Makers of the World 5 Ways Makers are changing the World

I’ve always thought of myself as a tinker. As a child, I would often take things apart and make something new out of the same parts and pieces.  As an adult, I now see these same tinkering tendencies in my son and my nieces and nephews.  It’s fun to see these new little makers joining in on this global movement of Inventors.

At any age you can tap into your creative juices and become an inventor. Just check out the Emmy Award winning show Shark Tank which is entering its 9th season on ABC.  The premise of the show is to invent a product and to get the multi-millionaire Shark Tank business owners to invest in your product.

Even if you don’t get a deal with the Sharks, millions of TV viewers will be exposed to your product and potentially make you an instant millionaire.  Amazing, right?  Here are five ways this movement is changing the world in which we live:

1. The old formula no longer exists – the era of going to college and climbing the corporate ladder is a thing of the past with jobs being outsourced globally and replaced by robotics. Students can self-direct themselves toward their passions and interests to create and innovate.
2. Collaboration to create connections – you can now go to YouTube and type in any topic and get a step by step tutorial of how to create, design or fix something from beginning to end. The site is an excellent source to learn and to discover new information.
3. Problem solvers – an emphasis on looking for solutions to problems from many different angles while keeping the quality of life and environmental concerns at the forefront of design encourages an open mind.
4. Engage in interactive thinking – technology allows for building prototypes of new products on the computer and creating 3D models. Critiquing and analyzing with classmates leads to perfecting the product until it works ideally.
5. They create growth in the economy –small business owners can operate with a sense of freedom, creativity and flexibility while creating new jobs.

As interior designers involved in many academic projects, we love to design and develop spaces throughout a school environment that encourages the maker mindset.  Making and creating can happen anywhere and everywhere and it’s our mission to incorporate it into every educational design project.