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The following is excerpted from Free to Make: How the Maker Movement is Changing our Schools, Our Jobs, and Our Minds by Dale Dougherty and Ariane Conrad, published by North Atlantic Books.

 

One of the most profound experiences that any of us can have is to act on an idea, turn it into something real, and share it. It can be called the act of creation or invention, inspired by our experiences and our imagination and informed by our knowledge and skills. The process of realizing an idea and making it tangible is what defines a maker.

Our own experience as a creator, a maker, a producer can change the world in small but significant ways, and we may not realize it at the time. It also can profoundly change how we think about ourselves, and that kind of change may be the most profound. We develop a sense that our ideas matter, that they can impact us and the world around us. The impact may simply be that what we get is a person to laugh with us, but that counts for a lot.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes the creative state of mind in which we “want to pursue whatever (we) are doing for its own sake” as “flow.” Being in that state is an optimal experience; it makes u happy. That’s why the process of making is its own reward, and that’s why it is so personal.

As makers, we enjoy repeatedly experiencing this creative process. By taking our own ideas seriously, sharing them with others and developing them, we give our life meaning and purpose. We have a sense of being in control and having a freedom to choose what to do, and to do things without fear of failure or judgment. We gain confidence.

Engaging in this process develops the maker mindset. When I talk about the maker mindset, I mean all the intangibles that come as a result of the very tangible experiences of making. Makers acquire this mindset through the repeated practice of making: it’s not necessarily intentionally sought out on its own. It develops with the practice.

What are the qualities of the maker mindset? Makers are active, engaged, playful and resourceful. They have a well-developed sense of curiosity and wonder. Makers are self-directed learners, able to figure out one way or another how to learn what they need to know. They learn to use tools and technology to create new things. They are willing to take risks, trying to do something that others have not done or creating something that they have not seen before. They are persistent, overcoming frustration, and resilient, trying again when they experience failure. Makers are resourceful, developing the ability to make do with what is available or exploring alternatives that might be cheaper or better for the environment. Makers are good at improvising: they are able to do things that have no instructions. Makers are generally open and generous, willing to share their work and their expertise, often helping others in the recognition that they have benefited themselves from such help. Makers believe in their own individual agency to act and create change in their own lives and their community.

I meet makers who have widely different interests or live in very different places and work under different conditions, yet they share the same mindset. Having this mindset in common allows makers to connect easily with each other as though they had known each other for a long time. This mindset opens doors to new opportunities for personal and social development.

Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychology professor, wrote a book called Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Dweck’s twenty years of research shows “that the view that you adopt for yourself affects the way you lead your life.” It seems obvious, but how aware is each of us of the mindset that we have and whether in any meaningful sense we adopted it? Can you remember the moment when you adopted your mindset? I suspect many of us think that our mindset was something we had from birth, just like our appearance and personality. Dweck implies that a mindset is trained: While genes undoubtedly play a role, they are “only a starting point.” We can think of a mindset as something that “you can cultivate through your efforts.” We aren’t stamped at birth with a mindset; yet what we believe about ourselves changes how we live our life.

Dweck distinguishes between fixed and growth mindsets. A fixed mindset reflects the belief that one’s capabilities have already been determined, and developing new abilities is not possible. A growth mindset reflects the belief that one’s capabilities can be developed, improved, and expanded. When asked to try something new outside his or her comfort zone, a person with a fixed mindset is more likely to decline, thinking that there’s only downside and nothing to be gained. People with a growth mindset are more likely to embrace the opportunity readily, without thinking about whether or not they will be successful. People with these different mindsets exhibit different attitudes toward risk and potential failure.

Dweck points out that many people who excel academically in school have a fixed mindset, which limits them to exploring only the areas for which they believe they have an aptitude. Said another way, they stick to doing what they’ve been told they are good at. Particularly in the past, a fixed mindset, through its very limitations and predictability, was often a path to success. However, it’s a not a path that leads to creativity or innovation. A growth mindset supports the belief that we can develop and change, especially by learning new things.

