A maker is someone who creates things with their hands, tools, and imagination. Makers build, craft, and invent: they might design robots, sew quilts, construct furniture, program video games, or engineer new gadgets in their garage.

The word has gained special meaning in recent years with the “maker movement,” where people of all ages gather in workshops called makerspaces to work on creative projects together. These spaces provide tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, woodworking equipment, and electronics that individuals might not own themselves. A makerspace might help you build anything from a wooden birdhouse to a working robot.

What sets makers apart is their hands-on approach to learning and problem-solving. Instead of just reading about how things work, makers figure it out by actually building something. When a maker wants to understand how a motor works, they take one apart or build their own. This mindset of learning by doing connects modern makers to a long tradition: Thomas Edison was a maker, as were the Wright brothers and Benjamin Franklin.

Teachers and engineers are both makers when they create lesson plans or design bridges. A chef developing a new recipe is a maker. Your friend who programs apps or builds LEGO contraptions is a maker too. The word celebrates the human drive to create, tinker, and bring new ideas into the world.