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At CArtLab Solutions we provide mission-driven companies with collaborative research for early stage product development, while promising impact on equity and sustainability. Science and innovation are paired in our business through the glue of creative thought and the art of trying well-informed hypotheses or solutions to serve our clients needs.

Practically at CArtLab Solutions, we find ourselves spending significant time building or improving processes- for client communication, sales, marketing, administration, finances, research, development, maintaining expertise, enabling both equitable and sustainable practices, etc.

How do we choose which process to prioritize?

Every day is an additional adventure, and the “secret sauce” or “the art” of CArtLab Solutions can be broken down to two visuals:

1) Plastics:

Though studying artworks that are made of plastic is part of our Principal Dr. CC’s research expertise, it is merely the prequel to CArtLab Solutions. Plastic properties or most important characteristic like the look, the feel, or the way the plastic does what it is designed to do (like hold in/let out moisture, heat, UV light, water, strengthen, change viscosity, etc), is usually due to <20% of the whole formula or recipe of the complete or bulk plastic material.

The secret sauce of polymers -the small impacts the property of the whole- is also the art of CArtLab Solutions regarding our values of equity and sustainability in research and development. The voices that are usually underrepresented in STEM are the most important to bring to R&D innovation, especially if they are one of the stakeholders in the process.

Sometimes we all have to work a little differently, or reach out differently to find, to listen, and to empower those perspectives. Sometimes it means finding another business model or less obvious solutions.

Sometimes it means reaching for sustainable polymers that are both biocompatible and biodegradable, in 3D printing this could be polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), thermoplastic starch (TPS), and poly (butylene succinate) (PBS), or poly(lactic acid) PLA, or at least a biocomposite like natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFRCs), cellulose, nannocellulose, or even cellulose triacetate (CTA). [Andanje, M. N., Mwangi, J. W., Mose, B. R., & Carrara, S. (2023). Biocompatible and Biodegradable 3D Printing from Bioplastics: A Review. Polymers, 15(10), 2355.]

2) The Pie:

At the end of the day, or week, or quarter, there are only so many hours that should be utilized for one category of the business pie. Both to avoid burnout and to continue growth, mental flexibility is required to adjust pie pieces and percentages each day according to priority.

The less obvious part of the art of the pie is in knowing when it needs to grow. It’s important to realize when it’s important to make time for the activity that is rated lower priority wise, but will cause the most impact.

At CArtLab Solutions, we believe in growing the pie (8″ to 10″ diameters for any of my U.S. bakers out there) by prioritizing actions like resting, taking self care, stretching, walking in nature, reading, exercising, practicing spirituality, volunteering time to a dear cause, and spending resources to learn more, like learning in lab through passion projects (look for the next mhub Monday’s post)! These sorts of solutions lead to fruitful contributions to other areas of the business in a surprising way.

Like all weeks, Dr. CC would love to hear back from the readers: what grows your pie?