The American Makers Movement. Why it is important.

The American Makers Movement. Why it is important.

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

Maybe it is because I am a maker but I have always thought that when we stop making things and become  a service economy,  we would be on the road to ruin.  I know that is a strong word but that is how I saw it.  With Americans becoming less in touch with how things are made and who is making them, products have become commodities.  It has become more about price and less about Quality and caring about who is really the maker behind the product.

When I decided to write about the subject, I went to Google of course.  A time magazine article came up.  I as excited to see that there is actually a Maker Worlds Fare and that there is a site dedicated to Makers called Make.  It included tech as well as low tech makers like myself.

What is the Makers Movement.  Here is how Adweek defined it.

The maker movement, as we know, is the umbrella term for independent inventors, designers and tinkerers. A convergence of computer hackers and traditional artisans, the niche is established enough to have its own magazine, Make, as well as hands-on Maker Faires that are catnip for DIYers who used to toil in solitude. Makers tap into an American admiration for self-reliance and combine that with open-source learning, contemporary design and powerful personal technology like 3-D printers. The creations, born in cluttered local workshops and bedroom offices, stir the imaginations of consumers numbed by generic, mass-produced, made-in–China merchandise.

 

I think they nailed it!

I encourage you to read the article by 

Tim Bajarin.  It is a great read.  I would love to hear your comments and impressions of what you think about the American Makers Movement.  Share your thoughts.

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Hi I am Joanne Litz Cofounder of Steel Pony.
I graduated in Textile Design from, the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science. Worked in the "Industry" as a design director before starting Steel Pony. A company focused on slow sustainable fashion over 30 years ago
I love Creative Fashion, Art, and Energy Healing. My mission is to help women find their inner goddess and shine from the inside out.