Brit Morin

What is Making?

Making is the act of creating something. At Brit + Co we believe everyone is a maker and we are all born creative. I’m really passionate about enabling this sense of creativity for women and girls. We often start out creative and unafraid when we are younger, but over the years, something shifts and we shut that part of ourselves down. Making is a great way to rediscover that part of ourselves and can help us rediscover our creativity. 

Who are Makers?

Anyone and everyone can be a maker! That’s one of the things I love so much about the maker movement. Truly anyone can get involved. With so much technology available to help us, making has become more accessible than ever before and activities can range from highly technical projects to more traditional handmade crafts. 

Why is Making important?

I think as humans we have an inherent need to make with our hands. We have been doing it throughout history. I think making not only gives us a chance to harness our creativity, but it reconnects us with the process that goes into creating something. Given the pace of most of our lives these days, knowing where and how something was made is important. Even if you’re not making things yourself, you can support those who do and learn about the origin stories of the goods you are purchasing. 

What is an exciting example of Making and why?

One example of making I’m particularly excited about is 3D printing. Specifically, 3D printing custom products (clothing, food, decor, etc) from within your home. This technology is not here yet, but it is coming. The ability to have personalized items on-demand is going to change the way we shop, purchase and use many popular consumer items. It’s also a great opportunity for Makers -- soon there will be all kinds of marketplaces where you can buy and sell designs, creating an easier financial route for turning your passion into a real business.

How is Making transforming education?

I think making has the power to connect students to the material they are learning in a very powerful and lasting way.

The projects I remember the most are the ones that involved me creating something. It somehow made the subject matter more real to me. Not only that, but because STEM is becoming more pervasive in education, young students are learning how to connect the things they make with the digital world, in effect creating a new type of curriculum at large. I’m jealous I’m not still in school to be along for the ride!

How can Making change my community?

In the same way that making can impact education, it also has the power to impact communities. When you bring people together on a project and they’re using their hands to make something, it really unites them and creates a strong common bond. Furthermore, if more people know how to make and build, more change can be driven in a community. You will start to see more startup businesses rather than big box brands, especially because consumers are now preferring to connect and buy from those whom they know rather than large corporations -- especially when they can learn the story behind how the goods were made.

How does Making solve big problems?

Empowering individuals to be makers -- to take on the responsibility of learning new skills and creating things with them -- brings the power of industry home. 

The more we encourage making as a means to support our communities and small businesses, the more we can directly impact the economy, innovation, the environment and people’s lives in the US and throughout the world. The Boston Consulting Group claims that 10-30% of the goods that America now imports from China will be made at home by 2020, resulting in a $55B market. That’s a big change and a huge opportunity for anyone who is a maker.