Local man making it easy for other DIYers to share ideas

Local resident Josh Robinson may work as a computer programmer, but he’s always looking to expand his range of knowledge and learn from others.

From an early age, he has had a hope for himself.

“I would love to be an employee and have something safe knowing all the bills are going to be paid, but at some point, even if it’s one night of the week to work on something that’s cool or that I dreamed about my entire life, I want it to happen,” said Robinson.

Now, he’s trying to make it easier for other do-it-yourselfers who want to share their skill sets and bring any project ideas closer to becoming a reality.

Hosted by The Ground Floor in the Chatham Armoury on Saturday, Robinson held his first ever Chatham-Kent Maker event where he met with others locals and opened up a discussion platform.

“It’s more or less immature engineering and just knowing enough to be dangerous and not hurt yourself along the way,” said Robinson.

“It’s so you get something done that works right now and can continue later. That’s roughly the idea,” he added.

Inspired by Make and Maker magazines, which feature a wide genre of DIY projects, Robinson approached the vice-chair of board of The Ground Floor, Andrew Tompsett, last September, sharing his vision.

Robinson wanted a way to reach out to regular people who could share knowledge with each other.

“The whole idea of this is to present the Maker idea, grab people that may have heard of it or may be interested in the message it sends, and then put on another meeting afterwards. That is the goal,” explained Robinson.

Tompsett saw the potential and was more than happy to let Robinson use the business’s meeting room space as a launch pad for the group.

“This is an opportunity to do something innovative,” said Tompsett.

What he and Robinson didn’t expect was the amount of interest it generated, with approximately 10 locals participating in the first meeting.

While Robinson said it is too early to define how the Maker group will evolve, he has high hopes it will move forward and flourish.

“I would like it to produce productive habits,” said Robinson.

“I get a good feeling from the people we have already and I know from talking there are more people out there,” he added about others who were unable to make the meeting.

Those wanting to find out more information about the group or get in touch with Josh Robinson are encouraged to visit the Chatham Maker Facebook page.