One year ago, I had no thoughts of starting a makerspace. But now I've quit my job as an engineering manager to make it happen.
I have over a decade of experience building software and leading engineering teams. For years I have repeated a personal mantra of Create & Care. Creating wasn't just about software; I also loved building processes, teams, and organizations as long as it was all rooted in caring for people.
My first makerspace experience was at Metrix Create:Space in Capitol Hill (now closed) back in 2015 as part of a company team building event. It was a fantastic experience, and I walked away with laser cut pieces to replace the cardboard pieces from my Settlers of Catan game.
In more recent years, I rekindled the long-neglected start to my career in devices (embedded systems), and returned to tinkering with electronics (e.g. Arduino). Around the same time, I started to appreciate a family trade as I began tinkering in woodworking, and before long I was gifted a small CNC router.
My latest project was going to be an attempt to combine these interests. I even had aspirations to launch a KickStarter with it (ask me about it in-person). But it seemed I was always one piece of equipment (and garage space) away from doing quite what I wanted. One morning, early 2022, I woke up wishing for a nearby makerspace to enable me to really bring this project to life. After deciding there wasn't one close enough to home, I paused that project because I had an even stronger resolve: I was going to start a makerspace.
I created a quick placeholder website for a makerspace and spent a few months planning and connecting. I left my job in August, and in September 2022, I began to focus full-time on launching Crea.
And now I'm excited to see how Crea and the maker community in and around Renton evolves.
