Hello fellow guild members and thank you for the warm welcome to the Neon Makers Guild! It is an honor to be a part of such an amazing group of artists, makers, and enthusiasts alike. I look forward to bringing Neon into the next generation with you all, and even more so, being a part of making information on this field accessible for anyone interested, which so far, I’ve not met that person, when bringing up the topic of neon. Which means to me, that the more we spread the fascinating details on what it takes to make a neon tube work, the more interest and success will occur within the field. There are many avenues one can take when approaching a working practice, and it's really fun to get to see all the different shops popping up, and the way each one works on a day-to-day basis. From sign making, to one-day experiences, to multi-week classes, or making new and interesting works of art, and even beyond that. It really is a beautiful thing to see all these adaptations, and exciting to be a part of such an interesting community of people.

I think what really made me appreciate the organizing of the Neon Makers Guild, other than bringing a community of people with like-minded interests together, is the idea of a place you could go to where the news feed was nothing but the thing you are searching for in that moment, without distractions. When researching a topic, I love when I find a directory about something, that will lead you down the path you are looking to go, where all the information about that thing and things related are in one place, I mean who doesn't!? As a person who gets very distracted by media and flashing lights, places like Instagram and Facebook really are a hindrance to my progression as an evolving human, which might sound a little dramatic, but is a very real feeling I get when using those applications. As some can moderate and block out information they don't want to perceive, I tend to get lost in an endless scroll of people I don't follow, lost in time, and with all the shocking and overstimulating things that I have been seeing in the last few years on these apps, I find it is healthier for me to stay away and focus on what's right in front of me. This is why I love to see NMG provide a space to come and meet people from all over the world with a passion for neon, and walk further down this well lit road into the unknown. If you have met me, you know I love to talk and have fun, and my passion for this field really knows no bounds, so having a healthy moderated space to still be able to make connections and keep up with what's happening is truly something I am thankful for and makes me feel able to included, without having to doom scroll to do so.

I really look forward to the future of this craft and am grateful to have found this community. If anyone ever needs to contact me, has any questions, or just want to share your thoughts, don't hesitate to reach out. I will be posting the journey of my studio build as I go along here on NMG, so anyone interested can keep up with my progress on everything I am working on. I look forward to seeing yours too!

Stay Electric, Séan Bradley