In a world that grows more interconnected and interdisciplinary every day, a growth mindset is a fundamental advantage for us to adapt to change, if not become an agent of change. Moreover, a growth mindset predisposes us to believing that our own actions matter and that we can change the world instead of accepting the status quo.

The maker mindset is an expression of the growth mindset that is evident in a maker’s willingness to learn new tools and methods as well as experiment without certainty of success. Because of this mindset, makers are optimistic about what they can do. I see it and feel it present from makers at a Maker Faire—and it comes from people who are fully engaged, doing something they love to do, and believing that what they do is worth sharing.

 

The Effort-Driven rewards Circuit

 

Is there something special about making and using our hands that might support the development of this kind of mindset? Kelly Lambert, a professor of psychology at Randolph-Macon University who runs a behavioral neuroscience lab, began exploring hands-on activities as way of relieving the symptoms of depression. Lambert wrote about her research in the book, Lifting Depression. She sent me a copy of her book after seeing me on CNN.

Her interest in depression began following her mother’s death with her own sadness and depression. After weeks of feeling that none of her “efforts made any difference in the world,” she found relief in vacuuming her house, something she normally did not like to do. The physical work made her feel better. “Each time I saw tangible evidence of the dirt and grime I’d physically removed from my house, I felt my efforts were valuable.” It gave her a sense of control over her environment. That experience led Lambert to explore the neuroscience behind depression in her lab, as well as the correlation between hands-on work and how we feel about ourselves.

“What I’ve discovered is that there’s a critical link between the symptoms of depression and key areas of the brain involved with motivation, pleasure, movement and thought. Because these brain areas communicate back and forth, they are considered a circuit, one of many in our brains. In fact, the rich interactions along this particular brain circuit, which I called the effort-driven rewards circuit, provide us with surprising insights into how depression is both activated and alleviated.”

I love that she calls it a circuit, something makers can understand. When all the parts are linked together properly, there’s a flow of energy through this circuit. We feel engaged by our actions, alive in our minds, and interacting easily with others. Our brain is giving us positive feedback that comes a result of our effort. When the circuit is disengaged, we feel blue, as though it wouldn’t matter what we do. “What revs up the crucial effort-driven rewards circuit, the fuel, is generated by doing certain types of physical activities, especially ones that involve your hands,” Lambert writes. “It’s important that these actions produce a result you can see, feel, and touch, such as knitting a sweater or tending a garden. Such actions and their associated thoughts, plans and ultimate results change the physiology and chemical makeup of the effort-driven rewards circuit in an energized way. I call the emotional sense of well-being that results effort-driven rewards.”

Lambert can’t emphasize enough how central the hands are to this circuit. “Our hands are so important that moving them activates larger areas of the brain’s central cortex than moving much larger parts of our bodies, such as our back or even our legs.” Our hands are uniquely connected to our brain and hand movements are “the most effective way to kickstart the circuit in to gear.” This runs counter to our usual separation of manual and mental labor, of physical and mental, of hand and mind. What if the phrase “hands-on” were to be associated in our minds with a heightened mental state? We know of people who talk with their hands, but makers are people who think (and communicate) with their hands.The harder the work, the more rewarding it is. It is a fine line: if it too easy, there is little reward. Yet if it is too difficult, we will just give up. Experiments that Lambert did in her lab with rats led her to the conclusion that persistence can be learned.

It may be that the sustained effort is what matters, not simply exertion. Prolonged efforts to make things are deep experiences that not only activate our brain, but change it, initiating growth, creating new connections. Actions that we see as meaningful “likely stimulates neurogenesis—the production of new brain cells,” writes Lambert. We are changing our minds as we change the physical world around us.

The symptoms that Lambert associates with depression—loss of meaning, loss of pleasure, sluggishness, poor concentration, slow motor responses—might be considered the opposite of the maker mindset: purpose, joy, engagement, focus and flow, and resilience. The maker mindset could be the product of repeatedly engaging the effort-driven rewards circuit with activities that use our hands as well as our brain. If you enjoy making, you’ll do more of it—your brain tells you it wants more. Our bodies and our minds work in an integrated fashion.

