The concept of “mindsets” are becoming increasingly common in many areas of life. From making, to education, to the everyday we are hearing more and more a “Maker Mindset.” But what exactly IS a “maker mindset”? Here are our Top 5 Elements of a Maker Mindset!

1. Just Do It!

Shia LaBeouf had it right; “Don’t let your dreams be dreams.” Perhaps the most important element of a maker mindset is the notion that when you have an idea you should actually put it to the test! Rather than going, “Wouldn’t it be cool if…”, actually try to bring your idea to life; it is the only way to find out whether or not it will work. Get rid of your fears, otherwise you’ll never know if you have the next great thing just floating around in your brain waiting to get out and change the world!

2. Stop, COLLABORATE, and Listen.

No one knows everything and no one knows that better than someone with a maker mindset. To truly create something awesome, you’re almost 100% guaranteed to need outside assistance and this is what makes making so cool! The increasing availability of access to information, resources, and experts means you have more and more opportunity to learn and create something amazing. The beauty of the maker movement is that community is at the centre. Someone with a maker mindset embraces this in everything they do, sharing their knowledge and experiences with others because they know it is the best way to do things.

3. Ask the Audience

“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” knows that sometimes you need a little help. Someone with a maker mindset is never afraid of what others will think. In fact, they actively want to know what others will think so they can learn and improve! In order to create something awesome, you need to get more than just your perspective on it. Asking experts, friends, family, and everyday people gives you insight on how you can improve that you wouldn’t otherwise get, and isn’t that an amazing opportunity?

4. Mistakes = Learning

As Albert Einstein said, “The only sure way to avoid making mistakes is to have no new ideas.” You are going to make mistakes, but someone with a maker mindset doesn’t let this get them down. Instead, they embrace mistakes as opportunities for learning and improvement! With a maker mindset, mistakes are not failures, they are experiences that are often just as if not more valuable that success. Mistakes show you how to move forward and grow and that is something a maker values above all.

5. Mirror, Mirror

No, you aren’t going to ask, “Who is the fairest of them all?” Instead, you’re asking yourself:

• How can I improve?
• What worked? What didn’t work?
• Where was I successful? How can I use this to help me in the future?
• What are my next steps?
• What have I learned from this experience?

Having a maker mindset means reflecting on everything you do. Reflecting is how we are able to better understand our experiences use that to move forward. Taking the time during all steps of the process to actively think about what is going on and the significance of what’s happening helps us translate our experiences into learning and growth which, as we know by now, is the overall goal of all makers.

There you have it; our Top 5 Elements of a Maker Mindset! We hope this has helped you better understand what it means to be a maker and how you can use a maker mindset to help you learn and succeed in all areas of life. Let us know your experiences with a maker mindset in the comments below and stay tuned for our upcoming post on design thinking!

Authored by: Nicole Myers, Director of Business and Curriculum Development, STEM MINDS