1
Posing with a super steampunk submarine
at Maker Faire Bay Area 2014, age 10.
2
Excited for early entry at the same event.
me that my skill level didn’t really matter that
much. When I asked Nancy what she meant,
she said that the program was really just about
learning. We weren’t expected to create a world-
changing miracle idea, but instead go along with
the program and see what we could get out of
it. Nancy convinced me that if I was going to be
minoring in the majors, I might as well enjoy
myself.
With somewhat renewed confidence, I plunged
myself back into the first part of the Learning
Labs program. This “Inspiration” phase was
meant to expose us to a wide array of making
concepts on a daily basis for two weeks. We
had guest speakers, lectures, homework
assignments. The topics varied quickly, from
basic coding to constructing paper circuitry. I
found that if I stayed focused on learning, as
opposed to what my finished product looked like,
I could actually enjoy myself. My favorite portions
of this phase were the ones that had very clear
instructions beginner makers like me need
all the help we can get. Nancy then split us into
groups and told us to go create something, and
we got to experience the philosophy of making
from idea to execution. After this, everyone
signed up for three Deep Dives, one- or two-week
workshops that went in-depth on a particular
making discipline. In other words, speciality
training so we could hone our skills for the grand
finale of the program — final projects. That’s
where this article came to life: instead of making
something, Nancy asked me to write about my
experience in the program, and I gladly accepted.
After successfully completing the Make:
Learning Labs initiative in one piece (no fingers
Practice is important. No matter how skilled or
talented a maker might be, they’re not going to
build R2-D2 on their rst try.
Marquam Piros, Elizabeth Swartz
22 makezine.com
FEATURES Make: Learning Labs
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M78_020-23_LearningLabs_F1.indd 22M78_020-23_LearningLabs_F1.indd 22 7/12/21 12:22 PM7/12/21 12:22 PM
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