Lambert thinks that the rise of depression in our culture could be tied to “effortless-driven rewards,” a consumer culture that provides rewards with greater and greater convenience so that there’s little physical or mental work associated with getting them. It’s what fast food is: the “reward” is a bunch of calories that cost us little money and little time or effort. We take less pleasure in the food than we might have had we spent the time preparing it. Lambert cites additional research that shows that if effort-driven rewards circuit is disrupted, instead of giving full effort for maximum reward, we can learn to settle for a smaller reward that requires less effort. We become complacent.

In my view, the effort-driven rewards circuit gives us a model for understanding how making itself produces the kind of physical and mental well-being that we find in the maker mindset—why making makes us feel good.

 

PLAYFULNESS

If I had to give a prescription for the maker mindset, I might say: “Be more playful.” It really doesn’t matter what you choose to make or how good you are at doing it. What matters most is jumping in and enjoying the experience. This is the practice. The more it feels like play, the more you’ll enjoy it.

With Make: magazine, I had an insight that adults needed to play and re-discover hobbies and passion projects. I saw that makers liked to play, whether they used that word to describe it or not. Perhaps it was enough to realize that the problem at hand had their full attention and everything else fell away. Makers didn’t consider what they were doing to be work, and they didn’t necessarily know where it might lead them.

Perhaps the most important thing for adults is that play can be entirely under your own control. You do what you want to do. There are no committees that have to decide, no hierarchy to navigate for approval, no external conditions placed on your own interests. Control is in your own hands.

I like to call what makers do “experimental play,” as John Dewey, the educational philosopher, uses the term, meaning that we are testing what we understand and what we can do. Experimental play creates a context for us where it is safe to try things: the stakes are low, judgments are withheld, and there’s no prescribed goal or outcome.

Yet, my sense from seeing so many tech enthusiasts at play is that it has an additional benefit. Experimental play created the conditions for innovation to happen. That is, the immersion in a set of problems or a set of tools gives rises to new insights that can lead to unexpected solutions and unplanned products. Innovation can emerge from our own set of experiences. If makers did not play with drawbots and broken 3D printers, they would not have immersed themselves sufficiently to have new ideas about how they could be improved. Makers through play can see what’s missing, what doesn’t work as it should, what was poorly designed and needs to be completely re-thought. A maker might make the assertion: “I can do better.” 

“Play lies at the core of creativity and innovation”39 declares psychiatrist Stuart Brown in his book Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. Brown tells the story of how CalTech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) realized that, although they were hiring the best and brightest college graduates, it was hiring the wrong kind of people to create the solutions they needed. Something had changed in the people who came to work there:

The JPL managers went back to look at their own retiring engineers and … found that in their youth, their older, problem- solving employees had taken apart clocks to see how they worked, or made soapbox derby racers, or built hi-fi stereos, or fixed appliances. The young engineering school graduates who had also done these things, who had played with their hands, were adept at the kinds of problem solving that management sought.

Those who hadn’t, generally were not. From that point on, JPL made questions about applicants “youthful projects and play” a standard part of job interviews.

We might say that JPL realized it was looking for a mindset, and this mindset seemed to develop not in school but through “youthful projects and play.” Just having a degree doesn’t guarantee that you have the right mindset.

Brown, like Lambert, makes the case that play re-shapes our brain. “Play is nature’s greatest tool for creating new neural networks and for reconciling cognitive difficulties. The abilities to make new patterns, find the unusual among the common, and spark curiosity and alert observation are all fostered.” Both Lambert and Brown, as psychologists, might look at the therapeutic value of play for adults, Brown emphasizes that play is essential for our well-being.

Some people will argue that they don’t have the time to play or make. It’s an argument Brown has heard as well. We’re too busy working to play. Yet, creating time for play is also essential to balance our work lives with our own interests. Brown writes that “the opposite of play is not work—the opposite of play is depression.” We need both work and play. Brown notes that they are “mutually supportive” with play providing “a sense of discovery and liveliness” and work providing us with a sense of purpose and that we are needed by others. In fact, Brown also admits that play and work can merge for us. Often when we are doing our very best work when we feel like we are playing.

