News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Brian Keast brings his formidable talents to bear in bringing people’s ideas for inventions to fruition.
If you've ever had a great idea for a product, but weren't sure how to get from idea to reality, you need to meet Brian Keast. His business name tells you what he can do for you: I Draw Dreams For Inventors.
With a fertile sense of creativity and years of practical experience in computer assisted design (CAD) and 3D printing, Keast actually does a lot more than draw your dreams - he can help you work through each step in turning an idea into a viable product.
"I'm just a facilitator for your thinking," Keast says. "Probably what I really excel at is mechanical designing."
Keast's website describes his services:
"Familiarizing myself with your project, answering your questions and offering a path for you to take, is all free of charge. I take no money down and I don't require a deposit. You're not charged a dime until you're sure you can use my services and that we both understand the path you'd like to take. This way you can relax while we review your project.
"If you need a 3D model for printing or an eventual mold, detailed technical drawings, presentation files, or even animations of your product assembling, then I can help you. I can also produce marketing videos for YouTube and realistic, high-resolution pics for flyers, posts to Instagram, Facebook, or any other social media outlet."
Keast has worked on the Debooter ski boot remover, a fire detection tool for air ducts and many other products.
While Keast emphasizes that his job is to facilitate the inventor's ideas, he's also capable and willing to contribute if the inventor is open to it.
"He's very artistic," Brian's wife, Joanie, told The Nugget. "He almost always comes up with ideas that better the product."
Keast's mechanical aptitude manifested itself early.
"At eight years old, I took apart my grandmother's edger," he recalled with a grin.
He readily acknowledges that he didn't get it put back together again, but the pattern of mechanical curiosity and the willingness to jump in and get his hands dirty was set.
Keast worked for Oldsmobile and Cadillac and independent shops for 15 years. Then he became a general contractor, in high demand for his creativity and attention to detail in the Palo Alto area in California.
He and Joanie owned land in Klamath, and planned to build there. However, a friend and real estate agent told them to check out a house off Holmes Road near Sisters and they were instantly hooked on the area.
"When we drove through Sisters I thought, 'this is the cutest town in the world,'" Joanie said.
They moved here four years ago and extensively remodeled their home before Brian launched his design endeavor.
Keast has a remarkable calling card that demonstrates both his wild creativity and his mechanical aptitude. He owns and operates a huge pickup truck that is often featured in local car shows, imprinted with I Draw Dreams and flames on the side.
The signature truck was born out of an accident. After the rear end of his 1996 pickup locked up on the freeway, Keast decided to order rear differentials that would never break. When they arrived, they were way too big for the truck. So, Keast built his truck around it.
While the truck is tremendously tall, it is not jacked up.
"The height of the truck is actually as low as it can be with those differentials," he said.
Despite its massive size, the truck is 100 percent street-legal, which Keast was required to prove in a lengthy process with the State of California. Oregon has signed off on it, too.
"It's a fun way of meeting people," Joanie said.
The truck is an illustration of Keast's "never-say-can't" attitude. It's an attitude he encourages in inventors. Very few ideas are for products that are actual needs. Most are wants, and you just never know what the public is going to decide it really wants.
"A product that goes to market doesn't have to be something people need," Keast said.
Keast believes in giving people's ideas the chance to become something, and he has the skills, experience and background to actually make it happen. For more information, visithttp://nwcwc.org" target="_blank">http://www.idrawdreamsforinventors.com">http://nwcwc.org http://www.idrawdreamsforinventors.com.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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