6 Things I Learnt on My Maker Faire Journey

When I woke up on Monday morning, it felt as though I had a major hang over. I had just spent the weekend at Maker Faire Singapore! I was one of many makers of the OneMaker Group (OMG) / Art Science Museum consortium. We had Dangerous Demos, Etching Circuits, Cardboard Lamps, Plastic Bottle Planting, Light Painting, Cardboard Sculptures, Automata, Weaving, Mediaeval Costumes and the Hover Rover (so many, phew!).  I was in-charge of the weaving project called Weaving Dreams - participants wove mini hoops and stools with upcycled materials.  The objective of a Maker Faire is to engage the community in making things and get them to experience it. Do you want to take part next year? Read about the things I learnt in preparation for my booth at the faire.

Preparing for Maker Faire

There was definitely a lot more to prepare compared to last year's repair cafe; fortunately, I had a great team. 

#1 There Will Always be Changes
Be prepared because changes happen ALL the time - things can get very fluid so always have a Plan B!

For us, it happened several times from the production right down to the day of the event itself!  But it was also important that we stuck with the weaving and upcycled theme. For example, when we realised that we didn't have enough time to weld a nest-like structure for participants to weave on, we went straight to Plan B and decided on using hoops instead. But we also wanted to enhance the experience for the participants and show them that upcycled textiles could also be used for making things like furniture, so we welded some stools as well.

My first acceptable weld (after many attempts!)

#2 Find Your Team Members - Quick!

This is very important especially if you want them to be on board with your idea. Find people who have the skills that match the needs of your project. I required someone who could weld, and she (Farah) taught me how to do it as well! Steep learning curve, but very rewarding!

Great team and helpers on the day!

#3 Project Management is Important

Set yourself mini-deadlines, and if they are not met, do something about it!

Write out LISTS - things to do, things to buy, things to set up, and more importantly, who is doing what! Share those lists with everyone on your team so that you are all on the same page.  I sometimes forgot to do that but every now and then I would look at my calendar and see the looming deadline! 

Don't forget to communicate, communicate, communicate too!

#4 It's All About the Experience

Maker Faire is all about the experience so make sure your booth is somewhere people will actually enjoy making. Hidayah from OMG recommended that I add more colour to my booth, and so I made a giant picnic mat from fabric scraps. I think it made the booth more homely and allowed more people to take part in the activity.

#5 Make It Small and Easy

We realised on the first day that the participants didn't want to stick around for too long for an activity. We decided to make the small wire hoops even smaller so that they could be in and out within 1/2 hour. It also helped the little ones, but we did get a few who wanted to stay longer.

#6 Be Happy and Stay Calm!

This is very important! If you want happy participants, smile and stay calm no matter sunshine or rain. Do I look calm here?

Acknowledgements - Thank you to OneMaker Group - OMG and Art Science Museum for making it happen. Also special thanks to my wonderful team members Farah, Atiqa, and Colin-  thanks for being patient with me; Afia, Chew Lin, Joyce, and Cathy - thanks for helping out during the event. We had lots of people chip in to make the T-shirt yarn from old t-shirts and help weave the hoops: Adel, Bernice, Seth, Liyana and other members of Repair Kopitiam - a big thank you to you too!!