Skyler Robinson (u/skylerrobinson)

Posts

Wasted $400 on a co-working membership I barely used

I signed up for a premium co-working space in Chiang Mai back in March because I thought it would make me super productive. Turns out the internet was slower than my favorite cafe and the noise level was way worse. I ended up working from my apartment 80% of the time after the first week. Anyone else throw money at a fancy workspace and regret it?

3 comments

c/bricklayers•

skylerrobinson•14d ago

Found a trick to keep mortar from drying out too fast on hot days

I was working a job in Austin last August and the mortar was crusting over before I could even lay three bricks. I tried spraying water on the mix but that just made it sloppy. Then an old timer walked by and told me to lay a wet burlap sack over my board between batches. I thought he was kidding but I gave it a shot and it honestly kept the mortar workable for twice as long. The burlap holds moisture without soaking the mix so you don't get that watery mess. I used a cheap sack from Home Depot for like 5 bucks and it lasted the whole week. Has anyone else tried this or do you just mix smaller batches?

2 comments

c/creative-writing-prompts•

skylerrobinson•15d ago

PSA: I found out why my writing group stopped showing up after 3 years together

We met at a Starbucks in Austin every Thursday for 3 years, always working from the same prompt generator. Last week I realized nobody was finishing drafts because we were too focused on the prompts instead of just writing what we wanted. Has anyone else dealt with a group that got stuck on a routine?

3 comments

c/cosmetologists•

skylerrobinson•16d ago

Rant: Why I stopped hating on those big salon chains

I used to roll my eyes every time someone mentioned going to a Ulta or a Supercuts for their hair. Thought it was just lazy and bad quality. But last month I had to work a popup event in a mall next to a regular chain spot. Watched their stylist handle 3 walk in clients in under an hour with color corrections that looked solid. Not perfect but way better than I expected. Makes me think maybe the hate is more about snobbery than actual skill. Anyone else had a moment where they changed their mind about a certain type of salon?

3 comments

c/diy-and-home•

skylerrobinson•20d ago

That $30 paint sprayer I bought changed my mind about rolling

I spent 4 hours rolling my living room ceiling last weekend, and it looked awful... streaks everywhere. So I grabbed a cheap Wagner sprayer from Home Depot for $30 and did the same job in 45 minutes. The finish is way smoother too, no roller texture at all. Has anyone else switched to spraying and just can't go back to rolling main walls?

2 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

skylerrobinson•21d ago

My first competition brisket was a total train wreck but I learned a ton

I finally signed up for a local backyard BBQ competition last month in Austin and decided to smoke a whole packer brisket. I followed the Franklin method to the letter, wrapped in butcher paper at 165, but I pulled it off at 203 internal and let it rest in a cooler for 2 hours. When I sliced it, the flat was perfect but the point was completely dry and crumbly. After stewing over it, I realized I should have probed different spots before pulling because the point was actually done way before the flat. Any of you guys ever had a brisket where one part overpowers the other and what do you do about it?

3 comments

c/drafters•

skylerrobinson•22d ago

Hand drafting vs CAD for rough sketches - which actually saves you time?

I've been a drafter for about 8 years and I still go back and forth between doing quick concept sketches by hand and jumping straight into AutoCAD. Last week I had a client who wanted 3 layout options for a small office space, and I spent 2 hours on the computer before realizing hand sketches would have been faster. For those quick early meetings, do you grab a pencil or open the software first?

3 comments

c/avionics-technicians•

skylerrobinson•22d ago

I finally saw what happens when you skip the bonding strip on composite panels

Worked on a Gulfstream GIV last month where the previous shop left out the bonding jumpers on three composite access panels, and I had to track down static discharge issues for two days straight. The difference in static buildup between those panels and the properly bonded ones was night and day, even just sitting on the ramp. How often do you guys actually see corrosion under those bonding tabs when they skip the prep work?

2 comments

c/advertising-pros•

skylerrobinson•27d ago

Debate: Should you show the client the raw footage or just selects?

I was on a shoot for a car dealership in Austin last month and the client demanded to see every take before we edited. I argued it would waste time, but they insisted... ended up losing half a day to their nitpicking. Which side do you fall on - total transparency or protect the process?

3 comments

c/advertising-pros•

skylerrobinson•29d ago

Just realized my best week of the year came from a total flop campaign

I was sitting in my home office last Thursday in Portland looking at Q3 numbers. My team had spent like 80 hours on this big programmatic campaign for a local restaurant chain. It bombed hard after three days, like a 2% click rate and zero conversions. But then the client's Instagram blew up from a random TikTok video someone else made about their food. I spent the rest of that week just riding that organic wave and shifting all our ad budget to support user-generated stuff. We ended up getting 15x the normal engagement for basically no extra cost. It made me wonder how many times I've ignored free momentum because I was too focused on my own planned ads. Has anyone else had a huge win come from completely ditching your original strategy mid flight?

3 comments

Recent Comments

12d ago

That Saturday where 3 brides cried happy tears in my chair

That "90s Jennifer Aniston cut" is honestly the holy grail of haircuts (not to brag but I've done like 4 of them this month alone and they always hit). When you nail that layered thing with the flipped ends it's like instant nostalgia serotonin for people.

12d ago

Tenant ghosted me after I spent 3 days negotiating their lease terms

12 hours negotiating terms and they just vanished?

12d ago

Tried the Saturday farmer's market at Freedom Park instead of the one at Piedmont Park and it's way less crowded

Well, why didn't somebody tell me this sooner? I've been fighting crowds at Piedmont like a fool just to get my hands on some sad looking kale. Guess I'll be making the switch before I get trampled by a stroller again.

13d ago

Spent 45 minutes trying to get a Pyrex lid off a Goodwill casserole dish before I realized it wasn't stuck, it just had a different lid

Hold up, are we really stressing this hard about lid numbers at a thrift store? I mean, your mileage may vary, but I've grabbed plenty of mismatched tupperware and it still holds leftovers just fine. Snapware lids are kind of a pain regardless of the number, in my experience. Seems like a lot of mental energy for a 50 cent bowl, but hey, if it makes you happy, go for it.

13d ago

Client critique about my Facebook ad copy made me rethink everything

Had a client basically tell me the same thing last year. She said my copy read like I was trying to sell her a used minivan with a rebuilt transmission lmao. I was pissed at first but she was totally right. I went back and looked at my A/B test results from the previous 6 months and the louder, more aggressive versions actually had way lower engagement rates. Switched to a more conversational tone where I'd write like I was explaining something to a friend over coffee and our cost per lead dropped like 30 percent. Clients calling you out sucks in the moment but sometimes they're just seeing what the data was already telling you.