The Root of “Amateur” is “To Love”: Dale Dougherty Chats with Etsy

The Root of “Amateur” is “To Love”: Dale Dougherty Chats with Etsy

dale-dougherty

In this great little Etsy Q&A, MAKE Founder and Publisher Dale Dougherty chats about the evolution of MAKE, resourcefulness, and how making is a sign of caring for others:

That’s really the heart of what led me to focus on “amateurs” at Maker Faire and with the magazine. The root of the word amateur is “to love.” I wanted to focus on people who really love what they are doing and making. I wanted to find that place and stick with it.

Fun fact: Etsy and MAKE were both founded the same year โ€” 2005.

Etsy interviewer Karen Brown asked the MAKE crew for favorite Etsy objects: MAKE Sales and Marketing Coordinator Gillian BenAry likes this 6 Pack Frame Cinch.
Etsy interviewer Karen Brown asked the MAKE crew for their favorite Etsy objects: MAKE Sales and Marketing Coordinator Gillian BenAry chose this 6 Pack Frame Cinch.

One reason I love working at MAKE is hearing Dale talk about the maker movement. His passion is evidenced to me by the fact that I never hear him use canned taglines or tired marketing speak. Interacting with and connecting the amazing makers in this world fuels him, and his enthusiasm is contagious.

A couple of my favorite quotes from this interview:

โ€ข “When you put passionate people together, you have a different view of mankind. You see that people are generous, wonderful, and creative. Thatโ€™s what I think is core in all this, that DIY in its broadest context is a kind of social glue and an instigator of community.”

โ€ข “If there is something I could wish for America, itโ€™s that we would restore resourcefulness as a middle class virtue.”

Read the interview in its entirety here.

While we’re on the subject of Maker Faireโ€ฆย There are seven days left to buy tickets to Maker Faire Bay Area at Early Bird discount prices. Be smart: pick yours up today! Ticket prices go up on March 15.

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"To oppose something is to maintain it." โ€“Ursula Le Guin

Currently: NEO.LIFE Alum: Instructables and MAKE

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