More often than not, I am asked the infamous question of “did you make that?!” Most of the time I say “No, I didn’t make this intricately knitted sweater that I bought at Nordstrom” and I am flattered by the question and left dumbfounded they would even ask. Other times I shyly say “yeah I made it…” because I’m slightly embarrassed. I was thinking about the first thing I “DIY-ed” today and not including school projects and painting a picket fence with flowers on my wall when I was younger; the first thing I really remember being a DIY project was adding studs to my converse in the ninth grade. That was nearly six years ago. Since then I have made countless projects, some successes and some fails. I’ve learned so much about making things but I have so much more to learn. I don’t even think I truly realized I was “creative” until my senior year of high school. All of this got me thinking of why I do projects on my own, this is what I came up with:
1. Cost Efficient: I love seeing something at Anthropologie or walking down a runway and thinking “oh, I could make that on a budget!” It is a challenge, it is thrilling, and when its all said and done I feel accomplished. But let’s be honest, not every DIY project is cost efficient. Sometimes you can buy a necklace at Forever 21 ten times cheaper than purchasing the chain, beads, clasps, and pliers to make one necklace. When I go into a DIY I try to reason out the cost and shop around for materials before purchasing anything (but sometimes I just have to make it now.)
2. Originality (Or not so originality): Of course a main reason to Do-it-yourself is to make your project more original. To do something you haven’t seen done. To put something new out there. But there is also the argument “nothing new under the sun.” Touché my friend, touché…I agree! Sometimes you just have to take an original idea and give credit where it is due!
3. Stretch Creativity: Like I said above, I didn’t truly realize I was creative until my senior year of high school. I never thought it to be special, but then I realized it brought me joy to make something and then I instantly just wanted to grow in every area. Constantly writing down ideas and intensely thinking about those things is so fun to me. Another reason why I DIY!
4. Learn New Skills: I have had some successes through DIYs but a lot of the time there are flops. I have made some of the stupidest things, but from those mess ups I have learned so much. I DIY to practice new skills like painting, wood working and sewing. I learned how to weld in high school so I would love to stretch that skill even further one day. You never know what you can do until you try it, practice it, fail, and then practice even more. Having a DIY in mind is the perfect excuse to learn new skills.
5. Share With Others: A main reason I have a blog is to share with others. Why would I want to just keep all of these projects to myself? Yes they are fun and exciting just by myself, but these things need to be shared. The cool thing about technology is the accessibility to the world by the internet. I have gotten to share so many of my own projects through a DIY blog and I have learned so much through other DIY blogs.
6. To Inspire: I do-it-myself so I can show people the possibilities of one simple idea and how it can bloom into something bigger. I hope as I DIY I can inspire people along the way.
Some of my favorite projects: Rock Climbing Mug//Handpiece & Knuckle Ring//Bucket Bag//Kitchen Table//Lace Skirt
Why do you DIY? I’d love to hear your thoughts!