Making It Interview...with Jamie Hudson
Jamie Hudson, contestant on NBC's Making It. Interview series highlighting makers who share their advice and why they make.
By Scott Mathson, Makerviews
Makerviews exists to share the stories of and advice from a variety of talented makers, designers, and artists.
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Maker interview with Jamie Hudson
Having recognized the passion, drive, and pure enjoyment of making things that each Making It contestant illustrates, Makerviews is excited to have the chance to highlight, feature, and share insights from each contestant. This Making It series gives a deeper look into these makers lives through their answers to a few, quick questions. Learn more about this series.
Jamie Hudson is a PhD scientist, manufacturing and robotics enthusiast, and designer who started a crafting company with his artist wife. Together they run 20 Leagues, making and selling unique, quirky crafts and gifts.
Check out this interview with Jamie Hudson, maker from NBC’s Making It.
Making It Interview...
with Jamie Hudson
What inspires you to keep making things?
"I... am... compelled... As a kid, I took every single thing apart so I could learn their secrets. Toys, appliances, old science equipment, and my parents’ nerves were daily sacrificed to sate the destructive force of a still overactive curiosity. But bit by bit, from the dystopian wasteland of disassembled parts that was my toy box, I learned to put things back together, learned to modify them, learned what (literally) made things tick, and learned how to pursue entirely new ideas. That yen has led me to science, to business, to art, and - somehow - reality TV.
What inspires me? Everything. Why do I make things? Because I cannot help myself- I’m forever lost in the neurotic bliss of endlessly destroying, learning, rebuilding, and repeating. I’ll stop when my robot army inevitably turns on me and not a moment before."
What one piece of advice would you give to other makers?
"ABBA said it best, ‘Take a chance, take a chance...’ So, you know, take more chances. Safely, bravely leave your comfort zone behind. Learn to sew, learn to paint, learn to hack. Learn something you are certain you’ll be bad at. What you’ll find is that you can and will apply lessons from every pursuit to every other - in unexpected ways. Making in its purest form is the McGuiver-esque process of realizing a vision with the resources on hand and a head full of tricks, so learn more tricks. Not sure if ABBA sang about that, but they should have."
What is your biggest takeaway from Making It?
"For me, collaborate more. Making (in this entendre) tends to be a solo sport - a music blaring, nose down, leave-me-alone-I’m-working affair. But I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be. There exists a vast community of artists, designers, makers, and whateverers battling the same challenge you have - trying to close that gap between the vision in their head and the realities of manifesting it. They know things you don’t, they’ve solved problems you’ve not seen, and, if you can get them to look up from their projects, they want to learn something from you. Preferably something interesting.
True that being coaxed out of the basement by Hollywood cannot be everyone’s path to finding their community, so make the extra effort to find yours. Resources abound and the Internet can guide you better than I can. But I really, truly encourage you to find your peeps."
"Safely, bravely leave your comfort zone behind." — Jamie Hudson
Follow Jamie Hudson’s work: 20 Leagues website • Facebook • Instagram profile.
View and learn more about the Making It interview series. Thank you all for reading this interview - get out there and make things!
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Next up on Making It series:
Making It Interview...with Justine Silva
Justine Silva, designer and contestant on NBC's Making It. Interview series highlighting makers who share their advice and why they make.
More about NBC's Making It:
Presented, produced, and hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman with judges Dayna Isom Johnson, Simon Doonan, and featuring other guests. Season 1 was set in a serene cabin near Malibu, Season 2 premiered during 2019's Holiday Season, and Season 3 started airing on NBC on June 24, 2021.
"In this six-episode competition, eight of the most talented makers from across the country will take on a variety of handmade projects with the hopes of impressing Poehler, Offerman, and judges. Poehler and Offerman both share a love and passion of craftsmanship, albeit from different perspectives. Poehler is a self-proclaimed crafting novice who has long harbored a secret appreciation for those who can imagine and execute incredible things by hand. Offerman is a New York Times best-selling author in the woodworking space and is well known for his love for making a variety of objects himself.
Every show will revolve around a central theme that draws inspiration from hugely popular, nationwide trends in crafting and DIY, which the whole family can enjoy.
Each episode of the competition will consist of two projects that allow the makers to demonstrate their specialized talent, while sharing skilled insights and touching personal stories. First, the "faster-craft" round will be a timed challenge that will test their ability to not only work quickly but imaginatively as well. Next, the makers will move to the "master craft collection," a one-of-a-kind themed challenge in which the competitors will need to use their expertise and get inventive in order to assemble a winning craft that fits the theme of that week.
Blending the atmosphere of a serene outdoor setting and innovative cinematography designed to showcase the beautiful craftsmanship at work, this friendly competition will focus on the character and camaraderie of the crafting community and through it all, Amy and Nick will provide heartfelt encouragement, guidance and plenty of laughs."— sourced from NBC's Making It
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