The era of doing what I want and making you watch

My new title is "Dowhateverthefuckiwantist"

I said goodbye to the project that kept my attention for the past two and a half years, and when I shut the door, my mind opened to the possibility that I can now do whatever I want.

Special thanks to all the friends who recently came over from The Hungry to join us here. I think you’ll enjoy this space a lot.

I recently went down a rabbit hole of creative studio tours on YouTube and came across Dan Fogler of Cinedrome. Dan’s a movie effects specialist, worked at Industrial Lights & Magic, and is close friends with Adam Savage.

I put Dan into the same category of creators as Simone Giertz or Colin Furze, squarely between them in personality. He also reminds me of Casey Neistat or his brother, Van Neistat, which means he is also like artist Tom Sachs, except far less pretentious.

All these men are makers of things, and none of them follow convention. They make what they want, often unrefined, more often function over form, but also with a twinge of artistry, and the idea appeals to me a lot.

I ignored a dream, and it left me behind

Many years ago, I had a vision of moving into a creative studio other than my dilapidated garage, but over time, I left that dream to rot on asphalt outside my creativity until the street sweeper took it away. Except I just looked, and the dream was still there, somehow in perfect condition, so I picked it up.

Back then, the dream looked like a creative space where I could host art shows and creative sessions for people in the community, produce podcasts, and make my art and products.

Today, the dream looks a little different. It is less outwardly ambitious and more focused on all the wild and weird creative impulses that hit my brain. I want a space that allows for unhindered and unadulterated creative pursuits.

Like what, you ask? Well, let me indulge you with some of the more recent ideas that have been bouncing around my noggin for months, but I made no move to do anything about them because I had Hungry thoughts in my way.

There’s a utility box on the corner near my home that’s just asking to be wheat-pasted with random art, and I have just the right type of paper to make that happen. Perhaps I’ll make it a regular thing.

I have buckets and boxes filled with plastic bits and bobs that I’ve wanted to turn into abstract, re-purposed sculptures and then place them in weird places around the city.

I have a discarded wooden armchair in my studio that I’ve wanted to turn into something. I don’t even know what yet, but it’s long overdue for a new life.

I want to make scratch-built scale replicas of some of my favorite architecture but make them post-apocalyptic versions where the only living is nature that tries to overtake everything.

I want to steal some of my son’s old t-shirts, bleach them, dye them, embellish them, turn them into art pieces, and sell them for 10x what we paid originally.

I want to make videos that use more stop-action imagery, giving them a hand-made feel.

Whatever other creative impulses I have, I’ll find a spot on the calendar and make it. Seriously, I have a laundry list of wild projects in my head, but I didn’t want to bore you with all of them… yet. So get ready for that.

Then, I’ll document every aspect (or at least most) through my writing and videos posted to YouTube.

Hit the Pavement by Dave Conrey, 2025

But I can’t afford that studio yet, so now what?

I can still make things, and I have the space to do so, but my garage studio needs a serious overhaul. A couple of years ago, I made some changes in The Shed (my affectionate name for the safety trap that is my garage studio), but it never felt comfortable, and I haven’t worked out there nearly as much since.

I need to get that space back, and I want to turn it into a space that makes me want to spend time in there, but there’s a lot of work to do beforehand. I won’t go into too much detail yet, but it starts with this massive crack that runs the length of the space.

The Shed projects will also be experiences worth sharing. Although I am handy enough with tools, I wouldn’t call myself a craftsman, but those skills are built, not made, so let’s get to building.

Sincerely,

Dave Conrey

The DowhateverthefuckIwantist