If you've ever seen me speak or talked to me for more than a few minutes, you've probably learned that I am fascinated by the Maker Movement and its potential for positive change in education/learning/life. I care about this so much that I spent years interviewing adult makers about their childhoods (which turned into the book "Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the future of Innovation." Over the past few years I have had an amazing time giving talks and workshops about my views on the Maker Movement and its potential. Most of these audiences have consisted of individuals who are new to the concept and are still trying to figure out what a Maker is. My take on the Maker Movement, and Makers, can be summarized by the following list of observations. (Sorry to plug here... but this list is the backbone of my book. Each of these topics is explored in depth, with examples, in individual chapters of Making Makers.)
-
Makers are curious.They are explorers. They pursue projects that they personally find interesting.
-
Makers are playful.They often work on projects that show a sense of whimsy.
-
Makers are willing to take on risk.They aren’t afraid to try things that haven’t been done before.
-
Makers take on responsibility.They enjoy taking on projects that can help others.
-
Makers are persistent. They don’t give up easily.
-
Makers are resourceful. They look for materials and inspiration in unlikely places.
-
Makers share: their knowledge, their tools, and their support.
-
Makers are optimistic. They believe that they can make a difference in the world.
These talks are fun to give. The audience usually makes things, and we all leave (hopefully) energized. But... it's an intro talk. This summer I was invited to give the keynote for the 2015 Open Hardware Summit. I was honored to be asked, but also terrified. This audience would consist almost entirely of people who are well versed on the Maker Movement and who (most of them) would consider themselves part of it. What could I say that would be useful to them?
I spent months thinking about it, and wrote a talk. Then, a few days before the conference, I deleted the talk. Why? Because I realized that I had an opportunity to give a talk I've been wanting to give for a while, but hadn't worked up the nerve to give yet. A talk in which I could question whether I myself agreed with all aspects of the above list. In particular... I struggle with Optimism. Should we be optimistic? In light of global warming, wars, current refugee situations worldwide... am I really an optimist? Crud... if I'm not, can I keep giving this talk?
I decided that I didn't want my talk to be a simple "rah rah" pep talk about the Maker Movement. My audience was full of Makers. I'd rather make my talk a call to action for them, and myself. I'm proud of this talk, and would love for you to watch it and give me your opinions on it. If you'd rather read the quick summary version, though, see the list after the video. (And a spoiler alert... after reflection I realize that I am optimistic about the future.) HINT: SKIP forward to 6min10sec for the beginning of the talk, and to miss some of the audio hiccups!
2015 Summit Early Morning Sessions from OSHWA on Vimeo.
Here is the list I created, in the talk, of how those of us that consider ourselves makers can bring the old list to life.
-
Makers are curious: If you aren’t happy with a situation… take the time to really learn about it.Ask questions.Do your homework.Complex problems rarely have simple causes.
-
Makers are playful: Don’t underestimate smiling. (My thoughts on play would easily fill another talk, so I left this point... for now.)
-
Makers are willing to take on risk: Stop worrying about doing the perfect thing and do SOMEthing. Someone has to be first.
-
Makers take on responsibility: If you want to change something, change it. Don’tjust blame othersBe honest with yourself about the roles you play.
-
Makers are persistent: The first thing we do rarely works. Try again. Try something different.
-
Makers are resourceful: Find partners in places you haven’t looked before.
-
Makers share: Don’t just share the happy/successful stuff. Share the struggles.
-
Makers are optimistic. But our optimism must be active, not passive, for it to have impact.
Since this talk I've been reflecting a lot on what I mean by active optimism. It's not hard these days to find people complaining about how other people are doing things wrong, or why the world is a horrible place. I'm sick of the complaining. Complaining doesn't get us anywhere. Blaming other people doesn't get us anywhere. What gets us somewhere? Action. If something upsets you, do something about it. Don't act blindly, but learn as much as you can about all sides of the issue. So yes, I'm okay calling myself an optimist. But you probably won't hear me saying that because saying it won't change anything. I'd rather act just act optimistically and do my part in making positive change.