MiniCityArt during COVID-19
We would first and foremost like to wish everybody good health and patience as the world struggles with the personal, emotional, and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In times like these we need to remember that we are all connected in one way or another, and what we do and how we react to the pandemic affects those around us, and those around them, and ultimately the entire world. Make sure that your reactions are positive, thoughtful, and as supportive as possible.
MiniCityArt is based in Boston, one of the early hot spots in the US breakout, and we are specifically near South Boston, which is still experiencing far more than its share of infections. One of our growing team has already survived the virus. But we are all social distancing, and doing what we can to push forward as safely as possible. Fortunately, most of our work allows that - I personally still run the 3D printers, assemble the finished pieces, and walk them to the local Post Office. The rest of the team can work in digital isolation, and is doing that now. Nobody in our production space is infected, and the virus wouldn’t survive on plastics and woods during shipping if we were infected but asymptomatic. Nevertheless, we don’t encourage you to give us your business if you fear unemployment or instability in your economic situation - take care of yourself and your family first. The beautification of your walls can wait: we’re not going anywhere.
Since our last update, our design work and production has continued. We’ve recently released models for four new cities: Ann Arbor, Michigan, Anchorage, Alaska, Atlanta, Georgia, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Additionally, we are on the verge of releasing four more: Denver, Colorado, Houston, Texas, Portland, Oregon, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And work is progressing on another batch as I write. There is more exciting news as well, but you’ll have to wait a little longer.
In summary, we’re here and working to make the most beautiful and detailed miniature models of cities that you’ll find anywhere. We hope you enjoy looking at them, and that you will eventually take one home. But the health and safety of you, your family, and your finances are more important to us, and we wish you the best.
Mark S.
Founder, MiniCityArt
What is it about miniatures?
A map is a model - a scaled representation of a place. A miniature is, too. Model train layouts, impeccably-detailed dollhouses, metal miniatures for boardgaming and table-top wargaming - I’ve appreciated (or owned) these for most of my life, and I think many of you have as well. But what compels us to do this? We make miniatures as stand-ins for the full-size objects, and this allows us god-like powers to move, rearrange, reformulate, and rethink our (or another) world.
Something weird happens when you change the scale of a thing, such as seeing a room-sized sculpture of a large insect or holding a miniature model of a city or mountain. It’s not so much that the subject changes scale, it’s that you do. All of a sudden, you’re the size of a grain of rice, or as large as Long Island. And you watch the world change size around you. The largest, steepest mountain now looks like a lump of mashed potatoes, the deepest canyon like a crack in the sidewalk. This mind-altering change of scale is what motivates me to create miniatures.
Mt. Wilbur
Before MiniCityArt, there was TinyMtn
Creating tiny 3D cities wasn’t my first plan, it was actually to create miniature landscapes. I remember spending lots of time as a child looking at maps and atlases, seeing the shapes and colors and details laid out on each page. I would imagine myself as a giant, walking across the landscape. Or just a regular-sized me, walking across a large miniature model of the Earth. I would think “...if 1 mile in real life were 1 foot, then Indiana would be about the size of a football field, my house the size of the head of a pin, and Mt. Everest would be just over 5 feet high.”
After a few years of programming and testing, I launched TinyMtn (http://tinymtn.com/) in 2013 to design and sell accurate 3D printed models of mountains, canyons, and everything in between. Since then I’ve designed over 900 different models of over 250 natural features, and Christmas ornaments of 49 states and many countries. My apartment would probably qualify as the largest museum of terrain models anywhere in the world - by count. I’ve learned that people from all over the world have strong emotional connections to landscape, whether it’s the park in their backyard, a beautiful photograph, their first summit, or the hike that they always took with a parent. They come to TinyMtn for a 3D miniature to remind them of that place and time.
Tinymtn models
It’s not just about coffee-table decorations
In the last 7 years, I’ve been able to design and print 3D models for a wide variety of uses.
