The End of All Things

The maker movement is one that existed for much longer than anyone had expected. Originally, it began as a retaliation to the rising popularity of industrialization and the mechanization of labour.  However, there were many obstacles that prevented the movement from growing stronger than mass produced items. Nonetheless, it still is considered an important method of asserting your own identity. When I began my project, I also went through a long process of learning the true difficulties of being a maker.

            When I had first started this project, I knew that it would not be easy. Jewellery by nature requires a steady and precise hand due to its minute size, even before you consider the difficulties in more intricate jewellery making techniques such as cutting gemstones or molding metals into intricate designs. For this reason, I chose to exclusively work with bead and wire, as metalworking seemed to be a potentially dangerous process that needed proper supervision. Even then, it was still quite difficult. My first project was a bracelet, and it resulted in a failed product but many a learnt lesson. Lesson number one was that relying on just picture instructions were not enough—the tutorial I used was in French, and I made the grave mistake of trying to navigate my own way through the project with images. Lesson number two is that just because I chose not to use metal wire did not mean other tools were unnecessary; it turns out that the vast majority of threaded projects use special beading needles. Yet I assumed that only metal based jewellery needed special tools. Lesson number three was that the quality of the materials have much more of an impact than I had expected. Unlike painting where a hobbyist can find satisfactory student grade paints, low quality beads hinder projects greatly since their holes are often incorrectly aligned, or are sometimes chipped in the interior, making it extremely difficult to thread your wire even with the right tools. This first attempt demonstrated the importance of choosing your supplies carefully, and also that you must read your instructions thoroughly.

            The other two projects were not free of difficulties, but neither one had the massive learning bump that the first project did. Despite the fact that I am going into graphic design, I believe that learning a skill that involves my hands is important to my overall identity as a designer. Jewellery making involves several different steps that combine multiple disciplines: the first way is drafting, where you would design the look of your project, and illustrate your desired result, just as an artist would; the second way is that you would consult your client in what they would like, just as a designer would; the third way is that you would sit down and create your object, just as a craftsman would. All of these aspects are the traits of a maker. When I compare this traits to what I have learned as a designer, I realize that the two have much more in common than expected, especially if you aim to be successful in your respective practice. It is easy to be tricked into believing that all there is to design is to simply create a beautiful design for your client, but just as makers do, there is an extended process necessary to both designers and makers.

            Despite this, there are many negative attributes associated with being a maker, showing the troubling divide that exists between art, design, and craft; it is common to hear people from all three fields. If people were able to accept that the three are more similar than initially expected, than it would open up a pathway between the three worlds. Unfortunately, there continues to be discrimination amongst them, and it hinders any progress that may be made. Due to the different fields of expertise, each group would benefit from collaboration with other groups, as it adds the voice of a person that is outside of what they do. Even though there were not any people in my class that chose a choice of study similar to jewellery making, they were still able to offer valuable pieces of advice and insights that were made possible due to their outsider’s perspective.

            The importance of a maker is often overlooked in our society. However, we have the power to change that misconception by taking the role upon ourselves. Making is an essential part of our daily lives. If people took the time to learn about subjects outside of their own craft, then we would be able to achieve new creations that we would not be able to create had we chosen to remain in our own world.