Seth Grizzle of architecture and product design studio graypants, tells us about being the creative kid in a family that didn’t quite “get” him, how an art teacher helped set him on the course to architecture and why living on a boat helps him edit his possessions down to just the ones that make a great story. Also, he reveals the story behind the name graypants.

Seth might describe himself as "the weird kid," but we think he's far from it! He comes from a line of craftsmen and tinkerers... and with access to a shed full of tools, he started making things early on in life. His creativity was fueled by an inspiring art teacher, who encouraged him to light that fire. He met his partner-in-design, graypants co-founder Jonathan Junker in architecture school where they developed their first line of lighting by accident. Listen above to hear how that accident turned into graypants design studio.

Both being schooled in architecture, Jonathan and Seth not only design products, but structures too, including their award-winning Garage project, pictured above.

White versions of their signature cardboard Scraplights, one of graypants' newest releases

What started out as dumpster diving, turned into an international business that goes far beyond just cardboard lighting... Seth talks about how he wants everything he does to be artistic and sculptural, and help transform people's lives.

We were intrigued to hear that Seth actually lives on a houseboat—what a pretty unique way of life... From hiking to playing with his labradoodle, Fig, to filling his houseboat with treasures, Seth explains what keeps him busy when he's not working.

See more of Seth's work at graypants.com and follow graypants on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

This wraps up 2016 and our first 20 episodes of Clever. We are overwhelmed and grateful to all of our listeners, and to our sponsors. Your support and feedback have been so motivating—thank you! If you love Clever, please sign up for the newsletter, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Special thanks to Chris Modl of Yore Studio for editing this episode.
Music in this episode courtesy of El Ten Eleven—hear more on Bandcamp.
Shoutout to Jenny Rask for designing the Clever logo.

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Ep. 20: Seth Grizzle of graypants

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Ep. 20: Seth Grizzle of graypants

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Ep. 21: Sebastian Errazuriz

Ep. 19: David Trubridge

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