1) Design a Treehouse

Whether or not you have kids, treehouses can be a fun and creative place to escape. In this challenge, you’re tasked with designing your perfect treehouse. What type of tree would you use? What type of wood would you use for the construction? What would the design look like and how would you make it sturdy? What would the interior of your treehouse look like? How would you decorate it? You’re tasked to design the exterior and interior of your treehouse. Then make a step-by-step list of how you’d accomplish the design, the supplies you need, and the cost. Not only is your maker mind moving again, but now you have a working design that you can work on anytime.

2) Design a Roller Coaster

For thrill-seekers out there, roller coasters can be addicting. What would your ideal roller coaster look like? What would it be made of? Would the safety bar go over your head or over your waist? Would it start with a super high incline or would you go upside down right away? Close your eyes and picture beat by beat what your perfect ride would look like. This activity does involve a little research. Figure out what you’d build your roller coaster out of, what the car itself would look like and what the ride itself would look like and create a sketch.

3) Remodel a Room in Your Home

You love your home, but there’s always that one room that you have secret dreams of transforming. Perhaps it’s a spare room that currently acts as a storage space that you’d like to transform into a library. Or maybe you think your kitchen would function better with a little tweaking. Once you’ve picked your room, give it a design overhaul. What supplies would you like to store or have in the room? When relocating those items, where could you put them so that the room functions best? If you’re adding or building new pieces of furniture, what will they be made of? Similarly to the treehouse idea, sketch out a design of the room and then write down step by step how to make it happen as well as the cost and supplies you’ll need. Don’t be surprised if you suddenly find yourself inspired enough to start knocking down walls.

4) Remodel a Room in a Friend’s Home

This one is especially fun because you’ll get to work with a friend. Choose a friend and ask if there’s a room in their house that they have dreams of remodeling. If they say yes- ask them more about it. What would they like to do with it? What exact items would their dream room consist of? How big is the room approximately in their house? Would they need to repaint or add/remove carpet? Once they provide you with all of the necessary details, sketch them out a blueprint and a plan the same way you did for your room. Not only have you just flexed some creative muscles, but you’ve made their dream all the more possible.

5) Invent a Social Distance Sport

Another fun one because it may eventually serve as a fun way to stay in touch with your friends. You’re tasked to invent a sport that people can play together while still social distancing. Ask yourself questions like- what is the goal of the sport? Will it include a points system? How many players will you need? Will you need to be physically together or can it be played while everyone is in their respective homes? Will there be teams? What materials are needed? What are the rules? Once you invent your game and flesh it out, test it on some of your friends. Before long you may have some rivalries building and you may be face-timing your friends much more often to keep score.

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1) Interior Window

Creating an interior window between rooms in your home is a great way to not only to enhance your decor, but also to maximize the light traveling from room to room. We’re sure we all need as much Vitamin D as we can get during these trying times, right? With just a few simple tools, wood, and paneling you can peer at your spouse through your new decorative window space. Plus creating this barrier can help your family practice social distancing between rooms in your home if you need to have a guest over!

2) Meditation Waterfall

Given all of the stress that we’re currently experiencing, taking care of our mental health is important- especially because stress can lower your immune system. Tools like yoga and meditation can be great ways to center yourself and let go of some of your worries. Using leftover water bottles to create this LED Meditation Waterfall can not only enhance your meditating sessions but also give you a time-consuming and useful project to complete as well.

3) Vertical Indoor Garden

We’re all missing the outdoors as we try to stay inside and safe as much as possible. Well, this Maker project can bring some outdoor feel into your own home. Creating a vertical garden requires very few tools and it can be an awesome way to house some plants and breathe some natural air into the house. The rustic wood design further calls to natural elements as well as acting like a sturdy pillar to hold up any plant you’d like to have at home.

4) Deck Couch

When your only outdoor time is being spent on your deck, yelling across the lawn to say hi to the neighbors from a distance, you know how important that time is. Creating a comfortable and rustic deck sofa will not only give you another great project to complete, but it will also give you more space for you and your family to sit outside together. As the weather gets warmer and the desire to spend time outdoors becomes more and more potent, having some extra seating to sit on or even lay out on will be much appreciated.

5) Indoor Climbing Wall

For all the parents out there who are currently quarantined with their children… may the force be with you. We love having our family so close, but being around them 24/7 can drive us up a wall… which is actually a great idea. You’ll kill a lot of hours on this project, but your children will kill many more on the endless fun they’ll have climbing and adventuring on the walls within their own home. Just make sure to lay some cushions or mats on the floor for the more adventurous climbers to have safe landings!

