Why Make Stuff?

I believe you can change the world with a pencil, a piece of paper, a chunk of charcoal and piece of cardboard, a paintbrush, a crayon, a d-cam, a blog, a cell phone, a recorder; a projector, some clay and a kiln, some wood and a few tools, some sticks, stones, and grasses, a stove and some vegetables, found glass, paper, metal, plastic, a torch, a welder, a stick and some sand, a knife to carve with, an idea, some mud and hay, a computer, some seeds, a needle and thread and scrap of fabric, the list goes on. I know for certain you can change yourself by using any of this stuff or any thing else that might come to mind and hand.

Why we make stuff matters. That we make stuff is important. How we make stuff is secondary, and any method, material or vehicle that allows you to get to what you're trying to see/feel/say/suggest is equally valid. What we make is not the point. That we make, that we DO, is.

Making stuff develops the ability to see, hear, taste, smell and feel. Making stuff is about problem solving, the openness to possibilities, development of skills, internal and external navigation and resolution, a sense of exploration and adventure. Making stuff transforms one from a consumer to a producer, a contributor. Making stuff is not passive. Making stuff involves making choices. Realizing you have choices and can make them is empowering. Empowerment leads to confidence, the ability and bravery to ask questions, and challenging the status quo. Making stuff and then showing it to others it is a social and political act and opens avenues for communication and dialogue. And that is one of the things that will prevent us from becoming mindless drones subserviant to the mass media, politicians, advertisers, commerical interests and charlatans that have constructed the consumer culture for the purposes of distracting and desensitizing us from reality.

Dare to fail big, and attempt to change the world. Resist conformity, think for yourself, make some stuff of your very own.