Maker Faire Bay Area 2019 Day 2 Highlights: Meeting Our Favorite Makers, Engaging Panels, and More!

Moe Long

By Moe Long / News / 19th May 2019

Maker Faire San Mateo 2019 hits the Bay Area for an epic three-day romp of neat product demos, panels on maker topics, and a wealth of creativity from individuals and companies, seasoned makers and fresh DIYers alike. Estefannie from Eestefannie Explains it All, Sophy Wong, and Jen Schachter discussed making and design in a panel called "Design and Making." This trio of renowned DIYers weighed in on the importance of design and the creative process when creating. Each of them reinforced the importance of note taking, outlining, or in some way planning out projects whether on post-it notes, in a notebook, or on some other medium. When asked about learning new skills, Estefannie revealed that she feels no fear when plunging into unknown territory, instead being filled with adrenaline. Sophy and Jen expressed desires to wok with metal, and Jen added that for her, the process of creating is less daunting than the final result and wondering if it will function properly. Plus, they chatted about the process of evolving from an individual maker to working with a company. Their stories were empowering, and included a common thread: diligent creating. Sophy challenged herself to create, and set a goal of a project a week. Estefannie made a smart gingerbread house, which was shared by Arduino and Raspberry Pi. Jen said her advice for makers is to be the person everyone wants on their team. 


"Maker Teams: Working For Your Favorite YouTubers," proved to be a superb panel. Featuring Josh Price, Director of Operations and Intergalactic Diplomacy for I Like to Make Stuff, 3D Printing Nerd videographer and editor Sean Connelly, Make or Break Show producer and host Brandon Cullum, and Freelance videographer Anthony Rose, it was truly a talent-packed panel. While there was a clear emphasis on video production, much of their experience extends to content creation in general. How they landed gigs paralleled how DIYers such as Sophy, Estefannie, and Jen transitioned from sole maker to well-known maker. Mostly through interating with their favorite makers, online. The dynamic of working remotely, and attempting to explain their jobs resonated with many creators, not just video producers. 

Digi-Key Business Ecosystem Dev. Manager Kevin Walseth and Make:Magazine Senior Editor Mike Senese discussed the best development boards on the market. While the Pi is an overall winner, it was nice to hear about fresh boards such as the Arduino MKR WiFi 1010, Adafruit Feather M4 Express, Pi 3 Model A+, ASUS Tinker Board S, TinyFPGS BX, and PocketBeagle. We've got a robust board guide to help simplify the dev board space. 

Plus, we bumped into a few of our favorite makers. We chatted with top 3D printing experts 3D Printing Professor and Joel Telling, found one of our favorite DIYers Clarissa Mason aka MakeAndFake hanging out with the renowned Liz Clark, and talked 3D printing with Josef Prusa. Maker Faire 2019 San Mateo Day 2 arrived as a huge success. 

We'll be around for day 3 as well, so if you haven't met up with us, be sure to hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or contact Senior Editor Moe Long directly on Twitter or Instagram! We'd love to say hey! 
Photo of Moe Long

Moe Long is an editor, writer, and tech buff with a particular appreciation for Linux, Raspberry Pis, and retro gaming. Writing online since 2013, Moe has bylines at MakeUseOf, TechBeacon, DZone, SmartHomeBeginner, DEV.to, DVD Netflix, and Electropages. You can read his writings on film and pop culture at Cup of Moe, check out his tech reviews, guides, and tutorials at Tech Up Your Life, and hear his thoughts on movies on the Celluloid Fiends podcast. Aside from writing and editing, Moe has an online course, the Beginner's Guide to Affiliate Blogging From Scratch. When he's not hammering away at his keyboard, he enjoys running, reading, watching cinema, listening to vinyl, and playing with his dog Sebastian. 

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