6) Mini Arcade Soccer Game Cardboard

If you’re a Maker parent looking for a quick project that you can finish in a day, but will provide your kids with days of fun- this is it! Create your own mini-arcade soccer game using cardboard, paint, popsicle sticks, and magnets. Not only will your kids get hours of entertainment out of the game, but you could even do this Maker project together as a family- get them started young, right?

7) Dog Brain Game

All the puppy paw-rents out there who are stuck inside with their furry friends are probably wishing they could give their little one the exercise and socialization that they crave. But, since we can’t keep our pups as socialized or exercised as they crave, we can still find a way to give them some mental exercise. This DIY game will give your pup some much-needed exercise and treats while also acting as the perfect use for any extra wood you have lying around your garage.

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AMIE CHEN

For gamers, digital artists, and coders alike, there is nothing more satisfying than a well-designed UI (user interface). Amie Chen has had much success with her UIs over the years, helping multiple startups and larger companies appeal to their clientele with an easy-to-understand interface. Among her programs are Pretzel, which shows keyboard shortcuts depending on which app is the current focus. She’s also the mind behind Stitches, an HTML template generator with CSS functions. In an interview with Maker Mag, she told them “making products is a byproduct of getting to a good solution, and getting closer to a good solution is what gets me out of bed every day.”

ARIELE ALASKO

On the opposite end of the spectrum of “digital to traditional” lies Ariele Alasko, a woodworker from Brooklyn. What began as a hobby quickly spiraled into a full-time job, with Alasko dedicating her time to crafting both functional and decorative pieces. One of her specialties? Brushes shaped like a “U” with bristles on both sides. But she’s also made cutlery, tables, mobiles, and wall hangings. Her Instagram is updated regularly with pictures of her woodwork as well, some of it for sale. (Occasionally, the updates are of her dog, Mazie.)

MENGLY HERNANDEZ

Most people find repetition to be… well, repetitive. But Mengly Hernandez relishes in it. According to her website, it’s “a meditation through which she explores and mends traumatic memories.” Beyond personal healing, it results in beautiful patterns and designs full of color. Her craft manifests in art installations and sculptures using a mix of fibers and textiles. She’s even dabbled in performance art. While none of her work is for sale, don’t think she’s just letting it sit in a gallery: much of it adorns her home or her body (or that of her children).

SARA VIEIRA

Hailing from Portugal, Sara Vieira is well-known for her unique, front-end apps and advocacy for mental health. In 2018, she released the popular app “Is There Uber In,” which informs travelers whether there’s a ridesharing service available in a certain location. As for mental health, her presentation “Your Brain Does Not Have a Fix Flag” uses pop culture references and easy-to-understand language to tackle a very serious issue. Her retelling of her own struggles with panic disorder and depression are blunt, but the writing and multitude of GIFs make it enjoyable.

JESS EDDY

Continuing our international tour is Jess Eddy, based out of Sydney, Australia. She’s worked on several projects over the years. Among these are “UI Goodies” and “Get a Room.” The former is a catalog of resources for designers and developers build a user interface. The latter allows users to easily book a conference room. In 2018, she told Maker Mag “to me, indie making is about empowerment. It’s not about waiting for someone else to bring a solution or asking for permission. It’s observing your environment and looking for areas to improve upon or innovate it.”

LAUREN HOM

Here’s a fun motto for you: “work hard, snack often.” These are the words that Lauren Hom has dedicated her life to. You’ve probably seen her lettering before- some of her past clients include Starbucks, YouTube, and TIME Magazine. The McCafé products at McDonald’s? That’s her! And true to her motto, her Instagram frequently features her delectable looking “Hom Noms.” Also worth checking out is her “Flour Crowns” series, where she dons delightful headwear… made of bread. Who says female makers can’t be stylish?

LISA HOLBROOK LEWIS

Lisa Holbrook Lewis is a female maker from Oregon who specializes in handmade goods. Her main passion are stump prints. Using stumps or logs found during hikes, she dips them in ink and stamps them to paper. The result is a one-of-a-kind piece of art. But that’s not all she can do with wood. She’s also crafted stools, candle holders, end tables, and planters from scavenged wood. While her Instagram hasn’t been updated for a while, her website “Light & Ink” still has plenty of prints available for sale.

