Creating A MAKERSPACE

Often people in charge talk strongly about encouraging people to think more creatively and cause new idea generation. However, most employing units don’t take example-setting steps to “show” this commitment and move toward Creating A MAKERSPACE!

This month’s Inspiring Innovations LEARNING MOMENTS podcast is all about the purpose and potential value of Creating A MAKERSPACE within your home and workplace. The podcast discussion tries to explain the what/where/why/when and how questions in relation to MAKERSPACE development. But the bottom line is that Creating A MAKERSPACE can be a steady solid return-on-investment action. 

Enjoy the listen. 

Transcript

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Hello again and welcome to the first Inspiring Innovations Learning Moments podcast for the new year 2026. My name is Marv Pickla, and as always I get to serve as that discussionist host for each of these monthly learning moments. As a basic reminder about the Inspiring Innovations Podcast messages, which occur on the 15th day of every month, my professional goal is to offer a special discussion about a topic that is centered around leadership, communication, innovation, and professional development. And because everyone's attention span is maybe just a little more limited these days, each podcast, the discussion, is I try to limit it to eight to ten minutes. So I guess what I'm saying is that if I can't make my point, good point, in eight to ten minutes, well, maybe I need to get back to the drawing board one more time, right? All right, so let's get the new year started with a discussion mostly in the area of innovation. Specifically, we're gonna talk about the importance of creating a space in your own personal or professional areas to be innovative. And if we want to use today's terminology, let's call our discussion creating makerspace. Yep. What we're gonna talk about is creating, designing, building, a makerspace for yourself andor for your organization or business. So let's start out with maybe that general definition of what everybody means by makerspace. A makerspace is considered a spot separate from other locations that encourages the creation, maybe sharing of ideas and concepts, and how to build on them. It is usually informal in design and operation and encourage encourages every attendee to work together for more learning and discovery, mostly in non traditional ways and settings. Second, let's ask everyone is establishing a makerspace a totally more recent concept or has it been in the background of a lot of different sectors, but never officially termed makerspace? Think about it. Well, let me go back. When I think about it, I go way back in time and think about when farming neighbors would get together, maybe in each other's barns and sheds from time to time, and together they would try and create a new different piece of equipment to solve one or more of their more recent agribusiness challenges. It could have been a piece of farm work prep, or an item to better feed the cattle, or a crop component that would speed up the whole grain harvest process? You know what I'm saying? Can you picture the event and the process? And the use maybe of a welder and a torch or a grinder, different pieces of equipment that were kind of collaboratively used. And you know, farmers, each one of them had a better idea. So with that mind, that makerspace background in mind, and knowing that it's been in place in different ways and forms, do you have makerspace in your home or in your place of work? Think about it. In the past, I have spent time as part of my triple I time blog writings or a little time during a couple of these inspiring innovations, learning moments podcasts, stressing the importance of allowing special time while at your day job to spend it on innovation and innovative thinking, creative action, and or maybe just plain research and discovery on new alternative product or service opportunities. Doesn't it just make good sense, good business sense to allow and encourage ourselves and those we work with to think progressively and on a future level? And then somehow make space available to also designate it as that extra special activity? Somehow, this type of show me example setting action can only make forward progress a major priority. Okay, I know all the fiscally minded people out there are thinking out loud, what about the cost? So let's think and write them down. First, for sure, technology and social media usage and your basic computer stuff and copy cost, yep, they may be an issue. Next, depending on the creativity options, more formal like 3D printers or tech shop craft tools and machinery may come up. However, now listen to this, however, for today and my purposes, I am focusing mainly on forming and allowing makerspace for the purpose of personal discovery and sharing, kind of a person to person place and time to just kick around ideas. So if only even one hour per week per employee was proposed, that would kind of be short in terms of costs. And yes, I realize that sometimes the opportunity of a maker space, the maker time may be overused by some select few people, but collaborative rule making and and if it was communicated effectively should kind of serve as policing of that overuse opportunity. Think about it. Just for this one moment, try and set it aside so that you have just people talking and thinking. It'll make people work better together and keep an open maker space in their minds for new ideas and yeah, innovation. Okay, bottom line. Establishing and inspiring innovations, learning moments maker space for yourself and your organization or business has a nice ring to it, don't it? Just think about it. And maybe have friends and colleagues and co-workers help kind of construct the space and the related rules for participation to make sure no overuse happens and whatever equipment you bring in is something that really, really would help the cause. Because I believe in today's fast-paced world, makerspace opportunities would result in a great return on investment. It would build employee participation and support for your purpose and your service, and kind of overall set a better established culture of innovation that can help down the road and immediately sometimes in so many areas. Well, guess what? Our time is gone as quickly as I thought it might be, you know, as we start this new year of podcasting. Hopefully, this message on Makerspace helps you and of course those you partner with. Thanks at all, as always, for listening closely, and and I know we'll get together and discuss more next month. So thanks for listening.