How I Got Interested In Making Things
I wouldn’t call myself an expert Maker.
However, I have spent several years watching YouTube videos from other Makers. And I spent over 400 hours (very low estimate) Making Things myself in 2024 alone.
Here’s how I first got interested in Making Things
In mid-2016, I was completely burned out from my full-time job.
I had just left a demanding corporate finance group where we had consistently been working at least 13 hours per day during the week and 10+ hours over the weekend, all in-office. While in this group, I discovered that I had stopped making plans “after work” with friends because I was tired of canceling. Plus, my wife and I had just gotten married and I felt like I barely saw her, even though we lived together.
My full-time job had become my life and I didn’t know who I was outside work anymore.
After transferring to a far less demanding role in the company and reconnecting with my new wife and our friends, I discovered Bob from I Like to Make Stuff on YouTube.
Bob is a nerdy Star Wars fan who loves to make stuff in his workshop. I love Star Wars too, but had never really thought about making things myself. Bob made the hobby extremely approachable and made me believe that I could make things too.
So, I started making things in early 2017.
Today, I have converted our two-car garage into a dedicated workshop that I am currently transforming into a workshop straight out of Star Wars. I have made many terrible things and a few that I am extremely proud of, such as my Star Wars standing desk (sensing a theming pattern here?). The more things I make, I learn more skills and techniques that unlock more complex and fun projects that I want to make.
Now, I love making themed solutions to problems and believe that it has unlocked a superpower within me that everyone can attain.
So my goal during 2025 is:
Go all in on not only making solutions to problems, but theming each project as well.
Introduce custom electronics, LEDs, microcontrollers, and Alexa automations into projects.
Transform my home office into a Star Wars workspace (hey, did you know I like Star Wars?).
I’m excited for the projects on my list for this year.
If you want to start making themed solutions for your problems, let me know what types of obsessions you will theme your projects after.