LIMOR FRIED

Known as “Lady Ada,” Limor Fried is more than just an icon among makers. She’s empowering other makers to bring their creations to life. (Much like Inventionland!) Her company, Adafruit, was founded in 2005 and quickly became a staple for the NYC maker scene. In 2016, she was named a White House Champion of Change. Two years later, Forbes Magazine deemed her one of America’s Top 50 Women in Tech. She’s still proud of her honor with Wired Magazine, however, being the first female engineer to grace the cover.

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Electronic Instruments

The building of instruments has been around for a while. We’ve all grown up building makeshift drum sets out of pots and spoons, or a guitar from a tissue box and a paper towel roll. There are also artists like Reed Ghazala, who is known as “the father of circuit bending,” which he accidentally discovered in the 1960s. He used the technique to build instruments for groups like The Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel, Blur, and the Blue Man Group.

Then there’s Bart Hopkins. In 1985, Hopkins published a magazine called Experimental Musical Instruments. Hopkins himself was an instrument builder, both traditional and custom. Seventy issues were published until 1999 when the name instead went to a book series on the same topic. Hopkins himself also produced a few tie-in CDs.

One of Hopkins’ many collaborators is Yuri Landman, a Dutch inventor of electric string instruments. His creations include the Moodswinger, the Springtime, and the Home Swinger–all custom variants on traditional guitars. The Home Swinger proved to be his greatest success, and he began offering workshops teaching guests how to build their own version. This eventually spun off into courses for all types of instruments, from kalimbas to triochords. The Moodswinger and Home Swinger were also inducted into the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.

The DIY Instrument Movement

This gave rise to the DIY instrument movement, a subset of the maker movement. Many organizations have sprung up catering to this audience, like STEIM and Death by Audio. Landman frequently partners with these groups. Maker Faires often feature homemade instruments, ranging from laser-cut ukuleles to kits to build-your-own Theremin at home. Indeed, sets to build instruments at home are becoming increasingly popular, both among kids and adults. These kits predominately feature electronic instruments like synths, but acoustic versions exist as well.

There is a great deal of overlap between electronic musicians, the EDM scene, and the maker movement. What better embodies the idea of DIY than creating entire songs from scratch using nothing but a computer? After all, one of the main goals for the maker movement is to make various crafts and art forms more accessible and to encourage the advancement of technology. Programs and devices like Garage Band and Launchpads are a natural fit for those ideals. Even the Nintendo Labo system could be seen as an example, as pianos and guitars can be built from cardboard and then played through the Nintendo Switch console.

It’s important to remember that, despite the level of creativity on display, musicians in the maker movement aren’t necessarily creating new instruments. Rather, they’re adapting existing tools to fit their needs. That’s the core of inventing: finding a need and fulfilling it. The guitar may have already existed, but George Beauchamp cranked it to eleven with his creation of the electric guitar. The results give way to unique sounds that would’ve been impossible without a spark of creativity.

I mean, let’s be honest…Would the guitar solo in “Stairway to Heaven” be as memorable on an acoustic?

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What’s the difference between a MakerBar and a Hackerspace?

In short, there really isn’t one. Think of a Hackerspace as a smaller subsection of the Maker movement- something that is a Hackerspace can also be called a MakerBar, but the reverse isn’t always true. Essentially, a while a MakerBar focuses broadly on any DIY project, a Hackerspace focuses solely on DIY projects involving technology. So, while a MakerBar may include woodworking, a Hackerspace will solely include things like 3D Printing, Laser cutters, programming, digital art, etc.

Where did they come from?

According to Makerspaces, the origins of hackerspaces can be traced back to 1995 Berlin where the world’s first hackerspace, C-Base, was launched. It was originally started as a community for computer programmers to come together and meet, work, and share infrastructure. At the time, “hack” originally referred to making technology do something it wasn’t meant to do. Over time, however, 3D printing and CNC routers became more affordable to the point where these spaces became part of the Maker Movement.

What are the benefits?

There are several benefits to the spread of these spaces. The first was shared among their original founders at C-Base: these spaces create a community. It allows programmers or digital artists to share their interests and ideas with one another in a safe space. It even allows them to collaborate with one another on projects and learn new skills. In a New York Times piece, Mitch Altman, founder of Noisebridge in San Francisco, states of his hackerspace: “It’s a community supporting people in exploring and doing what they love. That’s the main thing, and you can feel it.”

Mr. Dougherty, of Make magazine, echoed the same sentiments on the benefits of hackerspaces. “The big value is community. A hobby starts as a very personal thing. As soon as you express that interest, you begin meeting people who share that interest. It can really help with motivation.”

