Andy Swick
Andy Swick

they/them

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Log

Everything I make, in one place: posts, tips, podcast episodes, talks, and whatever is on my LEGO table or 3D printer.

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October 2026

  1. Moment

    Finished Hunter x Hunter

    Finally finished Hunter x Hunter — my favorite arcs, Killua, and what's next.

  2. Moment

    Finally visiting Alcatraz

    Andy grinning in a backwards cap on the ferry, with the wake behind them and Alcatraz Island in the distance.
    Alcatraz Island from the water: the lighthouse and cellhouse on top of the rocky cliffs under a grey sky.
    A long cellhouse corridor lined with two tiers of barred cells and a skylight running overhead.
    A small cell staged with a paint box, a palette, sketches pinned above a shelf of books, and a coat hanging by the sink.
    The dock building sign, with “Indians Welcome” and “Indian Land” painted in red during the occupation.
    Alcatraz's water tower, painted in red with “Peace and Freedom. Welcome. Home of the Free Indian Land.”
    The roofless, burned-out shell of the warden's house under a cloudy sky.
    The San Francisco skyline across the bay from Alcatraz, with a ferry crossing and plants in the foreground.
    A close-up of a bright pink geranium with raindrops on its petals.

    Finally visiting Alcatraz

    Finally visiting Alcatraz at my own pace, and learning about the occupation whose graffiti is still on the island.

  3. Moment

    Resend Forward

    Dave Kiss on a dark stage beside an open coffin, in front of a giant sketched tombstone that reads “Here lies the Hard way, 1968–2026.”
    A single-line drawing of Andy by the Laravel booth's drawing robot, captioned “From one builder to another.”
    Andy's reflection in the mirrored screen of a giant iPod nano prop that reads “Now Living.”
    An arcade-style Inbox Invaders game on a wall-mounted TV, with a joystick on the wooden counter below.
    Zeno Rocha and Guillermo Rauch sitting in armchairs on stage for a fireside chat, with Guillermo's name in huge letters behind them.
    A speaker on stage in front of a massive slide that reads “Craft is obsession.”
    Conference swag spread out on a hotel bed: stickers, pins, a notebook, a lanyard, and Resend and Laravel goodies.

    Resend Forward

    My second-ever tech conference: Resend Forward in San Francisco, with a eulogy for the software engineer, a drawing robot, and stolen Pop-Tarts.

August 2026

  1. Make

    3D print

    Loading 3D model…

    TARDIS key hook and Wallet holder

    A 3D-printed blue TARDIS key hook holding keys and a badge reel, next to a red and blue printed AirTag holder on the wall.

    TARDIS key hook and Wallet holder

    finally I don't have a pile of crap on my desk

    A 3D-printed wallet holder to go next to my TARDIS key hook, printed at the Downers Grove library.

  2. Make

    Puzzle

    Finished puzzle

    A finished jigsaw puzzle of an illustrated fantasy city by the sea, on a wooden table.

    Finished puzzle

    The Golden Goose, a Where's Waldo-style Magic Puzzle Company puzzle with a secret second bag of pieces.

June 2026

  1. Moment

    Playing Symphony Center

    Andy in black concert clothes standing outside the Welcome to Symphony Center doors in Chicago.
    Andy taking a selfie on stage with the empty Symphony Center hall behind.
    Andy smiling backstage while holding a clarinet.

    Playing Symphony Center

    Playing Chicago’s Symphony Center with Lakeside Pride Symphonic Band: a dream I didn’t know I had.

  2. Tip

    Keep Factories Simple

    If you need to remove things after creating a model using a factory, it's doing too much.

March 2026

  1. Make

    Art

    Bing Bang Boom

    A spray-painted canvas reading Bing Bang Boom, with yellow balloons, a flying saucer beaming up a cow and a scaffolding pattern, leaning on a graffiti wall.
    Three people holding their spray-painted canvases in front of a graffiti-covered wall.

    Bing Bang Boom

    A spray painting class for my girlfriend's birthday that we'll definitely be going back to.

  2. Moment

    The They Jar - $1

    A glass jar on a wooden table, labeled The They Jar $1.

    The They Jar - $1

    My dad started a "They" Jar: a dollar goes in every time he or my mom gets my pronouns wrong.

February 2026

  1. Moment

    Lakeside Pride Pops Ensemble Winter Concert

    A concert band dressed in black sitting on stage with their instruments, smiling at the camera.

    Lakeside Pride Pops Ensemble Winter Concert

    Lakeside Pride Pops Ensemble's winter concert, with Golden, Legend of Zelda, and a Sondheim medley.

January 2026

  1. Make

    3D print

    Loading 3D model…

    Loading 3D model…

    Loading 3D model…

    3D-printed medicine holder

    A white 3D-printed tray with a large compartment, a narrow side slot and three round wells.
    A plain white 3D-printed tray next to two small printed stands.
    A failed print: the white tray covered in stringy strands of filament along one side.

    3D-printed medicine holder

    A 3D-printed box that keeps my testosterone, syringes, and daily and migraine meds in one place.

December 2025

  1. Make

    LEGO

    LEGO winter village

    A LEGO winter village on a table: a train track curves around a town square with a lit Christmas tree, a blue ice rink and colorful storefronts.
    A LEGO winter village street with snowy houses, a Christmas tree, a train station and a giant nutcracker beside the tracks.
    A raised LEGO village section with snowy chalets and a hot air balloon above a train tunnel carved into the hillside.
    LEGO minifigures playing hockey on a rink built from transparent and white bricks.
    Close-up of LEGO hockey players in green and blue jerseys on the rink, with the train track behind them.
    A LEGO minifigure in a red cap clearing snow with a yellow snowblower next to a Christmas tree.
    A red LEGO fire truck with its ladder raised outside the fire station, beside a glowing blue skating pond.
    A lit LEGO Christmas tree with colored lights and a gold star on a brick-paved square in front of a music shop.
    A LEGO mail carrier dropping a letter into a red mailbox, with lit buildings blurred behind.
    Overhead view of the LEGO fire station with red doors, the fire truck with its ladder raised and the skating pond.
    LEGO Spider-Gwen perched on a rooftop while another minifigure swings in on a web line.
    A LEGO music shop with purple trim, guitars in the window and a snowy roof at the edge of the village.

    LEGO winter village

    My (almost) yearly LEGO winter village, this time with a two-level mountain and a ski slope.

October 2025

  1. Talk

    Livewire in production

    A conference ballroom with an ornate gold ceiling and chandeliers, seen from behind the podium.
    A full room watching a talk at WIRE LIVE, with a slide reading Once upon a time on the screen.
    Speakers and organizers posing on the WIRE LIVE stage in front of the sponsor wall.

    Livewire in production

    Wire:Live 2025

    My first conference talk was at Wire:Live!

  2. Make

    Baking

    Apple Cider Donuts

    Two trays of freshly baked donuts on a white stovetop.

    Apple Cider Donuts

    yummmmy

    Dairy-free apple cider donuts from scratch: I picked the apples, made the applesauce, and bought new donut trays.

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