Making Problems to Solve

This week I talked to Jamie Seel of Seel Made about her creative journey from learning fashion design to creating her unique line of leather handbags. We chat about her experience teaching and demonstrating at the Catskill Mountain Maker Camp and her mobile pop-up store . Check out Seel Made on Instagram and seelmade.com

My guest this week is Kathy Ceceri, a maker, writer, and educator who focuses on history, science, technology, and art. We talked about her latest book published by Make:Community Paper Inventions Second Edition, along with her path to STEAM education through home schooling and curiosity. We discuss the current state of Maker Faires and the value of connecting with your local creative community. Check out Kathy's work on her web site kathyceceri.comKathy was proud to share her kid's work as well.Jax Ceceri's Drywall Eating Simulator on Steam from Peripheral PlayboxAnthony Ceceri's hand-drawn animated short film Stairwell

After work travel and technical difficulties, here's a great conversation with Tom Breslin from The Phoenix Woodshop! We talk about his start making signs in the garage with just a 1965 Craftsman router, to his rediscovery of sign making with a CNC Router. Along the way we discuss the value of learning and sharing in the making community. Tom highlights the creative community with his new podcast Create and Connect.Check out Tom on Instagram and the Create and Connect Podcast.Photo by Mark Adams Pictures

If you've been around the online maker community, you may have run into Paul Meyette, one of the best supporters of the community around. I was lucky to meet Paul at northeast maker events several years ago and he's definitely supported my work as well. We chatted about how he got started making things, discovering the online maker community, and building your own little community, finding folks to support. Paul created the Northeast Makers Facebook and Instagram accounts to highlight the wide range of creative people he encountered along the way. Check out Paul and Northeast Makers on Instagram.

Briony Morrow-Cribbs currently lives & works in the hills of rural Vermont as a printmaker, illustrator, graphic designer and maker of little things. We discussed her creative family, and work, specifically copper plate etching. This includes nature-inspired prints, book covers and illustrations.Check out her work on Instagram and her web site.

Rasmus Loen is a blacksmith, as described on the podcast he co-hosts, from Norway! We talk about learning and teaching blacksmithing, Zelda, and of course the making and selling of forged objects. You won't be surpised to hear we mention community a bit in there somewhere. Check out Rasmus as one-third of the Setting Up Shoppe podcast with Dan and Heidi. Also check out Rasmus on Instagram and his web site.

This week I talked to Liz from Blitz City DIY. She makes a lot of music and electronics related projects. We discuss how she went from a music major to experimenting with Arduino to creating DIY YouTube videos and guides for Adafruit. We discover why patterned plywood might be related to quilting and a bit about modular synths. Check out Liz on Instagram, Youtube and the Adafruit web site.

Gary Oshust went from a career in IT to taking a sculpture class and beyond. We talk about his interest in minature art, as well as his time managing a maker space, interest in aviation and keeping the "A" in STEAM. Check out Gary on Instagram. Photo credit to Mark Adams.

Michele Banks makes biology and science inspired art exploring the patterns we find in nature from viruses and bacteria to animal and plant cells and even neuroscience. We talked about how you don't need to be a kid who was good at drawing to become a working artist, inspiration from science communication, and her email newsletter about the work and philosophy of making art a career. Find Michele on Instagram and Substack.

Mark Adams and Nick Toga are back and we discuss upcoming events, catch up on recent events, and widely range across maker topics. Highlights include Making it 500, AWFS Fair in Vegas, Texas Woodworking Festival, the Fitchburg Forge-in and of course, Catskill Mountain Maker Camp! Along the way we discuss monetizing knowledge, creative community, and buying stuff from makers. A plethora of mentions: Catskill Mountain Maker CampTexas Woodworking FestivalLeah AripotchJeff DuBoerSeattle Metals GuildFitchburg Forge-inLindsay ZuelichMatthew AbadiCanned Heat Glass StudiosLynn Everett Read