I am not a maker. In a framing and value system is about creating artifacts, specifically ones you can sell, I am a less valuable human.
Debbie Chachra, “Why I Am Not a Maker,” The Atlantic, January 23, 2015.
This quotation grabbed my attention because of the provoking language, specifically when the author said, “I am a less valuable human.” It immediately showed me that this topic is something that the author is very passionate about. Personally, I love reading articles about people calling out the norms in society that are messed up so this was really interesting to me.
This passage opened my eyes and helped me see that we live in a society where “makers” are considered valuable humans and everyone else whose jobs do not involve making are viewed as less valuable humans. Later on in the article, she talks about how the efforts of educators, analysts, caregivers, and other people whose work cannot be put in a box and sold are not recognized for having the value they really hold. At first, I did not really agree with this, but when I thought about it more I realized that it is a pretty fair statement. Teachers have a pretty low salary from what I have heard even though their job is extremely important. Caregivers like daycare workers or stay at home parents are barely appreciated if at all. I think my original disagreement shows even more the influence that this creation-oriented society has on us.
In Digital Arts and Humanities, I am most interested in the transition from physical to digital. For a long time, I did not realize it was important and necessary to make digital versions of important documents or really anything that you want to keep. The first time I really learned about it and helped make digital versions of something was last summer when I helped my dad upload tons of videos from cassette tapes onto flash drives. Now that I have some experience with it, I am interested in learning more about how other things are transitioning to digital.