New Media Artist Jim Pallas wanted a Mt. Hood to cast into an artwork for a family member. Surveyors wanted large prints of mining claims. Interior designers wanted arrays of models for mountaineering clients. Grand Tetons National Park wanted a 3D model to use for programs for the blind. The Red Dot Design Museum in Singapore currently has six pieces on display as part of their show “Human-Nature.” And recently I’ve made two large prints for digital media projections for the National Renewable Energy Lab. But mostly I just make small prints for people who feel a connection to a special place. And it doesn’t matter if that’s a mountain or a neighborhood - we’ve got you covered.
Mont Blanc at Red Dot, credit: Connie Chan
Building a Team for a Startup Company
MiniCty shares the tips and tricks of how to build a dynamic team for a startup company!
Where do I start?
I get asked this a lot, and the short answer is: don’t try to do everything yourself. I’ve started a few hobby businesses in the past, and I am also a working artist, and those ventures can often be done solo. But I thought MiniCty was such a compelling idea that it deserved to reach a much wider audience - you and people like you.
In order to make a dynamic impact, I needed more help. There is strength in numbers.
What skills do you need to build a successful company?
Growing up, I didn’t know anyone who owned a business. The daily tasks and challenges of running a business were not part of my lived experience. As I got older and met more people, I began meeting folks who had that knowledge. I would tell them what I was planning to do, and ask them if they had any advice. If you don’t know any people like this, look for a nearby entrepreneurs’ meetup group, or ask your circle of friends and relatives to make an introduction, and get on LinkedIn.
Try to build a small group of people who have been where you’ve been and have succeeded in ways that you wish to emulate. You can turn to this group for advice. Be open and honest, listen, and take notes. These are the building blocks to get to your next level.
But how do you find talented people to help you bring your idea into reality?
You’re probably still working your day job and spending evenings and weekends developing your idea, right? Well, so are a lot of other people. Let’s go find them.
From peppering my informal “board of advisors” with questions, I learned that I needed help with photography, graphic design, some 3D modeling and 3D printing, and most importantly marketing. If you find talented people who can get things done, are easy to work with, and whose goals match yours, you’ve got a team. That’s probably why you’re still reading this. There are several ways to find them.
The process
Ask your group of friends, family, and acquaintances! Use whatever medium they are most comfortable using (chat, Instagram, email, in person). Say something like “I’m thinking of starting a real business, and need someone who can do a few hours of X per week - do you know anyone?”
Don’t be afraid to branch out. Actively seek talent from outside of your circle. Some sites to go to are: Craigstlist, Fiverr.com, Upwork.com. These sites are overflowing with users ready to do work, but you have the task of wading through the hordes to find the right one for you. Don’t eliminate applicants based on cost immediately - get work samples and ask questions. Quality speaks volumes when the work is done right.
The ole’ Networking strategy is still alive and active. You need to put yourself in situations where you are likely to find people with the experience that you want. Sure, you can stumble into talented people at a party, but you’re more likely to find a new teammate if you go to a topical meetup group, or a local entrepreneurs’ meeting. You can’t succeed by staying in your comfort zone.
Networking is key.
I approach networking as an opportunity to use my own skills and experience to help people - first by learning who they are and what makes them tick. Famous radio interviewer Terry Gross says that “Tell me about yourself” is the only icebreaker you’ll ever need. Then think about how you can help them - do you have experience with something that they are struggling with? Do you know local freelancers that they need, or someone looking for the kind of work that they do? Help them out, and hopefully they’ll also learn a little about you and what you need. No matter how that goes, thank them for their time, and share contact information - connect on LinkedIn immediately if you can.
This is how the MiniCty team was formed
The MiniCty team was built using all of these methods. My advisors are friends, artists, relatives, and mentors, collected over decades of meeting people and learning what they’re good at. Samantha Barracca replied to my Craigslist ad for a photographer, I met Tina Lerouge at a party that I wasn’t even planning on attending, Joe Strinka sat next to me at a weekly gathering of new friends, I met a UX designer at a startup meetup, a 3D modeler at a previous workplace, etc. None of these talented people would be helping me if I had not put myself in situations where I’d meet new people and started up conversations with no expectations.
