DIY

DIY means Do It Yourself.

Why?

There are a number of reasons to embrace the Do It Yourself ethic.

• Save Money: Since you're the one doing the doing, you can control what (and how much) goes into whatever you're working on. You don't have to waste time or money on extra (unneeded) features.
• Pride: It's a good feeling to know that you've made something yourself. Success in these areas can go a long way to building up your self-confidence.
• Extension of Skillset: Frequently when you're doing something yourself, you'll have to learn new things to successfully finish the project. This is a great way to increase your skillset, discover new talents and interests, and provide yourself with a stronger base for future success.
• Entertainment: It can be very rewarding and diverting to work on something yourself, sometimes consuming your interest (in that wonderful way where you lose track of time).
• Control: Since you're the one making the Whatever, you get to decide exactly what you want it to do and how you want it to get done.
• Self-Reliance: The more things you are capable of doing yourself, the less you are subject to someone else's control. This, in turn, gives you more choices about how to live your life.

Doing It Yourself for Fun and Profit

If you stop and think about it, there are really a lot of things we can get done for ourselves, right where we are, with the things we've already got.

Everybody's got various talents and abilities and resources, but these are not limited and fixed. New talents can be developed, existing (sometimes latent) talents can be unlocked and enhanced with a little practice and experimentation.

You might start to adopt this DIY attitude for any of the reasons above, or for some other reason, but the point is, you'll likely discover a lot about yourself (and the world) in the process. It's a very freeing feeling to use something you created with your own two hands.

You don't have to start from scratch

Many people hear DIY and think of shoddy, homemade Rube Goldberg-style contraptions which are barely functional (and quite possible dangerous), but this doesn't have to be the truth.

Like it's been said so many times before, you don't have to re-invent the wheel.

Modding

One of the best (and easiest) ways to start using the DIY ethic in your own life is to begin by Modding some kit you've already got. Go ahead, make all your gear customized.

Sanitizing / Blackspotting / Relabeling

It's the worst, right? You just paid (way too) much money for your shiny new Whatever-it-is, but that's not enough. You don't just have to pay for it, you end up as a walking billboard for whoever made it in the first place.

Blackspotting / Sanitizing / Relabeling save you from being a walking advertisement by blotting out (blackspotting), removing (sanitizing), or altering (relabeling) these corporate logos with something of your choice. Have a favourite symbol? Want to send out a message? Got some comfortable shoes, but don't wanna help out the manufacturer's ad campaign? Customize your gear by replacing labels and logos with whatever you feel like saying.

Painting / Resurfacing

Again, you can control the way your kit looks just by getting a little creative. Some ideas? Take the case off your cell phone and paint it your favourite colour. Make covers with some of your favourite art to put on folders/binders (actually, anything with a smooth surface).

Add some Pockets

Pockets are one of the easiest things to attach. Add pockets to your clothes, your backpack, add hidden pockets, add stylized pockets with custom logos.

Sewing's really not all that hard to learn (at least the basics) and you'll be amazed at how quickly you'll be able to make simple alterations--hem those pantlegs, add patches, add pockets, add overlays (for texture and colour).

Reinforcement

Many things we use in day-to-day life can be strengthened and extended with just a little bit of work. Backpacks can be made stronger by double stitching, adding additional straps, etc.

Almost anything can be made water resistant (with chemical treatments, or the clever addition of plastic sheets).

Items receiving hard use can be patched (even before they wear out)--for instance, sewing extra cloth over the knees or seat are can greatly strengthen a pair of pants.

Take it to the Next Level

The DIY ethic has progressed a long way over the last few decades. Many DIY'ers have begun to form communities and share their information, and consequently there are many, many resources which can serve as 'Jumping Off' points to get you started. You might not realize just how far you can take this mindset.

Self Sustenance - You can save money, eat healthier, and ease your reliance on society's infrastructure by growing (some of) your own food. Even in urban environments, you can probably grow more stuff than you've thought about. Herb boxes in windowsills, indoor plants, back yard planters (if you have a back yard), community gardens, etc.

Get off the Grid - Some people have even gone so far as to DIY their own electricity. Solar, wind, hydrological, whatever they happen to have available in their area. In fact, many of these people stay hooked up to the electrical grid, and if they don't make enough power, they can still buy it from the electric company, and when they do, they can sell the excess power back to the electric company and help sustain other peoples' use.

Auto - If you develop skills in the automotive areas, you can begin to work on your own vehicles. Many people start slowly and build--beginning by changing their own headlights or oil or wiper blades, and as they learn more about it, they begin to take care of more things themselves.

Education - School is great, but it is far from the only way to learn. All of the overwhelming amount of knowlege we (humans) have discovered so far is available, somewhere, to someone. Much of this information is available for free to anyone (in the form of libraries, peers, and the Internet). While self-taught education might not be a replacement for formal education, it can certainly be a supplement.

DIY Media (a.k.a. Don't hate the media, become the media)

Many people (exponentially more so, given the advent of the Web) have taken to creating and distributing their own, independent media.

Songs, videos, images, newsletter, blogs, newspapers, discussion groups, podcasts, and a host of other formats provide you the chance to get your own ideas out there, and to soak up the creative excretions of other free thinkers.

The more ideas we have to rub together, the more complex and refined those ideas can become. Mainstream media (being a business), inherently has a goal--namely that of making money. Thus, choices made about content and presentation are often trumped by reasons other than getting the best content out there.

Independent, DIY created media doesn't necessarily have that limitation, though it most certainly can still be subject. Point is, by having the creations of anybody who has something to say, the pool of media (and human knowledge) can be expanded. More choices for everyone.

Some Resources to get you Started.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIY

http://www.diynetwork.com

http://www.doityourself.com

http://www.diylive.net

http://makezine.com

http://readymademag.com

http://www.instructables.com