intended to be shared. My studio as wellāitās more of a curation of other peopleās work I like. My work needs to feel like a hobby, if it becomes just a job I donāt know how Iād feel about it. I need to keep it as unprofessional as I can.
Whatās the best advice you have for people that are tinkering and exploring their own side projects?
One thing that really changed how I understood everything, with the internet, is that you have access to all the people that are just as weird as you are. For the longest time, growing up and not knowing about these communities, I thought I had to find the biggest common denominator and just go along. Now that I have the career that I have, I appreciate all the things that make me super weird. When you find someone thatās excited about a shitty tattoo gun as much as you are, you have so much to talk about. Thatās your friend. Itās so much more than finding someone that likes the same mainstream movie.
Being ok with being weird, different, really helped me find the right community and focus on the things that make me happy. I could have just copied the most popular designs or styles. Embracing the things about you, wonāt necessarily bring you the biggest audience, but they will be the truest, the most meaningful.
I see a lot of people getting sad or frustrated because of views and likesāit almost feels like getting naked on a table when I post a video: so much of my personality is exposed. But itās important to know that Mainstream and special interest are so different. You canāt compare these numbers.
What makers or channels are your favorite to follow? Who do you think is under-the-radar?
Everybody is under-appreciated! There are a couple people that have inspired me over the years. Thereās a guy in Portland, super young dude, Make With Miles, I met him at Maker Faire when he was 14. Heās still at it! That really inspires me, makes me think āwhere would I be if I had that passion so early.ā Thinking about where he would be when he is 37, that just makes me happy.
It makes me happy to see there are people so much younger than I am, better than I am: there will never be a lack of content! That said, just because someoneās not sharing online doesnāt mean their work is not excellent, so I'm motivated to keep looking.
Any favorite books or books youāre reading right now?
Thatās actually one of my very very few regrets about being self employed. Ever since I quit my job I haven't read much. I don't know what it isāI think it takes a lot of capacity, but I donāt have much energy left after my work. I want to read but fall asleep. Thereās rarely a weekend where I just read. This Christmas is the first time in years I finished a book, itās terrible. I keep ordering them but I never finish them. I finished Steven Kingās The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.
Whatās your favorite simple (or not so simple) tool or hack that you think is under-appreciated?
Thatās a tricky one. I think one of the best tools in the shop is a cold beer or a good coffee with someone you want to trade stuff with. Or someone that works on something you canāt doāconnecting with people on a personal level is an underestimated tool. I use it all the time.Ā
Iām in this abandoned area, thereās only weirdos like me and this guy I traded the helmet with. Thereās a guy that collects and trades scrap metal. Weāre very different, we wouldn't talk about many things at allābut we both agree that scrap is valuable. Weāre like the bird that picks the crocodiles teeth, I take my scraps and trade for stuff off his truck. I have access to the coolest stuff that I wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. I recommend everyone work with recycled material. Itās much cheaper. It teaches you a lot. I made a coffee grinder from trash. I got a windshield winder motor from the scrap guy. The espresso machine I use is off the guyās truck too.
The Week in Review
This machine brings me joy. I hate bubble wrap where you have to pop every bubble to pack it down effectivelyāthese long bubbles are much easier to pop. Whatād be even better is a void fill process that didnāt use so much plastic!
Thanks to some eagle-eyed followers, we were also able to identify the walking excavator as a Menzi Muck.
The full academic paper is titled An extra-uterine system to physiologically support the extreme premature lamb.
Postscript
Iām just a manufacturing dilettante, but I have the privilege of working with some real bad-ass professionals, including those at Instrumental. They are hosting their annual Manufacturing Optimization Summit remotely this year, and if your job is involves getting your hands dirty with design or supply chain, I encourage you to check it out.
If you enjoyed this newsletter, forward it to friends (or interesting enemies). I am always looking to connect with interesting people and learn about interesting machinesāreach out!
āKane