Aaron Aiken

Grateful Log

• Incredible clarity on the immediate future.
• Nice simple bike ride along the river with Mozzie yesterday.
• Breakfast with the “Aiken Men” of the family (a monthly gathering with my dad, uncle, brother, nephew, and Mozzie and I).

And…the wallet! This is the final prototype and I’m very happy with how it turned out. Just a few minor things to tweak. Features hand-waxed thread, completely hand stitched. Dyed by hand, etc etc etc 🙂

Grateful Log

• Friday evenings
• Slowing down on the weekends
• The change in seasons

Thinking wine and Chinese for dinner tonight.

Absolutely thrilled with how this laptop sleeve turned out! Shown with my 13” MacBook Air, also shown with a notebook inside.

Grateful Log

• Great cigar event at the Hill Society last night, awesome time being with friends and making new ones.
• The feeling of having discovered what I’ve been looking for: that thing that aligns passion, skill, and is viable in the market.
• The wallet project…a success :-)

Grateful Log

• Bike ride with Mozzie yesterday.
• His interest in technology.
• The opportunity (coming up) to relate some of my leather processes to something he is learning in school (special guest, homeschool edition).

Chiseled, dyed, and oiled the wallet parts today. Tomorrow is balm and assembly!

Grateful Log

• Time with Mozzie last night.
• Breakfast with my brother yesterday.
• Recovery sleep.

Grateful Log

• Monday was a success!
• Idea in the brain to tangible thing in my hand.
• Writing session at the diner this morning.

In the works.

Grateful Log

• Fun time watching football again yesterday, even though the Steelers (Mozzie’s NFL team) did absolutely terrible. The Packers won though (my NFL team), so I’m happy about that :-)
• MONDAY!!!!!
• A good weekend with Mozzie.

Grateful Log

• Strong sale day yesterday
• Good progress on the wallet project, eager to see how it turns out. (Trying to think of a name for it, for when I offer it as an item in my shop…)
• My college football team (Penn State) and Mozzie’s (Michigan) both won yesterday.

Next steps: map each piece on the leather (calfskin for this project) and cut it out. Then shape and mark everything.

First step is telling the story (the size and location of each part) on a “Story Strap”.

I am so excited to get started on this project. Replicating a wallet from c. 1928 that was carried by my customer’s grandfather. He has the original and wants one for himself and his uncle.

Grateful Log

• Prototype of a custom project sent off to a customer to end the week yesterday.
• Starting the next custom project this morning.
• Cloudy mornings.

Grateful Log

• ☕️ Coffee
• ☀️ Friday
• 🏈 Football

Football on. Using the “downtime” to bulk-prep the paper items included with each leather order.

Grateful Log

• Clouds
• Light
• Breath

Grateful Log

• More monopoly last night
• Fresh haircut
• So many ideas

Grateful Log

• Bonus day with Mozzie yesterday
• Passing football with him
• Approaching change

Grateful Log

• More good family time yesterday
• Shabatt
• Babbling on about things I am excited about and being heard

Grateful Log

• Intentional rest
• Creative rest
• Physical rest

A reminder to be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself. Show yourself some grace. Being flawed, making mistakes, is part of being human. Learn from them, do better next time. Be thankful for your present and hopeful for your future.