Brit Morin Talks DIY, Tech, and Following Your Passions
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How do you bridge the divide between tech and DIY? If you're Brit Morin, you decide there isn't a divide at all. As founder and CEO of Brit + Co, an online content and e-commerce platform, she explores the ways technology and today's hyper-popular do-it-yourself craftiness collide. Some call her a tech-oriented Martha Stewart, but really, she's something else entirely: A DIY savant, eager to teach everyone how they too can be a maker. ELLE Decor sat down with Morin to discuss her inspirations, the future of DIY, and her new book Homemakers: A Domestic Handbook for the Digital Generation.
How did you transition from the digital world of Brit + Co to the analog world while writing your book?
The first sentence of my book is "I never wanted to write a book." I wasn't lying: I really didn't want to write a book. The process takes forever and it doesn't appeal to Millennials. The fact that I was writing a lot about technology in the home meant that everything would be changing or different within a matter of months. I had to edit the manuscript a couple of times, but overall I think it was such an amazing process.
It forced me to collect all of my thoughts about this space and put it into one thesis, whereas with digital internet content you're just putting bits and pieces out everywhere. I thought hard about what happens at home: How we decorate, how we cook, and how we put ourselves together. Evaluating how that has evolved and changed and seeing where it's going next is really exciting.
What do you want readers to find at Brit + Co?
I think women like their tech news and lifestyle information all in one place, and I was able to bring them together: I read high-brow tech content and attend all these Silicon Valley summits, and I'm constantly trying to figure out how to translate that in a way that's more accessible to mainstream consumers.
I remember when Pinterest took off and I saw DIY was the most popular content category. Then, I was spending a lot of time at TechShop [a workshop where members can use any number of tools, like 3D printers, vinyl cutters, and more], where I made stuff in Illustrator and Photoshop and printed it on huge pieces of wood. I made physical objects because I know how to do something on the computer. That struck a chord with me: Most women of my generation have grown up with technology but lack the handmade creative skills of former generations. This is a big opportunity to fill that gap.
Why do you think DIY has become so popular?
First, it's become easier to DIY. Second, I think it's unique to this generation. Our grandma's generation was forced to do it, our mom's generation rebelled against it, and our generation wants a balance: To choose to be an awesome hostess and be a CEO. And that's okay! It's actually cool! The fact that we have a choice is the biggest difference in this generation. Lastly, I think it's because of social media. There are more people sharing photos of the things they are doing, and that encourages other people to do it or learn it.
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What's the future of DIY?
I'm really intimidated by teenagers right now because they're five years old and coding already. And then they're teenagers…. Understanding Snapchat for me is like, "Why are all these buttons everywhere?" I'm not that old! Our generation grew up with technology. It evolved as we grew up. This new generation has had it since they were babies. That's crazy. It fundamentally changes they way they understand and think about technology. They've never known life without it, whereas we knew life without the internet.
I see several things happening. First: Customization. There are so many new sites that let you upload a photo or a pattern or a design and turn it into clothing, wallpaper, pillows, artwork. You feel like you're making it and it's customized to you — even though you didn't actually physically put it together. 3D printing is another technology I'm very interested in. You can 3D print food. Soon, you'll be able to 3D print your clothing to fit you perfectly.
How will that shift whole economies? Like with music: When Spotify happened it actually broke the system. Now imagine you can actually print clothing on demand. Or dinnerware. Or children's toys. What does that mean for retail, for industrial designers? In five years, will the forks and knives that you currently go buy at the store be something you download and print to your specifications with your name engraved? That's really out there, but I've seen it literally, physically happen. I've held the T-shirts, held the forks. I know we're only years away from that future.
How do you encourage women who are unsure how to get started with DIY?
Brit + Co tries to help women understand that they are creative, and give them all sorts of opportunities to try their hand at something creative. We want it to be as easy as possible to start. If that means you uploading a pattern to Spoonflower and make wallpaper, that's great. You made it! You were part of that creative process, and that encourages you to do one more thing and go deeper. Any way we can get people to take that leap is the best.
Many women want to be more creative and make money off of doing creative stuff. Anybody can create music and put it online and have people download and buy it. The same thing will happen with industrial design and clothing design. If you like to design shirts and sweaters, you create a 3D pattern and make money from it instead of trying to strike a deal with Macy's or get your stuff into Target. You don't have to run it up the chain, and success can happen in days instead of years. The internet is so much more democratic in terms of finding new designers. I'm really excited about the potential for there to be more people doing what they love.
In the age of DIY and Pinterest, is there more pressure for women to have perfect homes than ever before? Do you think technology can help lessen that burden?
Totally. What resonates with Brit + Co readers are the hacks: That you can take a shortcut that makes you look like the expert hostess… but maybe you made the cake from a mix and just frosted it and added a few things on top, and it looks beautiful. Use cake mix! You don't need to spend an hour making a cake from scratch.
People don't want to feel like they're just buying something from a grocery store and putting it on the dinner table, but the easier you can make it for people? That's great. There are are all these new services that will come to your house and help you cook, help you prepare and host a party. I don't even know what "do it yourself" means anymore. Does it count if a 3D printer prints it?
What do you say to people that dismiss DIY as a "women's thing"?
Yeah, the majority of Brit+Co users are women, but DIY? You see kids DIY, adult men geeking out hardcore with anything related to woodworking and all these cool new technologies, metalwork, leatherworking, concrete making. Everyone has a passion. I truly believe it's in our DNA literally to build things. That's how we protected ourselves as cavemen. Everyone has the ability to make and that intrinsic yearning to be creative.
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What advice do you have for people with big dreams and no idea how to achieve them?
It's not an overnight process. I think you have to figure out early how big you want to make it and what you're going to sacrifice to do that. It's not easy, it takes time, it takes money, it takes a piece of you. You also need a mission behind what you do, and it can't be super competitive with what already exists. Find a niche you can really own and go after it.
Where do you get ideas for your DIY projects?
All over the place. I'm online all day, every day, looking at everything from Japanese design blogs to Swedish furniture websites to american sites and blogs. I am constantly window shopping to see how people decorate their retail stores and environments. Over the holidays, UNIQLO 3D printed little caricatures of their San Francisco sales staff and put them in their window display. It was cool to see a retailer embracing technology and creating art with it.
I like to upcycle a lot of stuff. That's where inspiration starts. I'll see a pile of magazines or books and think, "Where else can I use that? Can I turn it into something? Do I need a container display to hold those magazines?" Inspiration starts by just looking around where you are.
How do you decide whether you should make something or buy it?
It depends on the time I have and the money it costs. If I go more than two or three weeks without making something, I get that feeling where you haven't worked out in a while and you're like, "I just need to go do it." I get that feeling. My body tells me "You have to go do it." This past weekend it was really rainy in San Francisco, so I went on a baking spree making bread and cupcakes and cookies. It becomes part of who you are.
What do you do when a DIY project isn't working?
If theres a way to save it, you can save it. I feel like people put so much pressure on themselves to perfect it. Part of creating something is the mental release you get: It's a very meditative type of activity to do. If the project doesn't work out, that's fine. But did you have fun doing it? Did it help you relieve stress and anxiety? Then it was worth it.
What are your favorite projects from Homemakers?
I love the wi-fi charging nightstand. It's so cool. I hate cords. The hanging planters are super easy, too, made using jersey fabric and old t-shirt material. Macramé is a popular trend right now.
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