The Astonishing World of The Maker Faire

I went to the Maker Faire today; if you don't know what it is, google it. I went once before, about six years or so ago, and I remember it as being hot, crowded and fun.  It was so again.  I knew I should get there early to avoid the traffic/lines and get parking, but getting there just moments after opening ensured I was ensnared it horrible traffic and parked right at the edge. The ticket HOLDER line was some 2000 strong.  It seemed like it would be madness inside.

But inside was much better. The maps were designed aesthetically well, but hard to follow and figure out (and I am good at maps).  But the Faire was suited for wandering, looking at exhibits, watching demos, participating in a little hands-on fun.  I polished a gemstone (not a precious one, but still).  I watched a rock bank wearing special suits play between two giant Tesla coils and absorb, over and over, large quantities of electricity.  I saw a bike-powered stage, all of the amps and instruments powered by audience members taking a turn at one of the bike generators.  I saw a huge metal fire-breathing dragon.  I saw a few super tiny houses, one that was no bigger than a chariot-sized U-Haul trailer, and managed to still fit five "rooms" (a kitchen area, a miniature but working bathroom, a tiny "dining room," a sleeping loft and one additional smaller loft, I thought perfect for meditation). 

I also saw some adorable crafts, and whimsical ideas.  Terrariums that made me drool.  An amazing "bug habitat" - stacks of wine crates stuffed with natural outdoor THINGS of every sort.  Thick black felt hangers that work, apparently, just fine as pocket gardens.  Cut-and-fold your own landmark, tiny and detailed, and I'm sure maddening to try and do.  (The artist handed me a magnifying glass so I could see the Lincoln in the Memorial).  The robot petting zoo (actually, much cuter than it sounds). Kids trying, I think, to make fire by turning stick.  Even a few cleverly craftyVisa and MasterCard signs (fabric, and wood).

I saw the most enormous paella ever. I sat beneath some odd modular structure that provided both shade for adults and climbing opportunities for children.  I went among the fantastic light-up plastic sculpture garden.  I saw motorized Laz-y-Boys and muffins that drove all over and robots made out of cardboard.  I stood next to a Cylon (old school, plus extra points for the obscure Lucifer model), and got geeky with a cute guy in a perfect BSG backwards racer-back fatigues, who had built a cockpit of a viper, hooked up to a giant metal gyroscopic device that would spin its occupant 360 degrees. 

All in all, a fascinating experience - to get to see what people CAN do, when they have a passion for something. Here's a person who really REALLY wanted to make a life-size version of the old game Mousetrap, there's someone who really REALLY believes that giant cupcakes must be made driveable.  These people have vision - they had some idea that was in their head - some idea that no one else was doing - and they did what it took to make it happen, to push it out right into reality. 

And then they found each other - the weirdos and geeks and fringe elements find each other.  There was the Steampunk section - a little bit of pseudo-futuristic Ren Faire smack in the middle of all the tech stuff.  Here are the young Silicon Valley entrepreneurs fresh on their third Kickstarter campaign.  Here are the people who build incredibly intricate battleship models and launch them into, I think, some sort of battle, but I didn't wait in line to see.

I alternatively fit in and did not fit in.  I don't know why, really, but I am not a geek.  My history of going to Cons (see, I even know what they are), my collection of science fiction television actors signatures, my set of custom-made Battlestar Galactica tarot cards - none of them make me a geek.  I love the Renaissance Faire, the Dickens Faire, and I have costumes for almost every century in the last millennium.  But it's odd - for whatever reason, my perspective, values, abilities, history, social abilities, artistic temperament and general persona just are not, at a core, geeky, and it feels like all the geeks know it. 

Sometimes at events like this, I think, my people!  And sometimes, I feel like a spy in the house of love.  I occassionally feel regarded with skepticism, as though they can tell I am an outsider.  Still, I recognize these efforts and I am in sympathy with them.  The hippies, the crafters, the geeks - I appreciate them all, and I am glad they are there, doing the things the mainstream is not - MAKING THINGS (it was the MAKER Faire, after all).  I admire what they do and yet I felt like I was not actually one of them.  Like I'm on my own track or something.  But then again, aren't we all?

At any rate, it was all extremely inspiring.  I am now, more than ever, motivated to get up and MAKE.  But first, I have this blog entry to write....