In my head, what I want to achieve is pretty simple.
- Approach the council with a good plan about what I want to do with my makerspace, how it will benefit communities, and education.
- Get a space for a workshop donated to me. About 60-100 square meters. Power included.
- Move all my tools from my garage at home to this space. Get set up to the most basic, functional level.
- Advertise, invite, and recruit through the communities I’m already a part of.
- Grow. Thrive. Make things, and make a difference.
That’s it. Of course knowing where you’re going is always a good place to start any journey- even though the destination might change along the way. We need some gravity, some magnetic force to get us started and pull us along. So, let’s start at the dream, the end, and work backwards. Let’s see where the roadblocks are to building the next chapter in my life.
Step 5 – Making it
Aah yes, the “end”. This the exciting part. This is actually the beginning, technically. This is the open-for-business stage. I know if I can get to step 5, everything will be just fine, everything will work. I will bring people, I will bring ideas, I will have already bought the tools. We’ll develop our culture and systems over time, decorate the place, fill up the project board with exciting community projects, and tick them off when they’re released into the wild. Then grow some more.
Step 4 – Recruiting, spreading the word
I’m certain I can do this, and can enlist the help of people more organised than myself. I have taught myself that yes, I am able to make friends, I’m able to get people excited about my ideas, people like talking to me, people want to help. I’ve always hated the idea of “sales” – but I keep being told sales is just talking, networking. And I’m really good at talking when it comes to things I’m passionate about.
Step 3 – Moving in
Piece of cake. This would involve lots of pinching myself, as this is where dreams come reality. It would mean that somehow, beyond all my doubts and worries and concerns, that I managed to get past…
Step 2 – Putting the “space” in makerspace
This is the one that scares me the most. Thing is, it’s not impossible. TAPLab did it. They operate out of the Te Atatu community center, for “free”. So there’s no reason, I can’t achieve this myself, in Albany, close to home. There’s a massive council building, with lots of space for rent. Maybe I can’t get away with free, but maybe I can get away with sponsored, or supported. Whichever way this happens, it’s going to require…
Step 1 – The pitch, the plan, the dream
Posts like this one are all a part of the journey. It’s part of the pitch, getting it clear in my head what I want to achieve, and even if it’s just letters on a screen, it’s making it one step more real than it was in my head.
Personal Growth
I must say, I’m quite proud of how far I’ve come in the last 4 or 5 years. I’ve gone from someone wallowing in self-pity about my lot in life, my work situation, how trapped I am, to not just believing, but knowing that if I want to achieve this dream of a maker community, that builds projects for real-life people and problems, it’s completely and utterly up to me.
Nobody is going to hand this to me. No sell, no pitch, no great idea is going to cause anyone to jump into action and puppet me to success. The only person that is going to make this happen, is myself. And that, like how a raindrop grows by pulling in surrounding raindrops on its way back to earth, I will naturally pull in people and their minds to grow this space, and what it’s capable of.
My old beliefs that people who achieve this kind of thing are 90% lucky has completely flipped. It’s 90% blood, sweat and tears. Effort. The remaining 10% “luck” I no longer see as a barrier, but something that can be overcome, by persistence, relentlessness and resolve. Perhaps then it’s all effort. I’m a software developer and we always say that last 10% of a job takes 90% of the time. Perhaps this is a more universal truth.
Next Steps
I’m going to start putting myself in more places. I’m going to go into the council building. I already walk every morning to a cafe. I have met some people at those cafes, and made friends, got contacts, been pointed in certain directions (e.g., TAPLab).
I don’t need to worry about getting turned away because I’m just trying to sell something, or get something for myself. I know that what I’m doing is something that’s needed. Something that will be beneficial. I know the people can help me progress through these steps will see that too.
Your support
Follow me. Sign up. Follow me on my socials.
- https://www.youtube.com/@themessnz
- https://www.twitch.tv/mess_nz
More to come…