head(amame) 2023 Recap

Hey Morgan here,

**For all you Patrons out there, I want to say thank you for the continued support. I know that the development has slowed this past year, but I want you to know that I've got more coming this year. Can't wait to get posting more here in 2024 :)**

I wanted to recount what an incredible year 2023 was for head(amame). It wasn't all smooth sailing, but I'm proud of the brand this project has grown up to be, and am super excited for the future.

TL;DR I just want you to know that each interaction with my little company has an impact. Every like, share, follow, Discord message, purchase, video view, and build post proves to me that people are interested in the project and keeps me working on creating great things for people to 3D print.

I had a lot of help this year, and am lucky to have friends who were able to push head(amame) along. Those friends were invaluable in 2023, and I'm proud to mention some of them by name in this post.

Some Assembly Desired

I started the year with a significant challenge.

My partner John gave me a heads up he wouldn't have time for head(amame) in 2023. That kicked off a shift from a project under Vector Finesse, to it's own living breathing brand. Along with this news, I had to release head(amame) V2, and I wound up with an incredible opportunity to bring head(amame) to LTX Expo. What followed was a whirlwind of activity.

Until this point head(amame) existed as a project online, and I now had to figure out who head(amame) was as a brand. Not only online, but in front of 1000's of people as well! For a hand in that, I turned to my talented friend Lillian who helped me take head(amame) from a name in my head to a distinct image with a killer website. I think we can all agree Lillian did an incredible job.

I launched the V2 head(amame) and soon had them featured on Nero 3D. This was the first chance for the brand to be seen online and the reception helped prove we were on the right track. From this point onwards, head(amame) is open for remixing, so tag us in your makes/remixes on Printables or Thangs!

In June and July I spent nearly every spare moment working on prep for LTX. My girlfriend was the one who held me together while I worked full time, and escaped to my studio to prepare in the evenings. She helped poke holes in my plan, and polished things I didn't have time to consider. Her effort was amazing and I love her.

LTX was a Gamechanger

Getting to watch 100's of people test out head(amame) and min(amame) for the first time was surreal. They were wowed by the sound quality, and the most common reaction was "Wait, these are 3D Printed!?". Everyone who came by the table was excited by the idea around printing your own products at home, and couldn't believe how good something could sound that came off of a consumer 3D printer.

With the help of Joel and David at 3D Printing Nerd, and using Bambu's machines, we got to give away a pair of LTT themed head(amame) at the wrap up event. Linus even signed the headphones on the main stage before giving them away! Check out the video here.

It was great to meet so many from the online community in person and get their take. A few highlights:

• I got to meet Angus from Makers Muse and thank him for covering head(amame) two years ago.
• I got to give DankPods a pair of GREEN head(amame).
• Pooch from Repkord dropped by the studio to talk shop.
• We met incredible people from Pantheon Design, Bambu Lab, Prusa 3D, and Rapidia.

It's an incredibly friendly community, and one that I'm proud to play a small part in.

Wrapping up 2023

With the boost of interest from LTX, coverage from DankPods, and a mention on Linus Tech Tips we were able to surpass our expectations for 2023. We sold more kits than any year previous, and got record traffic on the website.

We even got to spend some time giving back to the community. We gave away 10 kits during 3D Printing Nerd's MASSIVE Holiday Giveaway. This event raised over $55,000 for the Seattle Children's Hospital! This has become an event I look forward to every year, and can't wait to participate next year.

Looking forward

So we managed to completely rebrand and boost the visibility of head(amame) in 2023. You might be wondering "What's next?". Well I'm not stopping there...

In 2024 I have the following on my list (in no particular order):

• Bluetooth speakers and headphones are obvious next steps in head(amame)'s path.
• Provide ways for people to tune head(amame) to their listening preference without EQ.
• Improve customer service by cutting lead times.
• Continue blurring the line between project and product - more on this soon :)

Thank you all for the amazing support this year, I can't wait to bring more in 2024.

Morgan