On Saturday I got the chance to go to the Denver Mini Maker Faire at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The Denver Mini Maker Faire was a 2-day event that showcased the people and organizations that make up the “maker” movement in Colorado.

What is a “Maker”? When I thought of a Maker I thought of someone who knows about electricity and currents and breadboards that have nothing to do with bread and knows how to solder and how to correctly pronounce “solder” without wondering if you really should be pronouncing the “L”.

And plenty of those people were there! Sparkfun Electronics had a big booth where you could make your own LED-lit badge using copper tape. The many different maker hubs from the Denver area were there showing off projects by their members made of sensors and chips and Raspberry Pi’s.

However there were also plenty of booths, including many of the maker hub booths, that showed off creations that were made with sewing and cloth and metal-bending and 3D-printers. So what is a Maker? A Maker is someone who enjoys learning and creating with their main objective being education and inspiration. There’s no barrier to entry into the Maker movement as long as you enjoy learning, creating and inspiring.

There is something about creating things that makes us feel good about ourselves. It doesn’t matter if it’s a crayon drawing or a birdhouse or a computer game or an 8-foot tall robot made of crochet and computer chips. We feel better when we create. It’s something I’ve been trying to get going in my household. We should consume less and create more.

Check out the Denver Mini Maker Faire “Meet the Makers” page for more information about the exhibitors.