An Oasis of Innovation for Those Who Love to Tinker and Experiment

An Empowering Movement for Creativity and Collaboration

Mark Randall Havens
7 min readJul 19, 2022

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Makers at Denton Public Library Makerspace — The Forge — learning how to make something with a 3D printer.
Photo by author

As soon as I heard about it, I was hooked.

I didn’t know what it was.

The idea was too new.

The idea was too underdeveloped.

The idea was almost too good to be true.

Having the opportunity to share tools, skills, and knowledge with a community appealed to me tremendously.

Having always loved to tinker and experiment, I knew in my bones that a vast network of these magical places would someday transform our world.

The year was 2010.

I just learned about the Maker Movement.

The Church for the Nerd Nation

A man giving a presentation at Dallas Makerspace.
Photo by Steve Rainwater on FilckrCC BY-SA 2.0

Makerspaces: This previously unknown concept spoke to me like a new church seeking its scattered Nerd Nation assembly.

I will always feel this way.

Organizing a large number of notoriously anti-social, leadership adverse geeks and nerds — usually brilliant, opinionated, and each often accustomed to being the smartest person in the room — had its challenges.

Once adjusted to all the different personalities, people find that makerspaces provide an invaluable resource for those who are interested in pursuing creative projects.

Aside from offering a wide range of tools and equipment, makerspaces also provide an impressively supportive community of like-minded individuals.

A creative community for innovation

Dallas Makerspace members Oguz Yetkin (left) and Mark Havens (right) from 2010 talking about the maker movement.
Photo by Steve Rainwater on FilckrCC BY-SA 2.0

In a makerspace, creativity and collaboration are combined to form innovation.

I am very proud to be a part of this movement.

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Mark Randall Havens

Journey with Mark Havens: a soul guide in COPARENT's healing mission & the creative pulse of Dallas Maker Community. Transform, heal, and innovate with us.