Flame Effects

Timothy Deagan

Robert A. Heinlein famously said that “specialization is for insects.” If that’s true, then Tim Deagan is a model human, dabbling in countless forms of making. He has chops in electronics and metal work, although he’s probably best known as a fire whisperer. (In fact, he wrote the book on it.) “Making is my medium, tools are my brush and pen, the hardware store is where I find my art supplies,” he says. “The things around me call to me to be taken apart and reborn as something whimsical or exciting. I love to bend, cut, weld, drill, and melt metal. I delight in motors and valves that make things move. I’m entranced by tiny computers that breathe interaction into static things. I need to paint and sculpt. I crave learning new skills no matter how good or bad I am at them.”