An Introduction

Hello, my name is Lee and this is my first blog post for this website. It's been a while since I blogged about anything, so bear with me while I find my rhythm with all this again. I'm here to blog about growing my business and to take you on this journey of learning, exploration and growth. To start this journey, I thought I'd pick three relevant questions to ramble about, to hopefully give you an introduction into who I am and what I do. Enjoy.

The 3 Questions

Question 1: What sparked your interest in 3D printing?

I have always been a creative; It's a part of my being and personality. It all started with drawing and painting and writing. These hobbies carried on to develop into my interest/obsession with wargaming and tabletop games. Anything with miniatures that I could build, paint and game with. Then, since the age of eighteen, I grew a new obsession, with the rapid evolution of technology. I found myself taking devices apart and learning to rebuild them, later developing into building my own PC's and epic gaming setups.

Naturally, with a combination of my creativity and aptitude for technology, I would stumble upon 3D printing and the industry surrounding it. 3D printing is a great and rewarding hobby, with a steep and often challenging learning curve. It takes time and a level of persistence, but once you start understanding every detail of the process, you're left with a sense of achievement, as you begin creating art or something useful as if from nothingness. This challenging means of creation is part of why I love 3D printing. It's a diverse hobby with many elements, and with some imagination and learning, you can create anything you set your mind to.

Question 2: What types of collectables do you specialise in?

To begin answering this question, perhaps a bit about my personal interest in collectables. I could sit here and list the amount of things I have collected for a while. I have always been a passionate collector of many trending or niche items, and so I will bullet point just some and speak about a few.

• Of course, 3D printers and 3D printed items.

• Trading cards - Pokémon, Magic the Gathering, One Piece and Godzilla (and I really want Gundam, but damn is that difficult to get hold of!).

• Miniature games - Warhammer (and generally GW products), Infinity, Warcrow and Bushido. Also some Atomic Mass Games products, but not as much.

• Books! Many many books of all shapes, sizes and genres, but mostly sci-fi, horror and fantasy.

  
  

Collectables and to collect is a huge part of our modern culture, especially right at the moment of typing this. Particularly, Pokémon trading cards and miniature games saw a huge boon in popularity during the Covid lockdowns. Does that mean we nerds are cool now? Probably. I guess the masses got bored and a new obsession or return to nostalgia was the perfect cure, and I can't deny the brilliant distraction and happiness that these hobbies bring. Right now is a perfect time to be a collector! It's never been easier to obtain what you collect or find communities of like minded people to share your hobby with.

In addition to my personal collection, I ran an online trading card store for 5 years, specialising in Magic the Gathering and Pokémon singles. This was a fun and rewarding experience, in which I gained a wealth of experience, that I will be applying here in this new journey and venture. And so, to answer the question directly, the collectables and products for collectables I will be specialising in for this business will be:

• A vast range of 3D printed collectable items.

• An epic range of 3D printed dice towers and dice storage, for all of your sparkly-number-rock needs in those intense D&D sessions.

• Trading cards! Of all kinds mentioned above, singles and sealed products and accessories.

• 3D printed scenery and terrain, so you can create beautiful gaming boards for all of your favourite miniature games and tabletop RPG's.

Question 3: What is your vision for the future of your business?

My vision for this business is vast, and honestly, through some trial and error over the past couple of years, has evolved into an idea I'm happy with. I want this business to encompass everything I am passionate about. I want to use all of the skills I have collected over the years to create something incredible and successful. Alongside all of these creative pursuits, my career has been in customer service, and so customer service will be central to my business. This is already reflected in the feedback I have received and I strive to maintain that 100% positive feedback, no matter how the business grows.

I want Astral Collectables to be born of multiple interests and hobbies and obsessions, to create something that truly stands above and beyond.

Now, with the many elements that make up my business, I could take it in multiple directions, but my focus is selling collectables and creating items to sell alongside collectables. Could this all be a physical shop in the future? I hope so. That is my end goal to this whole venture, but my journey is starting with this online business, where I hope to sell my items and write about and record my progress. And I hope to help others too, whether they're thinking of starting up a 3D printing or collectables business, or they just want advice with starting either as a hobby. I'll be here.

And with 3D printing technology, there will always be something to talk about. It is so rapidly changing and improving. 3D printing is now more accessible than ever to the average user, and I think we're just seeing the beginning of there usefulness and importance in modern times. I'll be talking much more about this topic soon, but it's an important topic when thinking about the future of my business and how that's going to evolve with the 3D printing industry.

Lastly, to summarise, my vision for Astral Collectables is:

• Build an online store through eBay.

• Build an online portfolio through Instagram.

• Blog my journey and connect everything that I'm working on right here on my website.

• Be a part of the community and interact with my customers and like minded people.

• And all of this is to build up to be a physical hobby and collectables store, both for the community and my customers.

Conclusion

This is an ambitious path that I'm on, but I have a vision and a plan and a whole load of stubbornness to see this through. Starting or attempting something new and putting yourself out there for the world to see is scary, but you'll never know if you could succeed at something unless you try. Put in the work and enjoy the process and have fun! Even when you fail, just look at it as a way to improve.

And just enjoy what you enjoy. Collect cool stuff and display it with pride. Display it for the whole world to see. Importantly, remember, nerds are cool.

I have many ideas for more blog posts on all of the topics I've discussed here and so much more. My next two posts are planned out and I'll be discussing:

• Common misconceptions about 3D printing

• My past two years of learning how to 3D print.

  
  

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me and I'll reply to everyone. Thank you for your time.