The Orange Hat

I used to consider myself an 'explorer' and my view was that of some proto Magellan or even Galileo- looking or the next big unknown and using tools and wit to get there, to see new places, and find new ideas- a Journeymen man, and the world was my great big backyard to explore before mom called me in to dinner - the fire flys still flashing  with mystery into the endless fading woods, warm at first, later snowy, and they might turn into mountains with caves or seas with fish in them.

But, that's changed, very recently. It wasn't for lack of places left to explore, but how I interacted with my explorations. I Moved to San Francisco over a year ago. Dropped into the middle of what I still thing of the 'Cult of Science,' The social group in and around Langton Labs that either directly contributes to the advancement of science and engineering, or has latched on to the idea that science is an amazing thing and even if you don't directly work in the field; you need to know all the latest trends and act like you are involved in it (which is still a little bizzar  but everybody should be allowed their desires - even wickens). There went another long sentence. I hopped around houses for a while before realizing I wasn't really trying to support myself, found a hostel to work at and scrapped along for six months getting distracted with the idea of a start up - not having the money to actually enact my ideas, and realizing that there were so many more ways to live in the world, ways to party, and things to build. Yes Build.

I always had on my list of items to make a house, a cabin, in the woods somewhere. But it wasn't until I moved to San Francisco that I saw people that were actively involved in making... things. Art, Big art, art cars, huge sets, boats, robots, 3d printers, milling, making lasers, creating web sites, coding databases. I attend events were cities were build on the water and in the desert. I made friends who had found ways not to work a job they didn't care about and make money they didn't have time to spend (or live for a short weekend or the bar after work) but found ways to make enough money to take months off, and travel all the time, and have not only work they loved, and cared about, but side projects that inspired them, and helped people.

It took me a month after burning man (easily on of the most inspirational events of my life) to realized I wanted to learn to build (all the things) a city, and learn about all the systems that it took to interact, and after a month in Haiti realized I was a bit in over my head and needed a firmer place to start (Maker/hacker spaces are a great resources if you're interested).  I even remember the New Years Eve night, when two of my best friends and I sat around our small fire, and made our promises to our self's, and what we wanted of each other. I wanted to Make. This wasn't traveling, thought that's still not far off. This was internal. This was development. This was working with my hands, and using my thoughts to find ways to interact with dirt, and trees, and tools all around me. I didn't want to go back to school, but I wanted to learn every thing I could about building, and making, and creating.

So I started a blog, which I still find to be funny things, about making daily- my goal to make one thing a day. I didn't hold to it (posting) but I did start. I even made a tree of the 'things' I wanted to make. Low tech, high tech, dirty, clean, food, mechanical. It was and is a different way of interacting. It's project based. It's creative, it's interactive, it's fun.

Once I realized I had this goal, I immediately  realized I had teachers all around me. I had access to tools. I gained mentors. I found a movement (the Maker movement) and began tinkering, and talking, and learning more about how individuals make, rather thank some fictitious factory far off in China (though I am beginning to learn more about what China actually does).

I've been going at this for almost 5 months now, and can't thing of any time that I've learned so much, or had so much to point at that I was proud of. I built this! I built that! Next week I'm taking (another) laser cutting class, we're getting a micro mill at work, I have several welding projects!

There, that's it, but it's not, it'll keep going, and damn it's fun to make.
-s