There’s no denying that mass production and specialization has made life easier. No longer does one need to make their own clothes or build a chest of drawers. But for many, with these innovations there comes a longing. A longing for getting involved in the hands-on creation that is so rare these days. A longing to “Do It Yourself.”
To DIY is to create or work on a project that is typically done by experts. It is not limited to home improvement and crafts; self-published writings and building computers are also popular projects.
While many come up with their own ideas, plenty of others find inspiration online. Large DIY communities have popped up on sites such as Instagram and Pinterest, allowing others to ask for and provide help.
Sophomore Zoe Wilson often browses Pinterest and explains, “What’s difficult is sometimes figuring out how to make it if you see it on Pinterest and then there’s no instructing site to go along with it. But what’s fun is trying to find out a way to do it because usually DIY [projects] are pretty simple because everyone can do them.”
Doing it yourself has no age or skill level, because there is an entire spectrum of projects available online targeted to middle schoolers and grandparents alike, but if the projects are self-made then they can be personally tailored to an individual’s skill level, time limits, and preferences.
One strong draw to DIY projects is the ability to invent and customize projects. Freshman William Voorsanger built his own computer and explains, “One of the best parts about it is that it’s never complete, and it’ll never get outdated because you can just keep upgrading the [components] inside of it.” Instead of attempting to pick a product that has most of what is desired, Doing it yourself allows the result to be exactly as the maker envisioned it. Additionally, the ability to upgrade individual components instead of needing to get an entirely new computer can save money.
For some, the attraction of doing it yourself is not that it can save money but that it can save the environment.
Junior Kelsey Dobbs, a regular crafter, finds that she can use anything around her house for her projects. “I remember one time I made a frozen pizza, and it came on this circular piece of cardboard so I saved it because it’s a perfect circle, so why not?” she recalls. “So stuff like that, that would normally be useless, can be useful in a project.”
In DIY, old and used products can be completely revamped into exciting new creations that are perfect for reuse. From cardboard pizza rounds to old mason jars and clothes that don’t fit anymore, DIY projects can make use of items that would normally be thrown into the landfill.
Thanks to social media, the public perception of DIY has been changing.
Says Dobbs, “Crafting is underappreciated, and [DIY] definitely brought out a new image of people that like to craft and I think it brought up the image and is seen as an up-and-coming thing now because of the heavy presence on social media and the reusing aspect.”
Naturally, doing it yourself can also present issues during projects. Voorsanger remembers a mishap that nearly destroyed his computer. “Well, I almost short circuited the motherboard and I almost made it catch fire, but that didn’t happen which was nice.”
For many, regardless of whether or not their project is successful, simply doing the activity can be rewarding. As junior Bridget Johns puts it, “Just doing it is fun because you have something you’ve made, so I don’t know what would be too difficult because if you enjoy it then there shouldn’t be anything difficult about it.” Both interest and drive are needed to make these sort of projects, because there’s always issues to encounter.
Doing it yourself is only continuing to encourage creativity in people. It has many different applications, and whether it be focused towards fun or functionality, it is a positive way to spend a weekend alone, with friends, or with family.
