This is inspiration for making stuff

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This morning I was watching Estefannie Explains it All on YouTube making a Daft Punk helmet using her new 3D printer.

She was 3D printing a mold and using that to vacuum form a visor out of a PETG plastic sheet. What I love about her videos is that she shows everything, including her failures, like completely melting the plastic sheet or gluing the box to her workbench by accident.

I've watched other makers on YouTube and usually feel inadequate when I look at their amazing skill set, even though I have a Masters degree in computer engineering and a PhD in industrial design. With Estefannie, it's refreshing to see how she's learning as she's making and sharing the whole process.

As she was making the vacuum forming box I noticed many things that could be improved, for example how she was clamping things to her workbench. Instead of pointing that out in the comment section (which I'm sure many people will do) it reminded me that I don't have to know how to do everything perfectly before starting, and that even if you make mistakes you can still make something awesome.

I used to think that looking at great maker projects will inspire me to make things. That's not true – looking at the process, including all the failures and mistakes, is what provides true inspiration.

#Making