In dealing with adults who struggle to have a sense of play, Brown asks them to develop a play history. He asks them to think back to their childhood and recall periods of play, what they were doing, where it took place and how it made them feel. To adapt the idea from Brown, I think we might also consider composing our own “make history:” recalling experiences of building, creating, designing something from scratch, reflecting on what we were doing and how it made us feel. This can help us recall the very personal connection between making and play, and the satisfaction of creating something new. Rediscover something you enjoyed as a child, a hobby or passion that can be re-kindled.

***

9781623170745

From Free to Make by Dale Dougherty, published by North Atlantic Books, copyright © 2016 by Dale Dougherty. Reprinted with permission of publisher.

 

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Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a pro cannabis Peruvian Shaman.

 

Ayahuasca Retreat 101: Everything You Need to Know to Brave the Brew
Ayahuasca has been known to be a powerful medicinal substance for millennia. However, until recently, it was only found in the jungle. Word of its deeply healing and cleansing properties has begun to spread across the world as many modern, Western individuals are seeking spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical well-being. More ayahuasca retreat centers are emerging in the Amazon and worldwide to meet the demand.

 

Ayahuasca Helps with Grief
A new study published in psychopharmacology found that ayahuasca helped those suffering from the loss of a loved one up to a year after treatment.

 

Ayahuasca Benefits: Clinical Improvements for Six Months
Ayahuasca benefits can last six months according to studies. Read here to learn about the clinical improvements from drinking the brew.

 

Ayahuasca Culture: Indigenous, Western, And The Future
Ayahuasca has been use for generations in the Amazon. With the rise of retreats and the brew leaving the rainforest how is ayahuasca culture changing?

 

Ayahuasca Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
The Amazonian brew, Ayahuasca has a long history and wide use. Read our guide to learn all about the tea from its beginnings up to modern-day interest.

 

Ayahuasca and the Godhead: An Interview with Wahid Azal of the Fatimiya Sufi Order
Wahid Azal, a Sufi mystic of The Fatimiya Sufi Order and an Islamic scholar, talks about entheogens, Sufism, mythology, and metaphysics.

 

Ayahuasca and the Feminine: Women’s Roles, Healing, Retreats, and More
Ayahuasca is lovingly called “grandmother” or “mother” by many. Just how feminine is the brew? Read to learn all about women and ayahuasca.

What Is the Standard of Care for Ketamine Treatments?
Ketamine therapy is on the rise in light of its powerful results for treatment-resistant depression. But, what is the current standard of care for ketamine? Read to find out.

What Is Dissociation and How Does Ketamine Create It?
Dissociation can take on multiple forms. So, what is dissociation like and how does ketamine create it? Read to find out.

Having Sex on Ketamine: Getting Physical on a Dissociative
Curious about what it could feel like to have sex on a dissociate? Find out all the answers in our guide to sex on ketamine.

Special K: The Party Drug
Special K refers to Ketamine when used recreationally. Learn the trends as well as safety information around this substance.

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

Ketamine vs. Esketamine: 3 Important Differences Explained
Ketamine and esketamine are used to treat depression. But what’s the difference between them? Read to learn which one is right for you: ketamine vs. esketamine.

Guide to Ketamine Treatments: Understanding the New Approach
Ketamine is becoming more popular as more people are seeing its benefits. Is ketamine a fit? Read our guide for all you need to know about ketamine treatments.

Ketamine Treatment for Eating Disorders
Ketamine is becoming a promising treatment for various mental health conditions. Read to learn how individuals can use ketamine treatment for eating disorders.

Ketamine Resources, Studies, and Trusted Information
Curious to learn more about ketamine? This guide includes comprehensive ketamine resources containing books, studies and more.

Ketamine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to ketamine has everything you need to know about this “dissociative anesthetic” and how it is being studied for depression treatment.