Not only do Hackerspaces provide a much-needed sense of community to tech workers, but it also saves a lot of them time, money, and space. When the Hackerspace community originally began to spread, they weren’t popping up in rural areas with large houses and plenty of space. They were solely popping up in urban areas. This is because Makers in Urban areas are severely lacking the space to create. The ideal situation is to be able to tinker away in one’s garage, but people in Urban areas like New York City barely have enough living space for themselves, let alone all of their various tools.

A lot of Hackerspaces operate similarly to how a gym will. You can sign up and pay a monthly membership fee for unlimited use of the facility and its tools. This gives a lot of city Makers not only a space to work in, but also access to all of the tools they need without having to actually go out and purchase them themselves.

In addition, these spaces also serve as great networking opportunities for engineers and inventors. They’re great places to meet like-minded individuals and find others to collaborate with. In fact, business-like Pinterest and MakerBot have grown out of Hackerspaces.

Root Access, a hackerspace that runs out of Fresno, CA, it an excellent example of all of these benefits at work. The space is open for members to use freely and they also teach beneficial classes such as Electronic Hobbyist, Intro to Soldering, 3D Printing, and more. Andrew Runner, an employee with Root Access, spoke to us regarding the benefits of Hackerspaces, stating, “We see a group of people that haven’t had a space to meet besides work or tech conferences. People who do net security, robotics, and cutting-edge tech but didn’t have a venue to meet people of shared interests. People gain skills that are obscure and difficult to learn on your own. Our community provides friendly help in a not usually social scene. Jacob Joaquin has dazzled us with his group, Art Code Tech, fusing code and creativity on a monthly basis.”

Along with the Maker Movement itself, these spaces continue to spread through urban and rural areas, bringing a much-needed sense of community, collaboration, and resources along with them. And the owners of these spaces continue to work hard to teach new skills and pass their expertise along to their fellow creative professionals. Say what you will about Hackerspaces and the Maker Movement in general, but they certainly aren’t hacks.

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The World Maker Faire hosts large and small-scale Maker Faires all over the world. These fairs host around 200,000 people annually; in 2017, there were 190 smaller-scale Maker Faires all around the world with 30 larger ones in big cities. Each separate fair is hosted out of a school, community building, or larger convention center. These family-friendly, weekend-long events feature DIY spaces, more 3D printers than you can imagine, robotics teams, costumes, food and retail from around the world. Makers are able to present in panels about STEM and STEAM topics, their focuses are on innovation as they celebrate the past forms of creation as well.

On September 22^nd, the World Maker Faire will take place in Corona, New York at the New York Hall of Science. While there, you can get inspired by all of the projects and art installations focused on electronics, robotics, 3D printing, and fabrication. Some notable Makers who will be there are Possibility Studios – a Makerspace out of NY, Mass Destruction 10 – a New England combat robot building group, and the Fearless Fixers – a group who teaches the users on how to repair day-to-day electronics. To find a Maker Faire that is local to you, visit the Maker Faire website:  https://makerfaire.com/map/

Burning Man is another example of a maker gathering, but this one is on the other end of the spectrum. Where the World Maker Faire takes place indoors and operates as more of a convention, Burning Man is a little rawer. Taking place outside in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, the event starts with an empty desert and ends with what the event-goers refer to as Black Rock City, a temporary city dedicated to family, art, self-expression, and relying on yourself.  Artists and creators from around the world attend this week-long event. The event, which states that it is not a convention but a community, relies on ten principles that explore the values of their community: radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace (respecting the environment), participation, and immediacy.

Now through January 2019, the Smithsonian seeks to bring the art of Burning Man to the east coast by hosting an exhibit called “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man” at its Renwick Gallery. With room-sized installations and framed photographs of installations that were later burned with the city, you will be able to get a feel of the growth of this event and the culture and community around it. Many of the exhibits feature smaller scale pieces, “Truth is Beauty” by Marco Cochrane, was a 55’ dancer that was recreated to be 30’ so that it could fit within the gallery. Others are VR booths that are set up to digitally walk through a museum of the artist’s full collection of interactive pieces. Also, there are artists who are setting up new pieces entirely for this exhibit, who have nothing but photos to represent their works as they have burned them all. By walking into this gallery, which is mere steps away from the White House, you will truly feel like you’re stepping into Black Rock City.

