5 Reasons Themed Projects Bring Joy Back To Making Things

In 2021, I thought I was burned out making things.

I had built cabinets, entertainment stands, coffee tables, workbenches, and still had many projects on the list, but felt like I was building versions of the same things over and over again. I felt like I needed to be creative, but never thought of myself as creative before. Then, I realized all my favorite projects had been themed to a movie, show, or theme park attraction our family loves.

Theming my projects brought joy back into my, so let me save you over a year in potential burnout by giving the 5 reasons I discovered.

Reason 1: You Appreciate Your Favorite Movies & Shows More

Movies, shows, games, and attractions are intended for entertainment, but they don't have to stop there.

Ever since seeing Star Wars Episode 1 in theaters in 1999 (yes, I still actually like this one despite the issues with it), I've been an avid Star Wars fan. But the idea of bringing Star Wars to life at home with my own builds gives me an energy and excitement no other build has.

Reason 2: You Use Both Sides Of Your Maker Brain

Some Makers think of themselves as logical problem solvers and others as artists, but themed builds let you tap into both sides.

A core requirement for my own builds is that they serve some kind of purpose beyond looking good, but stopping at solving the problem never sat well with me. Bringing themes into the problem solving lets me solve with logic, but theme with creativity.

Reason 3: You Ditch Boring Shapes

Most builds you see online will be variations of squares for 1 key reason: squares are easy to make, check, and uniformly reproduce.

However, once you look deeper at your favorite franchise, you'll start to notice that the prop makers and set designers create an environment that feels different by ditching common shapes. They still exist, but the corners might be cut off, some additional shapes might be layered on top, or an interesting pattern painted on the flat surface.

Reason 4: You Look For New Techniques

I've always loved tools and gadgets, but my drive to find new techniques dived into the deep end with themes.

Once your creative side is tapped, the logical side tries to help a bit by figuring out how to get the creative vision out of your head and onto the workpiece. Within reason, combining techniques like kit bashing, pin striping, weathering, 3D printing, laser engraving, and layering work together to create a composite that most won't be able to deconstruct.

Reason 5: You Create What Can't Be Purchased

Finally, one of the biggest reasons I started Making things was to build what we either couldn't afford to buy or couldn't find at all.

The only other people selling custom pieces from your favorite franchises are other Makers selling commission pieces. One of my favorite parts about theming is that you negate all comparisons to options from Target or Amazon because, without you building it yourself, it simply won't exist.