If you've been around the online maker community, you may have run into Paul Meyette, one of the best supporters of the community around. I was lucky to meet Paul at northeast maker events several years ago and he's definitely supported my work as well. We chatted about how he got started making things, discovering the online maker community, and building your own little community, finding folks to support. Paul created the Northeast Makers Facebook and Instagram accounts to highlight the wide range of creative people he encountered along the way.
Briony Morrow-Cribbs currently lives & works in the hills of rural Vermont as a printmaker, illustrator, graphic designer and maker of little things. We discussed her creative family, and work, specifically copper plate etching. This includes nature-inspired prints, book covers and illustrations.
Rasmus Loen is a blacksmith, as described on the podcast he co-hosts, from Norway! We talk about learning and teaching blacksmithing, Zelda, and of course the making and selling of forged objects. You won't be surpised to hear we mention community a bit in there somewhere.
Check out Rasmus as one-third of the Setting Up Shoppe podcast with Dan and Heidi.
This week I talked to Liz from Blitz City DIY. She makes a lot of music and electronics related projects. We discuss how she went from a music major to experimenting with Arduino to creating DIY YouTube videos and guides for Adafruit. We discover why patterned plywood might be related to quilting and a bit about modular synths.
Check out Liz on Instagram, Youtube and the Adafruit web site.
Gary Oshust went from a career in IT to taking a sculpture class and beyond. We talk about his interest in minature art, as well as his time managing a maker space, interest in aviation and keeping the "A" in STEAM.
Check out Gary on Instagram.
Photo credit to Mark Adams.
Michele Banks makes biology and science inspired art exploring the patterns we find in nature from viruses and bacteria to animal and plant cells and even neuroscience. We talked about how you don't need to be a kid who was good at drawing to become a working artist, inspiration from science communication, and her email newsletter about the work and philosophy of making art a career.
Mark Adams and Nick Toga are back and we discuss upcoming events, catch up on recent events, and widely range across maker topics. Highlights include Making it 500, AWFS Fair in Vegas, Texas Woodworking Festival, the Fitchburg Forge-in and of course, Catskill Mountain Maker Camp! Along the way we discuss monetizing knowledge, creative community, and buying stuff from makers.
A plethora of mentions:
A solo episode, Fitchburg Forge-in announcement. a preview of just some of the awesome stuff to see at the Catskill Mountain Maker Camp, and my take on the "What is Social Media?" question posed by the Woodworking is Bullshit podcast!
Shane Bowman is my guest this week. We chat about discovering printing and graphic design, and accidentally finding a career in industrial design make point-of-purchase product displays. He wanted to make a case for a favorite pen and to his surprise that started his love of leather craft. Next he saw some custom leather hardware, and found a way to make his own, and to provide that for the wider maker community.
Follow Shane on Instagram
Chelsea Witt has recently been appointed the Executive Director of The Chairmaker's Toolbox whose mission is "Increasing access and equity in the field of chairmaking. Founded by & for under-represented woodworkers & chair nerds". We chat about Chelsea's journey from and interest in art, and taking pre-med classes on way to becoming a surgeon, to the pivot to woodworking, and in building the woodworking community through education.
Kellan Moss from @dirtmossart shares how she discovered the field of medical and scientific illustration and the interesting places it has taken her, including a geology research ship. From geological cores we move on to why making art is good for you, and the value of bad art.
Learn more about Kellan's work on Instagram
Steve from @haybudden is here and we cover how he got the amazing username "Haybudden" and how he discovered his love of blacksmithing and making things with metal. We chat a bunch about how the New England Blacksmiths fit into the maker community and also a bit about how great Pat Quinn and the Center for Metals are. Don't miss Field of Tools August 8-10 at the Blackthorne Resort.
Follow Steve on Instagram.
Check out the New England Blacksmiths
Learn something at the Center for Metal Arts
Photo by Mark Adams Pictures
In which I record a single take stream of consciousness this time on the subject of curiosity. What is it? Are scientists studying it, and what does it mean for our band of creative weirdos. I don't answer these questions, but I sort of talk about the subject around it.
Inspired by Keith Sawyer and Scott Thorp on the Science of Creativity Podcast.
Read Learning to See by Keith Sawyer
Check out the Working Hands Podcast with Trevor Higgins
Read The Wild Dark - Finding the Night Sky in the Age of Light by Craig Childs
(no affiliate links but check these things out!)
Caitlin was drawn to the ornamental ironwork as a kid and re-ignited that passion as an adult searching for a hobby. From there she discovered the joy of blacksmithing and the idea of sharing the craft with a school was born! It took some time, but now Caitlin created a school and has been sharing what she has learned for years. We discuss Caitlin's journey and some of what she learned from her students about teaching. Caitlin is a founding member of the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths and we discuss their mission of supporting equity, diversity, and accessibility in blacksmithing.
Check out The Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths
Check out Ms. Caitlin's School of Blacksmithing
Dan Peterson is making quilts, with a little math. We go over Dan's journey to quilting, and I try to remember what an irrational number is, so I can pick my favorite one! Along the way we cover tetris, sudoku, lava lamp security, and a lot, a real lot of squares. There's an interesting bit on what it means to seek mastery in a field. I met Dan on Xyla Foxlin's Patreon discord, and we discuss what a great community it is.
Want to know what I have been going on about regarding the independent web? Here's some thoughts! Check out
Margaret Janiczek is a biostatistician artist and printmaker, currently focused on copperplate etching. We go over her start in creating cozy watercolor robots, and discovery of printmaking at First Proof Press. Along the way we find out about community life drawing, philosophy and theater, and learning piano.
Follow Margaret's work on Instagram and her web site.
Check out First Proof Press in Brattleboro Vermont.
Graz Makes, knives, and whatever. We chat about what he's up to lately, his new shop mates, and creative problem solving new rollers for his desktop printing press. We promote some stuff including artist Bianca Santos Silva and the Working Hands Podcast Maker Swap coming up for this year's Maker Camp!
Keep up with all Graz is up to on Instagram.
Upcoming events at the Blackthorne Resort/Catskill Mountain Maker Camp
Timber-In Tickets July 18-20
Field of Tools August 8-10
Working Hands Podcast Maker Swap Announcement
Photo credit Mark Adams.
Mark and Nick are back, and we return to the topic of real human creativity versus the void of Generative AI. Does AI make more artists, or keep people from the true experience of making something? We explore these topics, and at least make an attempt to find a path forward.
Leah Spencer is a graphic designer, creating designs for props and background art needed to make a set come to life in TV and film productions. We go over her path from marketing to working as a designer in the entertainment industry, and more traditional maker projects around her house. Leah discusses the challenges of translating period designs using modern technology.