These gatherings, though very different, are focused around the exact same thing: creating and making together. There is a focus on community and networking that gives you a “these are my people,” feeling when you enter. Though they’re hosted in two different environments: one indoors and the other outdoors, both of them are filled to the brim with people who are unashamed to be themselves. These gatherings and the overall Maker Movement are helping people embrace who they are and share what they’re doing. With the “show and tell” mindset, Maker gatherings are a facet that continues to bring the community together.

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The recipe is the same: sit down, order a drink, and start a craft. Ranging from small plant pots and concrete coasters to nail and string art to longer projects of wrapped bracelets and succulent terrarium gardens, the options are endless and the only skill you need is the desire to learn. These craft opportunities tend to run anywhere from $20 up to $50, depending on how much time it will take and supplies you’ll need to make it. Oh and as a bonus? That first drink is also usually included.

Places like DIY Bar in Portland, Oregon hand over a single menu as you enter the bar, but on this menu, you’re expected to make two selections: what beer you would like to drink and what project you would like to make. With “Craft-Tenders,” who work as bartenders as well as craft coaches, the bar has everything in place to make sure you’re able to complete your project while double-checking your glass isn’t empty. The walls of the establishment are painted white but covered from ceiling to floor with different colors of paint, string, and wood stains, making their location a true Maker paradise.

In the Highland Square neighborhood of Akron, Ohio lives Mr. Zub’s Deli, a restaurant and bar where you can disappear for a few hours and just create. Creating an atmosphere that is truly a one-of-a-kind restaurant experience, they’ve integrated wildly popular craft nights. Tiffany Prochaska-Nemr, one of the owners of Mr. Zub’s, explained her thought behind opening their space to DIY activities: “We wanted to create an environment that could engage a person on multiple platforms; we invite you to hang out, be creative and have dinner or a drink.” Their most popular events feature DIY shot-skis, succulent pots, as well as flower arranging workshops and creating small house planters. The cost of events like these will typically run you $15-32, which pays for supplies for the event.  The restaurant also teams up with local companies for their DIY nights, giving neighborhood businesses a chance to network and sending guests home with free merchandise.

In many other cities that don’t have specific restaurants designated for making, another solution has gained popularity. Organizations like PopCraft out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania cater to bringing crafts to you. Though PopCraft tends to relocate from place to place to conduct their crafting time, they can be booked at certain locations consistently and their online sign-ups go up to a month in advance. PopCraft offers many of the same crafts that other maker bars and coffee shops offer, however, they also offer many take-home projects so that crafting can continue later. They come to each location with all of the necessary supplies in order to make sure everyone can make their project…and we’re not just talking about fabric or nails, either: they even bring tools like hammers, leather shears, and more.

Thankfully, Maker Workshops aren’t the only places where people have the opportunity to create. Bringing making into local bars and coffee shops–places everyone already feels comfortable in– can make a huge difference in creating a maker community that is welcoming and communal. For those who don’t tinker on a daily basis, it provides a creative outlet to relieve stress and make new friends. And with the maker movement gaining more and more popularity, we’re sure this is only the beginning.

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Combining nature and furniture is what Clifton Montieth does best. Montieth, an American furniture maker from Michigan, creates with mostly willow wood and other natural materials. He specializes in lanterns and chairs, which he crafts with tremendous intricacy. His willow chairs are better described as thrones of woven branches than as a chair someone would fit into their living room. Originally, his work was simply meant to help replace what he lost in his divorce. But, a local gallery owner took the first chair he completed, sold it within a few days, then called Monteith to request more. Though Monteith’s most popular work is from the late 80’s or early 90’s, you can still find his chairs being auctioned and purchased today. He also continues to build pieces that are available for sale.

Karen Ryan, a British artist, created a project called, “In the Woods.” Though this project looks more like an art installation than functioning furniture, the project is exactly what you would imagine a maker creating: it mixes fashion with function. Ryan fused two chairs together at their tops, and as she found other chairs they were added to the top to make the piece look like a tree. Ryan’s current project, “Custom Made” (pictured) is a collection of chairs that look factory made but have additional features such as added furniture, broken-down baseball gloves, and old books dismembered and attached to the originally found chair.

Dutch designer Bo Reudler created a series called “Slow White.” This is a collection of furniture that looks like it’s ready to run through the woods. At the base of the project is traditional furniture such as a dresser or side table; however, the project takes a turn at the legs, which are replaced with branches both thin and thick. The collection consists of handmade tables, chairs, cabinets, and more. Reudler, who detests using a computer to design furniture, went out into the woods in protest and came out with a furniture collection. His current work contains functional pieces made out of bamboo, various woods, and metals, and are considerably more modern than Slow White.

