5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Things About Becky Stern

Craft & Design

CZ_54321.gif
Becky Stern never turns off. Her creativity is as boundless as her energy. She is constantly putting together tutorials, moderating comments, creating videos, teaching, and making incredible objects for her online shop. Everything that Becky does is accurate, measured, and legit- even her abstract art has a purpose and is well reasoned. She is determined to understand everything from knitting machines to welding machines, but understanding them is never enough. Becky masters them.

One Project You Are Particularly Proud Of
1: My ASCII heart necklace: one of my more balanced combinations of tech and craft.
Two Mistakes You’ve Made in the Past
1: In college I worked as a computer lab tech on campus. One sleep-deprived shift during finals, I forgot to retrieve the department’s new presentation laptop from a classroom before the end of the night, and it was stolen. Since the building was under construction, the security camera network was down and the laptop was lost forever. I felt so terrible about it. I’ve since established a “when in doubt, lock it down” philosophy toward computers, cameras, bikes, and other valuables. It was the only major mistake I had ever made on duty there, and my then-boss let me keep my job. (Thanks, Dave!)
2: Letting YouTube comments get to me: MAKE has a quarter million subscribers on YouTube, and they sure are chatty. Something about YouTube attracts the lowest of the trolls, and the hurtful comments used to get to me. Not anymore! My skin has grown thick and now all I see are Halloween costume suggestions like La Roux or Ron Weasley.
becky-stern-lilypad-arduino.jpg
Three Things That Make Your Work Unique
1: Alpha nerd: I work comfortably across disciplines in tech and craft.
2: Documentation: If it’s not online, it might as well not exist. I take pride in meticulous project videos, photos, and how-to instructions.
3: My sense of humor: I hope it comes across in projects like my Vicodin jewelry, laptop compubody sock, and Twitchie scorpion.
Four Tools You Love to Use
1: Olfa utility knife: Essentially a pro boxcutter, this thing holds its blade super steady and cuts like a hot knife through butter.
2: Olympus E-P2 camera: I wouldn’t be caught dead without my hip-snapping HD video-enabled sharp-shooter.
3: Foredom flex shaft: This pedal-operated rotary tool is like a Dremel on steroids, essential for jewelry production.
4: Rawhide jewelry mallet: This small soft-ish mallet doesn’t leave marks when I use it to flatten silver pieces against a steel anvil.
becky-stern-compubody-sock.jpg
Five Inspirations
1: New York City – always moving, provides a sense of urgency.
2: My coworkers – some of the most creative, hardworking people on the planet.
3: Fear: If it makes me nervous or uncomfortable, there must be something there to learn or explore. For example: knee surgery, scorpions, power tools, and fire.
4: The pursuit of new skills: I love to learn new creative techniques, and will seek out the people who can teach me.
5: Maker Faire: The inspirational awesomeness factor at Maker Faire is off the chart. At every turn is sheer maker joy, and it’s impossible to leave without the strong urge to go straight to the studio and get making.

8 thoughts on “5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Things About Becky Stern

  1. Jennifer says:

    Where did you get that awesome necklace you are wearing in the first picture?

  2. Becky Stern says:

    @Jennifer: It’s the Adafruit iNecklace, not quite out yet but you’ll be able to pick one up soon!

  3. Boinga says:

    Ron Weasley nothing. Helloooooooooo, gorgeous!

  4. nick lindwedel says:

    Dear Becky,

    I have this really cool idea for a shirt and went to youtube to see if anyone had any input on it. It appears as if YOU are the right person for me to speak with about my “project”… I know that you are probably tremendously busy but I would love the opportunity to speak with you. My number is 314 258 9282 thank you so very much and hope to hear from you!

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK