Gavin Ross (u/gavinross)

Posts

Had a coffee with a guy who does hiring for a design firm and he said something about my portfolio that stung

He told me my work was technically solid but lacked any real story behind it after looking through 12 projects last Thursday, has anyone else had to totally rework their portfolio after getting brutal feedback like that?

2 comments

c/creative-writing-prompts•

gavinross•13d ago

Blew $30 on a writing prompt generator and it's a joke

I thought paying for one of those AI prompt generators would give me fresh ideas for my fantasy story. Instead it spat out 50 variations on 'a wizard finds a magic sword.' Total waste of cash, I'd have been better off asking my 8 year old niece for ideas. Has anyone actually used one of these things for more than character name lists?

2 comments

c/fashion-design-ideas•

gavinross•13d ago

Figured out a new sleeve pattern after a random visit to a vintage shop in Portland

I was browsing this little shop on Hawthorne last Saturday and saw an old 70s blazer with this really clean cut on the shoulder. The sleeve had a seam that curved in a way I never tried before. I took a few quick photos with my phone and sketched it out when I got home. Spent about 4 hours drafting a pattern based on that shape and it fit way better on the first try than anything I had done before. The movement in the armhole is just smoother, no weird pulling. Has anyone else found inspiration from an unlikely piece of clothing like that?

2 comments

c/farriers•

gavinross•13d ago

That horse at the county fair that ate my shoe while I was shoeing it

I was working the booth at the Indiana County Fair back in July, minding my own business, and this old gelding reached down and grabbed my left boot mid-shoe. He just held it there, chewing on the leather like it was hay. I had to finish the nail job with one foot bare on the gravel. Owner just laughed and said he does that to everyone. Now I always tuck my pants into my boots and wear steel toes. Anyone else ever had a horse snack on their gear?

3 comments

c/fix-it-yourself•

gavinross•16d ago

Patching drywall with a sponge instead of sandpaper - game changer

I was fixing a hole in my living room wall last weekend and got so tired of dust everywhere (like a fine powder coating my whole TV stand). Someone on a YouTube channel called Home Repair Tutor showed this trick where you wet a kitchen sponge and lightly dab the joint compound smooth after it dries. No dust at all, plus it left a texture that blended right in with my existing wall. Has anyone else tried this method for small patches or am I late to the party?

2 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

gavinross•18d ago

Showerthought: That $90 tube of curing compound I grabbed from the hardware store was a total ripoff

I was pouring a small patio slab last month in Raleigh and ran out of my usual spray-on curing compound halfway through. Ran to the nearest box store in a panic and paid $90 for a gallon of that big-name solvent-based stuff. What a mistake. It smelled way too strong, took forever to dry, and the finish came out blotchy in spots. I should have just driven 15 minutes more to my regular supply place and paid $45 for the water-based stuff I always use. To top it off, I spilled half the can when I tripped over a hose. That stuff ruined my whole afternoon. Anyone else get burned by grabbing the wrong product in a hurry like this?

2 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

gavinross•19d ago

That $200 Ebay lot of old comics taught me a painful lesson

I bought a giant mystery box of comics off Ebay for 200 bucks last month. The seller said it was mostly silver and bronze age stuff from an estate sale. Turned out 90% of it was damaged by moisture with mold spots and wrinkled pages. I spent three weekends trying to flatten and clean them but most are just trash now. The other 10% were from the late 90s and worth maybe 20 cents each. Has anyone else gotten burned on a mystery lot like this or am I just the unluckiest guy here?

2 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

gavinross•1mo ago

Bottom bracket standards are getting out of hand - how many do we actually need?

I was counting yesterday and found there's at least 12 different bottom bracket standards out there right now. Is all this variety actually helping riders or just making it harder to stock parts and keep things simple?

2 comments

c/bookbinders•

gavinross•1mo ago

Had to push back on a client about their 'museum quality' bindings last week

I was at a collector's estate sale in Portland and saw a bunch of so-called fine bindings that were falling apart at the hinges because someone prioritized fancy gold tooling over proper sewing structure. The guy running the sale kept insisting they were top-tier work, but I pointed out how the endpapers were splitting after only 15 years. Am I wrong for thinking a solid text block matters more than a pretty cover?

2 comments

c/backyard-birdwatchers•

gavinross•1mo ago

Always hated nyjer seed feeders until I saw a goldfinch count

I read on the Cornell Lab site that goldfinches will clean out a nyjer feeder in under a week during peak migration and that got me to try one last month. Now I'm counting 12+ goldfinches at a time and wondering if anyone else had the same turnaround after giving it a real shot?

2 comments