Mind of a Maker
A daily blog inspired by Matthew Dicks
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”
To become better at something, you have to practice. What better way to become a better writer and storyteller than to practice by making a habit of writing daily?
In this daily blog, we’ll discuss Maker-related topics as well as what inspires projects, including YouTube videos, Movies, TV Shows, Disney, Star Wars, LEGO, Books, and more. Everything is on the table, and nothing is off-limits.
Disclaimer: The thumbnail images featured on this blog are often AI-generated. See Disclosure page for more information.
3 Mistakes Makers Starting Newsletters Should Avoid
You've taken the plunge into creating a brand around your Maker content and a newsletter seems like the best next fit.
You probably started by subscribing to other Maker newsletters (if you weren't already) and tried to emulate what they did. The issue is that most newsletters are terrible and you're just repeating the same mistakes they do. Ultimately, you don't get any traction, the newsletter takes a backseat (if you keep sending at all), and you wonder why you wasted your time and effort.
3 Reasons Articles & Newsletters Could Skyrocket in 2026
Visual content is more accessible than ever, so why would written content like articles and newsletters be on my radar for 2026?
Top 4 Mental Frameworks For Creating A Successful Maker Business
Business building influencers love to talk about how all it takes is a good idea and you'll be a millionaire by next year. Sifting through the noise to find real entrepreneurs who share the failures along with the wins can be challenging, but they are who you should be watching. These people don't sugar coat how much hard work and failure comes along with building a business, but that you can break through it.
Moderation Is For Cowards (If You’re A Maker)
Growing up in the 90’s and 2000’s, we were told we could be anything we wanted, that if we could dream it, we could do it. Then college and the real world slapped us with nonsense like “adjust your expectations,” “realistic goals,” blah blah blah. The best and most successful Makers I know build ridiculous things because they can and are passionate about them.
2 Ways Making Things Has Made Me A Better Parent
While I spent some time finishing up the last couple of items, I started to think about how much different a Maker parent is than a "regular" parent. Most kids ask to buy things at Target and, while yes ours still do that, they are starting to ask if we can Make something for them instead. To them, it's magical creating something from their heads in real life out of "nothing".
The 3 Why's Behind My Pivot From Helping People Make To Helping Makers Get Their Message Out
In 2017, I started Making things and shortly after in 2018, I gave a half-hearted (IF that much) try at creating content about what I was Making. It went...okay. I will admit that I didn't give it everything I had and could have put significantly more effort into the projects and content about them.
This year, I started writing articles about Making things and shifted more to the business side of Making things earlier this month, but why?
2 Reasons You Shouldn't Discount Email Marketing For Makers
Your email inbox is already overflowing, so why should you even think about keeping up with your own newsletter?
Every website you go to has an annoying pop-up or "subscribe for news and updates" form buried at the bottom of the webpage. So if it's already so saturated (and usually annoying), should you even try?
The Top 5 Mistakes That Will Sink Your Maker-Related Newsletter Before Year-End (And What To Do Instead)
Since the mid 2000's, people have said that email is dead and they are partially correct.
Email lists can be amazingly powerful and provide leverage to get your message in front of more people without going through algorithms. However, you're almost certainly in the ~85% of newsletters that ultimately fail. Instead of wasting all the time and effort you've already put in, let's make a few tweaks to get into the ~15% of successful newsletters.
Is AI The Death Of Your Maker Newsletter?
We're all constantly bombarded with headlines about what AI is going to kill next, so will it be your newsletter?
AI is becoming more accessible to more people every day. Updates come faster than ever, whether it's updates to Chat-GPT having access to real-time internet or Claude updating how it creates documents.
What Makers Aspiring To Be Entrepreneurs Can Learn From A Red D20
If you're trying to build a business, it can be tough to face failure after failure after failure.
Most people online talk about success, so no one might have prepared you for the number of failures you'll encounter before even 1 success. Failure is part of the game, so you have to keep playing in order to have any shot at winning even a little.
Don't just take my word for it.
3 Faulty Beliefs Maker Small Businesses Have About Newsletters
You've graduated from hobby to trying to build up your side hustle Making things, but dislike the idea of starting a newsletter.
I overall dislike most newsletters as well, but it's still an extremely powerful platform that can explode your business if done correctly.
To do that, we need to change how we think about it.
3 Reasons Your Maker Businesses Won’t Grow As Well Without A Newsletter
Taken the leap and are trying to turn your Maker side hustle into a business, but it’s not growing how you want?
Don’t worry, every entrepreneur has run into this and Maker businesses are no different.
The Number 1 Thing You Should Do To Start Making Things This Weekend
Whether you've had dreams of redecorating your house, finally building that patio furniture, or just want to have a new hobby, Making things is a fantastic thing to start doing. However, it can be tough to figure out exactly where to start, leading you down countless rabbit holes online. While online, all you see are people with massive workshops making it look simple to create whatever they want, which can make it even more difficult to get started.
The Top 2 Mistakes Causing Your Maker Newsletter To Be Left Unopened (and how to fix it)
Whether you're a brand or creator, you put a ton of time and effort into your social media presence, but have largely neglected your newsletter.
Contrary to popular belief, email is an incredibly popular and profitable form of getting your message directly in front of your audience.
3 Reasons Halloween Is A Maker’s Perfect Holiday
It's half-through September, which means it's time for the Maker's Perfect Holiday: Halloween!
Fortunately, our family loves Halloween and we always find at least a couple of different ways to Make new decor. We have a long-term goal to completely transform our house into The Haunted Mansion every year. Even items for school teachers or trunk-or-treats are fun to make small things for.
I firmly believe that Halloween is pretty much made for Makers.
You Can't Find Inspiration, It Finds Makers
Most people think of Makers as being constantly inspired, but what happens when you can't find your creative inspiration anymore?
3 Reasons A Maker Mindset Will Unblock Your Work Flow
Many coworkers likely discount being a Maker as "just a hobby," but they are wrong.
Your Maker Hobby Shouldn't Be Draining You. 3 Ways To Regain The Spark
The downside to Making things is that your project list is never-ending and, if you build too many projects for others, it becomes a second job. Hobbies shouldn't be draining, but should fill you back up after the demands of your full-time job, family, and friends.
3 Reasons Why Making Things After Work Beats Scrolling, Streaming, or Complaining
ou’ve been in the working world for several years and time seems to be slipping away from you faster than ever.
Sure, you meet up with old friends to complain about your jobs, mindlessly scroll social media, and catch up on the latest streaming shows, but something is always missing. Maybe you’ve even tried video games, getting a pet, or starting a YouTube channel. No matter what you try, you can’t find a good way to let off steam after your 9 to 5 and recharge yourself.
Tired of Being Told to Relax? 3 Reasons Making Things Is a Better Cure for Corporate Burnout
You're home from an exhausting day of unnecessary meetings, constant Teams notifications, and email overload and all you want to do is unwind... like you've done every night for the past few years.