Introduction

My name is Jim and I like to make things.

That's the easiest way to say it. When I was a kid, I was drawn to art. When I got older, I got deeper into art and was drawn into computer programming. The idea of turning a blank page into a working product that could actually do something was... magical, in a way. Making something from nothing. Not just art, but something useful. I took programming as my profession.

Fast forward a few years. I had heard a lot about things like laser cutters and 3D printers. But such things were way out of my price range. Then came places like Maker Spaces and Fab Labs. For a while I had some hope, but being from a small town in the Midwest those seemed to be like a dream.

Fast forward a couple more years and life had me moving from town to town... and just an hour's drive from a Maker Space. Once I got the hang of the laser cutter and tried out the 3D printer, I had that same feeling I used to get from programming. The feeling of making something from nothing. Turning something lifeless into something with character, personality, and function. It reminded me of alchemy.

Thus the name. I like to make geeky things and things for board games and tabletop games, so Game Geek Alchemy just had a nice ring to it.