Best Event Talks: Be A Maker by Adam Savage [VIDEO]

I believe that I’m a maker at heart. I’m sure you are, too. Adam Savage is also one but unlike us, he actually gets paid to do it (with all the toys and tools to make it real, to boot).

Adam Savage was the Keynote Speaker at the XOXO Festival in 2012, an annual celebration of art and technology. He’s an industrial and special effects designer, on top of being a host of MythBusters. He and Jamie, the more serious host of that show, basically redefined geek and turned it into cool.

As always, Savage was funny and light while discussing the intricate ways he makes things. He’s built stuff for movies like Iron Man, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and you can see how much he loves doing what he does.

He also talked about his love of copying things. I’m sure your knee-jerk reaction would be, “Hey copying is bad!” But it’s really not. He’s a builder at heart so replicating props and memorabilia are a form of art to him. He does it for the love of making and not for money, which is the bad form of copying we’re familiar with. Case in point, he made a fully detailed version of R2D2, which he really takes pride in. I would too if I had one that I made myself.

Be A Maker

You might think, “Well, that’s great but I’m a clumsy monkey around tools.” But you’re already a maker yourself, a maker of events! It might not be a physical object, but it’s a lasting experience nonetheless, the same thing Savage wants to recreate when he makes copies of popular movie gadgets and props.

I love Adam’s talk because it says something deep about our heart’s desire to share our dreams and creativity. And he also does it in a very relaxed and fun way, similar to how he’s in his shows. If you want philosophy, science, technology and art all rolled into a 20 plus minute talk, watch Adam, he’ll blow you away.