Businesses, after all, are people, not paper.
Thank you for reading! I hope this has illuminated the process of building a small company from scratch, or at the very least inspired you to take your idea one step closer to reality. Keep up the hard work, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Mark Stock
Founder
mark@minicty.com
We are MiniCityArt.
Welcome to MiniCty! Our goal is simple: bring you the most accurate, three-dimensional miniature models of the world. Thinking back, it appears that starting MiniCty was inevitable. As a young kid, I fell in love with math, then physics, then a few years later, found computer programming and combined the three. Ten years later in college, I found out that that combination could actually be a career. Throw in some landscape photography, a little bit of creative computing, table-top wargaming, and seeing my first 3D printer, and in 2013 TinyMtn was born. Now we have over 900 different 3D printable models of mountains, canyons, ski resorts, and landscapes from around the world. But I'd always loved architecture and buildings, and having moved into downtown Boston recently, I now more appreciate the chaos and complexity of a modern city. With this background and interest, I can now bring your downtown into your living room or office, in vivid miniature detail, and at reasonable cost.
Welcome to MiniCityArt!
Join us in on our summer launch!
Our goal is simple: We bring you the most accurate, three-dimensional miniature models of the world. We've been developing these techniques for over a decade: reading, testing, fixing, and learning, and are finally ready to reveal the products of this long effort. Every MiniCity is crafted in Boston (in my living room right now) with the utmost care by hand and with professional 3D printers, the goal of which is to create miniatures so realistic and beautiful that you can't stop exploring them.
MiniCityArt was destined…
Thinking back, it appears that starting MiniCityArt was inevitable. As a young kid, I fell in love with math, then physics, then a few years later, found computer programming and combined the three. Ten years later in college, I found out that that combination could actually be a career. Throw in some landscape photography, a little bit of creative computing, table-top wargaming, and seeing my first 3D printer, and in 2013 TinyMtn was born. Now we have over 900 different 3D printable models of mountains, canyons, ski resorts, and landscapes from around the world. But I'd always loved architecture and buildings, and having moved into downtown Boston recently, I now more appreciate the chaos and complexity of a modern city. With this background and interest, I can now bring your downtown into your living room or office, in vivid miniature detail, and at reasonable cost.
We are unique, here’s why
What makes our city prints different? A few things: we use much more detailed and comprehensive data than everyone else, we've been developing methods for processing this complex data for years, we have over a decade of engineering and technical knowledge and experience with 3D modeling and printing, and we bring an artist's sensibility to all of our work. When you buy a MiniCity, you'll get a 3D print with more than just buildings - you'll get every train, tower, tree, bus, and bridge, you'll even see cars, sculptures, and shrubs! This is important, because we believe that a city is more than just a skyline - it's a history, it's people and decisions, it's the intertwining of millions of life stories manifested in concrete and brick and glass. You'll see, *feel* really, the shapes, the texture, and the chaos of urban life. Your city, in your hands.
MiniCityArt summer launch
We are soft-launching today with remarkably-detailed models of six major downtowns: Boston, Detroit, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver, each in three different sizes: 8", 12", and hyper-detailed 24". In the next two months, we will expand our library of available locations, fine-tune our products, and build a business which is open, fun, and responsive to you. Until then, you can see MiniCityArt models in person on Wednesday, July 3, 1-4pm, at Crosspoint Plaza (46 Thomson St, Boston, in front of Trillium), sponsored by Friends of Fort Point Channel, or by special request.
Be a part of the MiniCityArt mission!
But right now, if you want to help us, please go to our web page and sign up for email updates. You'll get a coupon good for 15% off your first order just for signing up! You can also browse photos of the models and read about our talented team.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you can get involved!
Mark Stock
Founder