Making on the cheap
Tips to keep creating, no matter your means
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Life is expensive. And for creative people like me, most can't build whatever we want using any tool or material we want. It feels as if we must choose between life's essentials and what makes life worth living.
But I'm here to tell you - this is a false dichotomy. Making "making" work is possible for anyone.
It's all about opportunities, alternatives, and priorities.
Opportunities - being able to recognize the benefits in front of you. For makers, this often means found stuff. Dumpster diving comes to mind - being willing to go through the trash to find useful things. Discarded items, including old furniture, tech, and tools, are often repairable. If not, repurposing them into something new is a great maker option. Found stuff is gold in the right maker's hands.
Opportunity is also about knowing where to go to get the best stuff at bargain prices. For example, you could buy raw materials at a premium from a craft, hobby, or hardware store. But you can also get many of these materials for cheap by going to manufacturers who use the same stuff. I get almost all my plastics, not from a vendor but a local fabrication shop. They sell ends, off-cuts, and plastic pieces to the public for next-to-nothing. Same with metal and even wood scraps.
And then there are the Alternatives. Think about this as using lesser, older, used, or different "whatevers" to do the job. There are many worth-it name-brand tools/materials out there that command high prices. But as many high-priced goods are expensive for nothing more than a name. I try my best to be critical of glitz to discern the difference. Many generic items can be had for less and serve the purpose well. And if I need (a.k.a., want) the name-brand tool because I know it's better, I look for used ones. These quality devices can withstand abuse, making them an excellent choice as second-hand.
Another great "alternatives" for makers is anything open-source. A lot of my creating involves software and computers, and as we know, all that tech is one bottomless money pit. But open-source software presents a cheap option. The stuff is free and often provides an as-good (and sometimes better) experience. I use LibreOffice instead of MS Office and GIMP instead of Photoshop to list but two. And then there are countless "free" versions of many other useful-but-proprietary programs. I use the free version of DaVinci Resolve for my video editing.
Finally, making on the cheap is all about Priorities. It's about deciding what we need to do vs. what we want to do (I know, duh). Said another way, it's a fundamental cost-benefit analysis for makers.
I do this often when it comes to getting new stuff, especially tools. I have several brand-name goodies in my collection, but I also have a host of knock-offs. Knowing I can't afford all top-shelf equipment, I pick and choose - I prioritize - when to go big and when to slum it. But knowing there is a system to it, knowing that I made a choice, helps me live with the good and the bad.
As I said already, I also love open-source. And as for prioritizing, free software is a gamechanger. The complete Adobe Suite is the gold standard for digital creators, but it's expensive. So I go with open-source alternatives like the aforementioned GIMP. Doing so frees me up for my "have to have's" like my website and associated domains & software. And I've learned to love open-source even more because it helps me do what I couldn't afford to do otherwise.
There you have it, using opportunities, alternatives, and priorities to make it as a maker, on the cheap. Yes, I'm talking about a budget. But calling this story "Three steps to making a maker budget" is boring. Not that a thinly veiled budget lesson is exciting under any name ;-)
Until next time.
JRC
You are totally right !