When we choose furniture, it’s an expression of ourselves–we all have likes and dislikes and our choices reflect that. Furniture crafts the background of your world and explains who you are or what you like without words. It was practically made for Maker Culture to have their hands on; you can easily turn it into an art form by putting your own unique touch on it. It comes to no surprise that some artists and designers have made it their medium of choice, from furniture and home décor to much more.

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Ji Lee, an artist who was born in Korea and raised in Brazil, is a now New York artist who began a low-key-art-movement in 2013 called “Mysterabbit.” This project consists of 10,000 one-inch 3D printed rabbits that are spread around the globe. These rabbits, who appear to be meditating, serve as miniature sculptures for those who are going about their day. Mysterabbit’s website offered a downloadable blueprint for the peaceful rabbits so people at home could create a few of their own, a map to track how many Mysterabbits are in the world, and a message, “we hope [Mysterabbits] will stop people from their daily routine and for a brief moment, make them wonder about their mysterious, newly found gift, and a small piece of the beautiful world that surrounds them.”

London-based DBLG has pushed 3D printing into the world of stop-motion animation. With four weeks and around 50, 3D printed bears walking up a set of four stairs, DBLG was able to create a two-second looping video clip called “Bears on Stairs.” At this point, I’m sure you’re asking, what makes this different from the rest of the stop-motion videos in the world? The final product was smooth and seamless, which takes immense focus and attention to detail.

After initially browsing his website, there are a few things that’ll strike you about Joshua Harker. First, you will notice that a lot of his work is centered around the natural world: skulls, animals, and flowers to name a few. Second, you’ll see scrollwork, or the ornamental work of fine spiral lines or patterns, plays an even larger part. Finally, you’ll see that these two combined and 3D printed are absolutely beautiful. Harker, who is considered a pioneer in 3D printed art and sculpture, is featured in thousands of collections and publications worldwide and continues to gain popularity.

Though art hasn’t taken a 100% focus on digital media, we can predict that digital media is going to continue to grow in popularity. 3D printing as a medium is a great way to combine the world of digital art with the satisfaction of having a physical piece of art to display or inspire. With 3D printers becoming more and more available to the public, it can only be expected that we won’t see the end of 3D printed art anytime soon.

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At their base, community workshops are gathering places where people can meet up to use tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, and lathes that they might not have at home. Traditionally these spaces have someone scheduled to work or volunteer within the space to assist those who might not know how to use the equipment. As previously mentioned in our Makers & Maker Movement blog post, populations of large cities tend to skip running to the hardware store because small apartments aren’t ideal (or safe) for large projects. Community workshops are a great space to utilize equipment and expertise that many in large cities don’t have space or a constant need for.
Spaces like these were created in reaction to the Maker Culture rise and greatly increase community engagement and development. We spoke with Jessie Tymoczko, who worked at Pittsburgh’s TechShop (as they made their transition to Protohaven), about what she noticed about the community that formed around the workspace:

“TechShop had a ‘hub’ area with computers and tables that were constantly bustling. The tables were communal, so people were often working on different projects at the same time.  That shared space really fostered a helper mentality.  If someone was working on a project and ran into a roadblock it was pretty easy for them to look up and find another maker who would at least have some ideas about what the issue might be, ranging from metalwork and fabrics to robotics and glasswork.” She continued, “I also saw and experienced the friendships that formed in the shop, people would often come to the shop even if they were not currently working on a project because it was a community space and a place for like-minded people to meet up and spend time together. It was really neat to see people of all ages and backgrounds working alongside each other and interacting, kids learned how to interact with adults and on more than one occasion an adult remembered what it was like to find joy in the ‘magic’ of making while working with the kids.”

As for individuals, workshops like this offer a haven for creative types and a sense of community in a large city. They offer classes and tutorial workshops where groups can gather and learn together about anything from making a messenger bag to motorcycle maintenance. According to Tymoczko, most places tend to offer both paid and free events and that safety and basic use classes are required if you wanted to use certain machines. These workshops are not only great for getting out of your bubble to meet others in the city, but they teach skills which can be used for many other things.

Makers in cities everywhere can utilize the sheer size of the space to complete projects with tools which would be a waste of money to have around the apartment, all while having a community around them to offer tips, support, and advice. Community workshops are positive spaces and anchors to the Maker communities of large cities and towns. With the prevalence of the Maker Movement and the help of community workshops, many can grow to become more confident and self-reliant within the world that they’re making.

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