Taking a closer look

Matthew S. Hall
History Of I.D.
Final Essay

It takes a lot of people many years to figure out who they really are and what they want to be. I have always been young at heart, and still am at almost thirty. I’m happy to say I still know how to play and do so often. We are all told in various ways to “grow up”- maybe not directly but by societal norms or expectations. But all of my life I have found or made some special time to play. In part, that may be because I am a bit of a country boy, born and raised in Vermont. From childhood I always enjoyed venturing off into the woods to explore. And in a way- feel a connection with nature and myself. Born and raised in central Vermont, I was a country boy. I hiked, I biked, hunted and fished. I had lots of animals and with them came lots of chores. But all of it was just part of life, being close to nature.
My grandfather used to work for G.E. making parts for jet engines back during the war. He had a metal lathe in his basement with a nine foot bed. Just like my grandfather, I always like to understand how things work and how to make something if you had to or wanted to. My grandfather would make all kinds of parts for whatever he needed. He was a big inspiration to me growing up. For example, I remember as a small child being frustrated that toys were typically made out of plastics and lacked a certain detail so I would modify them to have more detail and or function using “real” materials. I would come home from elementary school wanting to make something and not wanting to wait to ask my parents if I could use the power tools with a most likely reply of “No”. So I dug in and taught myself. I would just be really careful and taught myself how to use them all. I would get my hands on band saws, grinders, a table saw and torches as well as many hand tools. Never getting hurt I would work with wood, metal and plastic to make whatever I wanted if we had the tool technology. My parents probably got some of those grey hairs from me telling them what tools I had used to make whatever I had and presented to them when they came home from work.
Now living in Rhode Island for almost ten years I’m studying Industrial Design at the school of my dreams- R.I.S.D. I worked in various fields that struck interest to me from arboriculture and landscaping to automotive and equine culture. I have finally realized something I’ve always sort of known, that I want to design/invent or improve toys, physical rehabilitation products and perhaps other things too. I’ve always had a hard time in school being more of a “hands on” and audio learner than book learner. But I always tried my best. Shop classes and projects came rather easy to me. I love to work with my imagination and my hands!
I moved to Rhode Island back in January of 1999 with plans to find a way into the Rhode Island School of Design. I started taking classes in RISD’s Continuing Ed. department for jewelry with the “Lost Wax Casting” process followed with wire construction. I really enjoyed this but realized I didn’t want to be limited to just jewelry so I went off to New England Tech for mechanical engineering and drafting technology. I could have done really well but algebra took too much time out of my other subjects study time. Feeling very discouraged I decided to transfer to the Community College of Rhode Island. I studied multiple areas from psychology, sociology, business, art, and computer courses. School worked out well going part time and working one or almost two full time jobs at a time. I finished at C.C.R.I. six and a half years later. I wanted to have the freedom to design anything I could think of at the top design school in the country. Never having applied to a college before and knowing this place was serious- I brought a collection of things I had made growing up in my backpack and spoke to almost everyone I ran into from students to professors. I would ask what it was like, projects, teachers, opportunities and whatever else they could tell me. I grew more excited about the place and sat in on a couple of classes and asking advice on applying. Everyone I met I told them I wanted to go here! I found I could take a course under “special student status” so I took Metals shape and form with the English wheel. Then I finally applied to R.I.S.D. for Industrial design. I got in! I was speechless.
I’ll be graduating in 2010. Right now I’m finishing up an independent study with a prototype chassis for the radio-controlled scene. I found a company out of California that produces high quality/scale parts and r.c. kits. I contacted the company and have an arrangement for them to critique my designs. Next I will be applying for an internship with the company perhaps for the summer if not before. When my R.I.S.D. education is completed I hope to start working in the design of high quality radio-controlled car and truck parts. At the same time I will work on producing some products for physical therapy to present to various companies. I would like to bring more of a sense of ethics where necessary and environmentally friendly production methods wherever possible.