Constructing a ‘maker’ identity

Hand-made masks, constructed during the pandemic

In Making as Self Reflection, Perdue alumni Dr. Avneet Hira talks about how, when she was attending classes in engineering at Kalpana Chawla (her undergraduate college), everything was “just so theoretical” and “not what [she] thought engineering was going to be like” (Sari & Huber, 2020, pg. 2 of transcript).

In order to stay “excited about doing engineering,” Hira and some friends set up a lab and started building remote controlled airplane models (Sari & Huber, 2020, pg. 3).

Creating those planes helped Hira identify as a maker and engineer “because once you’re making things and they’re out there, no one can question whether you’re actually good at a certain thing or not, because it’s right there. There’s a physical artifact right in front of you” (Sari & Huber, 2020, pg. 3).

When Hira came to Purdue, her PhD advisor was setting up a maker space. Hira credits her “four to five years at Purdue that really helped me engage with what making means to me, ask questions around it, and at the same time, introduce making to other people” (Sari & Huber, 2020, p. 3).

Hira emphasizes that her identity as a maker “doesn’t have to be other people’s identities” (Sari & Huber, 2020, pg. 4). Everyone should “get a chance to define their own maker identity” (Sari & Huber, 2020, pg. 4).

My response to the podcast:
This is a very informative podcast, which I would definitely recommend. I especially related to the idea of being able to define my own maker identity, and thought it could relate to the “constructedness and fluidity of group identity” (Malone, 2000, pg. 78).

Speaking to my own identity as a maker, I enjoy sewing, knitting, crochet, and other types of crafting. I actually worked piecemeal sewing brims and crowns of hats for a designer in Ashland, Oregon — but otherwise, I’ve tried to keep my crafting separate from what podcast co host Pam Sari described as “work things” (Sari & Huber, 2020, pg. 8).

My making is personal and I don’t want to move it into my professional life. I don’t want to monetize my creations, because to me, they are a source of joy and I think that trying to earn money from them would strip away the joy of creating and turn it into work.

More people were making “than ever before” during the pandemic, because they were “making their own masks” (Sari & Huber, 2020, pg. 10). I was one of those people; I made beautiful creations out of printed or tie-dyed fabrics. I even embellished some of the masks with lace or embroidered trim.

There was a communal aspect to everyone making masks; a sort of collective identity. People shared patterns and tutorials online and both of the patterns that I ended up using, came from someone else first sharing it. Being able to express myself through the masks that I created, offered a wonderful outlet for creativity in an otherwise uncertain time.

I could envision myself happily working in a library with a makerspace. A makerspace is typically “a place where informal, collaborative learning and discovery take place through hands on creation, via use of any combination of art and technology” (Velasquez, n.d., para. 1). Makerspaces can “facilitate both analog (low-tech) and digital (high tech) creation” (Velasquez, n.d., para. 1). Under that definition, my interest in videography and computer-aided design, and my interest in crafting would be equally at home, equally supported, in a makerspace.

Reflecting again upon the act of constructing a group identity, as discussed by Malone: When my spouse and I recently attended our local county fair, we encountered a booth featuring a local chapter of the American Sewing Guild. At the time of this writing, I have just purchased a guild membership.

References:
Malone, C. K. (2000). Toward a multicultural American public library history. Libraries & Culture 35(01), 77-87.

Sari, P. & Huber, S. (Hosts). (2020, Sept. 30). Making as self reflection (No. 1) [audio podcast episode]. In Diversity and making. Purdue Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center. https://lib.purdue.edu/diversity-and-making/episode1-making-as-self-reflection/

Velasquez, J. (n.d.) MakerSpaces: New tradition in context. Libraries for children and young adults. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. https://www.ifla.org/g/libraries-for-children-and-ya/makerspaces-new-tradition-in-context/