After being laid off from my job, and a pandemic happening around the world, I found myself with a lot of spare time between applying to jobs and waiting. I went to a toy convention called DesignerCon. Being a big toy collector, I wanted to see what it was all about. It was so inspiring to see what designers were creating and how they started out that it sparked a desire in me to dive into seeing what I could make.

After sleepless nights of different ideas bouncing around in my head, I narrowed it down to turtle shells. To me, their shapes are fun, and have a vast potential of design exploration that I didn't see at the convention.
Even though turtle shells are symbolic of being shy and introverted, it doesn’t mean they can’t have fun. I wanted to design a shell that could take on different personalities, but still retain their identity as a shell.

Without any knowledge of how to start making a toy, I went all in. I spent the next 6 months researching and failing miserably trying to make what I had in my head come to reality.
After several months of experimenting and lots, and lots, and LOTS of sanding, I had in my hands something that I honestly couldn’t believe was real. Sure I could have used a 3D printer and software to make this process quicker and perfect, but where’s the fun in that? I wanted to create something with my hands that took time and effort to create.