I'm Adam Savage, and I'm here in my cave answering some questions from Tested patrons, specifically about my shop infrastructure and working habits. An End of the Trail Outdoors and Arts patron wants to know, "They say you recently started making cosplay items again after almost 10 years, I never know exactly how I'm going to design something, I just pull out materials and start making." This is a great question, and it's one that gets at the heart of my creative process.

I do use a combination of pre-planning and improvisation when designing and building projects. It's not entirely clear-cut whether one method is better than the other, and I believe that both approaches have their place. In many cases, I do a lot of pre-planning in my head before starting a build, but this can vary depending on the specific project and the materials I'm working with. For example, when I was building my latest cosplay project, I did a significant amount of research and planning beforehand to ensure that everything fit together seamlessly.

However, even with all that planning, there are still times when I find myself making changes or adjustments as I go along. This is where the iterative construction process comes in – I do a lot of mental construction before starting, but I also make sure to keep an eye on things and be willing to make changes if necessary. It's not always easy, and it can be frustrating at times, but I find that this approach allows me to create something truly unique and interesting.

One thing that's worth noting is the concept of "comparing minds." This is a mindset that I think we're all familiar with – we compare ourselves to others, whether it's in terms of our accomplishments or our skills. But when it comes to creativity and innovation, this can be a real problem. We tend to look at what other people are doing and try to improve upon it, but the truth is, there's no way to replicate someone else's experience. Each person has their own unique perspective and approach, and that's what makes things interesting.

I remember Bill Hicks once saying something that really stuck with me – "You are the less competition you have." This isn't about comparing ourselves to others; it's about embracing our individuality and finding ways to express ourselves in a way that's authentic and true. As a maker, I've learned to appreciate this approach, and I try to cultivate a mindset that's focused on my own creative process rather than trying to compete with others.

Of course, this doesn't mean that I'm completely immune to the urge to compare myself to others. We all have our flaws and insecurities, and it's natural to wonder how someone else is doing compared to us. But when it comes to creativity and innovation, I think it's really important to focus on your own experience and approach rather than trying to measure yourself against others.

That being said, I do appreciate the fact that there are so many talented makers out there who are pushing the boundaries of what's possible. It's inspiring to see people like you, from Tested patrons like End of the Trail Outdoors and Arts, who are passionate about creating something unique and interesting. Your questions are always awesome, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts and insights with you.

If you're interested in becoming a Tested patron and getting access to exclusive content and perks, the information is available in the comments below. Until next time, stay safe out there, and keep on making!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys adam savage here in my cave answering some questions from tested patrons uh specifically  about my uh shop infrastructure uh and working habits um an end of the trail outdoors and arts  tested patron end of the trail outdoors and arts all in one word uh wants to know  they say i recently started making cosplay items again after almost 10 years i never  know exactly how i'm going to design something i just pull out materials and start making however  you always seem to have a game plan of the exact material you're going to use before you begin  is this part of your pre-planning or does this come naturally to you after years of experience  working with materials um end of the trail at jordson arts it's a great question uh it it is ait is a little of both it is a little it is a little bit that i do a lot of pre-planning in  my head before starting a build that's definitely true i also have years of experience of all sorts  of different materials and i do a fair bit of pulling everything out and looking at it and  figuring out where to go from there in fact that's the most common way i workthe commonality between all three of those methodologies is that i do a lot of like  i do a lot of iterative construction in my head before i br before i begin um if i didn't do that  if i didn't do that before i begin sometimes i'm doing it during the tedious parts of a build but  there's certainly plenty of times let's see here there's plenty of times that i'll come  in and be like i'll put some stuff down on the table and i'll be like and i'll just look at it  for a while think maybe i i don't know how do i and frankly i don't film those moments a lotand part of it is because if i turn on the camera  it might run for an hour while i'm just staring at the workbench and that that  that's not what i'm looking for in this kind of storytelling so i do a lot of that kind of pre  sort of looking at stuff and feeling the weight of it off camera it's sort of an efficiency for  you know being able to get stuff in the camera that the editors can utilize um and thatlook within your question is this assumption i feel like  and it's an assumption about one way maybe being better than the otheryou say i never know exactly how i'm going to design something i just pull  out materials and start making i argue that i do much of the same thing just with experience  i can do some of that iteration in here instead of out here and that refines my process a little bit  but there's still plenty of builds to kick my ass entirely from a mental standpoint until i  actually put the materials in front of me where i can't parse at all how this build should go  until i'm already halfway through it or i'm halfway through it and it  changes and i realize i need to do a totally separate kind of story umso i my answer to your question to your official question is i do a bunch of pre-planning i do as  much as i feel like i need to so that when i push record on the camera i'm rolling on  something and the audience gets to see something interesting happen um but i also fly by the seat  of my freaking pants a huge amount of the time and i don't have a value judgment as to one of those  whoops i don't have a value judgment as to one of those methods being better  or more productive than the other and i would exhort you not to either  the real question to ask is are you happy with the product if you're happy with the product but  there's parts of the process that you feel could go smoother well that's a worthy line of inquiry  um i'm just always wary about the comparing about the comparing mind  like is that person's experience better than mine are they doing more that i should be doing  all of those shoulds and look comparing mind is a real state of mind and it's it's one that is  very very culturally prevalent it's very american the comparing mind how are they  doing in relation to me how am i doing in relation to them and it's a very toxic mindset  i know people that get depressed when they see movies with great screenplays because they write  screenplays and a good one depresses them i that i don't understand at all i like not to say that  that's a bad way to respond because it's not it's just the way that they respond but likewe all can only do the thing that's in front of us bill hicks had this great  thing that he said years and years ago um hold on just a second i'll call this up umwhat bill hicks said was a paraphrase of the more yourself you are the less competition you have  and he said this a friend of mine is a comedian wrote this to me he said i  think he said it to inspire comedians to dig deeper to stand out in a crowded field umyeah that bill hicks was saying that like don't worry about people steering  stealing your material if your material is deeply personal they can't steal it  and he i think one of the ways he phrased it is you you are the master interpreter of your  experience no one else can interpret your experience so if someone steals your jokethey've stolen your joke but they haven't stolen you they're still not you telling that joke that's  still something unique you bring to it now i am not a comedian so i don't mean to like  express that i have some stance on joke stealing or how one should feel about it because i do not  at all being a comedian is one of the hardest arts i think there is i think of comedy and magic as  the two art forms in which there are actual stakes yeah um and i think comedy is hard enough that  it's it's comedy is hard enough that it is the reason that comedians make such amazing actors  so so crazy frequently but uh i i drift away just be careful about the comparing mine that's all i  really want to say end of the trail outdoors and arts just be careful of the comparing mind your  experience is the only one you have access to this is something i need to tell myself just as  much as i need to tell you thank you guys so much for these awesome questions i just love  this forum tested patrons your questions remain awesome if you'd like to become a tested patron  info is in the comments below stay safe you guys and i will see you next time\n"