CPP Maker Studio

As a member of the Harvest International team, we were all invited to become a part of Cal Poly Pomona's Maker Studio, located at the back of the 2nd floor in the library. This is a space where students can come freely to not only learn to make use of a variety of equipment ranging from 3D printers and scanners, a vinyl cutter, laser cutter, automatic embroidery machines and quite a few more. Truthfully, as an English major, this is not the kind of space I would have guessed I would be spending my time in the library with, yet I'm finding myself here for 2 hours every week, genuinely enjoying my time and making use of the equipment around me. I think that for some, it may feel intimidating when it comes to entering a space like this in which we are presented with advanced machinery. We may tell ourselves that it's not for us, and I certainly felt this way when I first made my way in. In reality though, the vast majority of this equipment can be learned in a matter of minutes, and most of the people that you will find frequenting this space are more than willing and capable of teaching all you need to know in order to operate these machines. I learned very quickly that the only qualifications one needs is to complete some very basic training in whichever machine(s) they wish to use, and the willingness to reach out to somebody for help in learning.

So, what is there to do here? For me personally, I've been making vinyl decals and acrylic cutouts to make neon lamps with. The vinyl cutter has been great for my purposes. I started with a test cut using some of my band's logos and they both turned out so great that I've started making regular cuts of these to sell as merchandise. In fact, word is that it's not very uncommon for the folks who make use of this space to create pieces to sell in their personal Etsy stores. As for the aforementioned laser cut neon lamps, I made one for myself and another for my partner. They don't photograph well, but they look great with a colored LED beneath (you'll have to find your own LED base for this), especially as a desk piece or end table lamp. I chose to take a panel from Junji Ito's manga series Tomie for this particular cut. I will say, if you plan to use very intricate artwork, such as the work of a highly detailed artist like Ito, you're going to be looking at about an hour per cut, so plan ahead if you do find yourself thinking about a laser cutting job. I've also taken an interest in using the embroidery machine, but have yet to commit to a project that I wish to use it for. I'm sure I'll be sitting there sometime soon this semester watching it automatically stitch whatever design I choose into whatever garment I bring in.

The space is welcoming to all, and many see it as a place to simply work on a simple laid back project, unbothered by the distractions outside of the library with all the resources one could possibly need. I spoke with Robert Salcido, also a member of the Harvest Team about his experience in the Studio and he said that "The Maker studio is like a form of solace; I can work in there without the fear of being interrupted... Recently I was able to stitch a booklet together using the book-making tools provided by the studio. It's a creative haven for those who enjoy working with their hands." Outside of machine use, it's a place where it seems one could go just to hang out and learn about the processes of creating with these tools. The space is very open and welcoming to newcomers. In my experience, if you want to know about something in the Maker's Studio, all you have to do is ask. I have never been turned down, and every single time that I have asked, I've enjoyed the process of working with somebody experienced and learning useful tips for the creation of my own projects.

References: Robert Salcido - Web Management / Submissions, Harvest International