Ketamine for Depression: A Mental Health Breakthrough
While antidepressants work for some, many others find no relief. Read to learn about the therapeutic uses of ketamine for depression.

Ketamine for Addiction: Treatments Offering Hope
New treatments are offering hope to individuals suffering from addiction diseases. Read to learn how ketamine for addiction is providing breakthrough results.

Microdosing Ketamine & Common Dosages Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing ketamine.

How to Ease a Ketamine Comedown
Knowing what to expect when you come down from ketamine can help integrate the experience to gain as much value as possible.

How to Store Ketamine: Best Practices
Learn the best ways how to store ketamine, including the proper temperature and conditions to maximize how long ketamine lasts when stored.

How To Buy Ketamine: Is There Legal Ketamine Online?
Learn exactly where it’s legal to buy ketamine, and if it’s possible to purchase legal ketamine on the internet.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your System?
How long does ketamine stay in your system? Are there lasting effects on your body? Read to discover the answers!

How Ketamine is Made: Everything You Need to Know
Ever wonder how to make Ketamine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how Ketamine is made.

Colorado on Ketamine: First Responders Waiver Programs
Fallout continues after Elijah McClain. Despite opposing recommendations from some city council, Colorado State Health panel recommends the continued use of ketamine by medics for those demonstrating “excited delirium” or “extreme agitation”.

Types of Ketamine: Learn the Differences & Uses for Each
Learn about the different types of ketamine and what they are used for—and what type might be right for you. Read now to find out!

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

MDMA & Ecstasy Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to MDMA has everything you want to know about Ecstasy from how it was developed in 1912 to why it’s being studied today.

How To Get the Most out of Taking MDMA as a Couple
Taking MDMA as a couple can lead to exciting experiences. Read here to learn how to get the most of of this love drug in your relationship.

Common MDMA Dosage & Microdosing Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing MDMA.

Having Sex on MDMA: What You Need to Know
MDMA is known as the love drug… Read our guide to learn all about sex on MDMA and why it is beginning to makes its way into couple’s therapy.

How MDMA is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make MDMA? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how MDMA is made.

Hippie Flipping: When Shrooms and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Explore the mechanics of hippie flipping and how to safely experiment.

How Cocaine is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make cocaine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how cocaine is made.

A Christmas Sweater with Santa and Cocaine
This week, Walmart came under fire for a “Let it Snow” Christmas sweater depicting Santa with lines of cocaine. Columbia is not merry about it.

Ultimate Cocaine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
This guide covers what you need to know about Cocaine, including common effects and uses, legality, safety precautions and top trends today.

NEWS: An FDA-Approved Cocaine Nasal Spray
The FDA approved a cocaine nasal spray called Numbrino, which has raised suspicions that the pharmaceutical company, Lannett Company Inc., paid off the FDA..

The Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Bioavailability
What is bioavailability and how can it affect the overall efficacy of a psychedelic substance? Read to learn more.

Cannabis Research Explains Sociability Behaviors
New research by Dr. Giovanni Marsicano shows social behavioral changes occur as a result of less energy available to the neurons. Read here to learn more.

The Cannabis Shaman
If recreational and medical use of marijuana is becoming accepted, can the spiritual use as well? Experiential journalist Rak Razam interviews Hamilton Souther, founder of the 420 Cannabis Shamanism movement…

Cannabis Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to Cannabis has everything you want to know about this popular substances that has psychedelic properties.

Cannabis and Ayahuasca: Mixing Entheogenic Plants
Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a procannabis Peruvian Shaman.

CBD-Rich Cannabis Versus Single-Molecule CBD
A ground-breaking study has documented the superior therapeutic properties of whole plant Cannabis extract as compared to synthetic cannabidiol (CBD), challenging the medical-industrial complex’s notion that “crude” botanical preparations are less effective than single-molecule compounds.

Cannabis Has Always Been a Medicine
Modern science has already confirmed the efficacy of cannabis for most uses described in the ancient medical texts, but prohibitionists still claim that medical cannabis is “just a ruse.”

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