Adam Savage’s Maker Faire 2016 Talk!

It’s been called the Maker Faire Sermon, but you know it as Adam’s annual talk at the Maker Faire festival. This year, Adam spoke on a mechanical giraffe, sharing stories about his recent visits to maker spaces around the country, bouts of self-doubt, and his mission going forward. Plus, some great questions from the crowd!

Shot and edited by Joey Fameli

Comments (12)

12 thoughts on “Adam Savage’s Maker Faire 2016 Talk!

  1. Like the children/parent angle, Adam. Cool.

    I think though before I had kids your words would have just passed right over the top of may head. I’ve never had a problem with kids but when I was a younger man they just didn’t exist in my world.

    Funny how the world changes when you see your first son or daughter.

    Talk about making. 🙂

    And in fact raising my children has become a kind of making as well. Making them cosmopolitan, well-rounded, critical thinking adults. (I hope anyway.)

    And of course part of this is that my own daughters are making things as well.

    Nice how that all wraps up with a bow.

  2. When I’m not feeling enough support in my life, I realize … actually, this is really true. There are times in my life when I feel like I’m not getting enough support. Almost always what that means is I’m not supporting the people around me enough. That’s the trick, and I go back toward the Buddhist ideal of service, to serve the people around me. What can I do for their lives? What can I do make their lives better?

    I needed to hear that today. Thanks, Adam.

  3. Great speech, I am going to get my 6 year old to watch it when he gets home from school (quickly followed by the foam weapon videos). He likes playing with wood, maybe we will turn the foam videos into an all out cardboard construction night with his little brother.

  4. , about the grad student joke. OUCH!!…haha I am a grad student who always defended the fact that the mythbusters team was doing science and that you guys were scientists.

  5. great talk! i was most touched to see how much adam was affected by the question of people discouraging or belittling work that’s important to someone. it’s such an insidious, unfair dynamic – because what you did means something to you, you are vulnerable when you show it to others. and then, the asymmetry between the effort of making something, and the literal zero-effort of dismissing it as stupid, insignificant, worthless, or whatever.

    re storytelling i’m sure adam already is aware, but just to make sure. in the science of discworld 2 by terry pratchett et al., pratchett makes the point that humans shouldn’t be called homo sapiens (man that knows), but rather pan narrans (ape that tells stories).

    and re i can’t read my writing just as with the feeling of despondency, there’s some comfort in seeing that it happens to others as well, and always at the worst times. 🙂

  6. Ya know Adam, if this Tested stuff doesn’t pan out. You would have a job as a inspirational speaker. 🙂 Great Talk!!

  7. Hey Adam and Tested team!
    I loved this speech! I went with my girlfriend to Syracuse, last year, to watch your live show with Jamie! You always have a great message for the larger picture of what Making can do and how important it is in the development of youth.
    The Central New York region, if you do not know, has taken a huge economic hit. It is difficult for people to become makers. That vast inequality in opportunity is very apparent in my region of the US. That is why I find it so important to make a community maker space in my area. My friend, Mark Thomas, actually put forth the idea to me this year. I believe it it just the sort of inspiration that the youths in our community need to have successful futures!
    It would be great to have professional input on exactly how to get something like this started.

  8. That is an excellent speech Adam. Any hopes of a transcript? I might want to grab some quotes from this.

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