UA State of the Union - April 2010

The State of the Union is an annual address presented by the President of the United States. This post is akin to the State of the Union, but obviously with much less fanfare. I’m going to report on the current state of Unknown Artifact (UA) and outline some agendas and priorities.

The State of Unknown Artifact (UA)

As of this post, UA is a brand spanking new small company. Though the company is in its infancy, the initial idea of setting up a water-based silk screen shop in my garage is not very new. Back in 2003, when we put a bid on the unfinished house that we live in today, we requested that plenty of electrical power and access to plumbing be added to the garage. Five years after that (about a year before this post) I started to slowly acquire the various silk screen shop components. So, after several years of thought and about a year of equipment acquisitions, the UA shop is now ready to roll.

Agendas & Priorities

One of the goals of this endeavor is to become a proficient and hopefully, accomplished screen printer. Although I’ve pulled a squeegee before, many years ago, I’m not entirely familiar with water-based printing. Not only that, I need to get into the groove of printing again and somehow make it second nature.

Another goal is to improve my designing abilities. I have no problem admitting that my designing skills are sub par. In fact, I would say that my skills suck at this time. Though that being the case, becoming a decent artist is at the heart of this whole endeavor. There’s something distinct about producing a product that is very satisfying. It’s a form of your expression that you hope others will enjoy. For instance, as a short-term goal, it would be incredibly satisfying to see a random person, upon my travels, rocking one of my shirts.

In addition to becoming a proficient printer and designer, another goal is to successfully fulfill the business end of UA. Everything from marketing, shopping cart, taxes, and customer service need to be accommodated. Since most of the business of UA will be virtual, this little website is a critical piece of the puzzle. Much like printing and designing, I’m learning how to build and maintain a WordPress based website on the fly. As many website owners already know, the website is a constant work-in-progress.

Of course, there are many other related goals but those are the primary ones.

Closing Statement

That is UA’s State of the Union at this time. If you have not done so, please feel free to subscribe to this blog and follow along with my progress. I intend to write about all aspects of this endeavor, including challenges and successes, with the hope of obtaining feedback, learning, and sharing ideas with others.