MakersKit founder Mike Stone is a great example of how success can follow when you take things into your own hands. Stone is a DIY maven so this is literally true, but it’s also a figurative statement: When the entrepreneur heard about cuts in arts education at his old school, he stepped in as a volunteer art teacher, and later he started teaching maker workshops so adults could remember how much fun it is to be creative. We’re thrilled that MakersKit is now sharing their DIY expertise on Kit. And if you’re feeling extra crafty after reading this Q&A check out this contest we’re hosting with MakersKit — you could win up to $100 in Amazon & MakersKit.com gift cards!
1) What were you doing before you co-founded MakersKit? What compelled you to take a leap of faith and pursue this full time?
I’ve always loved making things and have a strong passion for the arts and art education. Art was my favorite subject in grade school and when I found out my local school stopped teaching art because of budget cuts, I decided to step in as a volunteer art teacher. The feeling you get when you create something that didn’t exist before you applied your imagination, your creativity, it’s amazing. Being able to give kids that opportunity is what drives me.
I also started teaching DIY workshops on the weekends, both to help pay the bills but also to teach grownups how to get their hands dirty by making things. I taught everything from terrarium making to wiring light fixtures to reupholstering old furniture. My workshops became so popular that they became my full-time job. Companies like Google and YouTube came to me to partner up with them, which lead to launching MakersKit on Kickstarter which helped me create my first DIY kits.
Just a year later, MakersKit has grown to become America’s best-selling DIY brand. Our products are available in over 6,000 retail locations including Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Macy’s and West Elm. My team and I continue to be passionate about the arts and to give back, so we partnered with PS ARTS. Every kit you buy lets us give art supplies to a public school and helps a kid get creative.
2) Looking at the community you’ve built and the way people talk about the MakersKit it’s clear you have a passionate fan base that evangelizes the brand. How have you helped cultivate that?
Live DIY workshops is where it all started, connecting IRL with real people. Although we’ve grown quickly, we continue to teach live workshops all over the country and I believe we will never get too big to make time to connect with our makers.
In fact, we’re hosting this year’s Macy’s Flower Show and would love to make even more connections; come take a workshop with us!
3) What’s been your favorite MakersKit kit to date?
My favorite kit is our hanging air plant terrarium kit. It’s a great way to get into terrarium making, which can get addictive in the best way possible.
4) Who would you most like to see create a kit, and about what?
Beyoncé: she can pretty much do anything, so I’d love to see what she can come up with. She should make a “How To Make It, The Kit.”
5) There’s a topic on Kit called #nowplaying where people create kits of what they’re currently listening to and watching. If there was a MakersKit playlist curated for “Getting Your DIY On,” what tracks would make the cut?
To get your creative juices flowing, watch reruns of Project Runway on mute while listening to the Maker Playlist:
- BABE — Make it Real
- Sam Hunt — Make You Miss Me
- Make Out Monday — Twixter
- Avicii — You Make Me
- R. City — Make Up
- Gwen Stefani — Make Me Like You
- Adele — Make You Feel My Love
- Ed Sheeran — Make It Rain
- Sam Smith — Make It To Me
- Usher — You Make Me Wanna
6) Show us a screenshot of your most recently used emojis!
Thanks, Mike!
Follow MakersKit on Kit for all your DIY inspiration.
If you’d like to recommend a Kit creator get the royal treatment here in this blog, just put their Kit handle in the comments of this post or ping us on Twitter with your nomination.