Ever since he was a kid, Anon liked to tinker and fix things around the house. Today, he has been able to turn his passion into an exciting career as a “maker” at the Pinn Creative Space as the Technical Manager. After learning about the idea of makers, Mr. Anon Thongtem, Technical Manager at Pinn Creative Space, became interested in becoming one.
Ten years ago, few people knew about the concept of a ‘maker.’ A maker can loosely be defined as a person that makes or produces something, which opens the door to anyone participating. “I believe that everyone is a maker by nature. There is a perception that makers are those who make use of technology to develop innovations. This is not true. Innovations are derived from thinking, designing and implementation. Makers can create arts or crafts by using technology to improve the work procedures and to save time. They still need maker skills to create a perfect masterpiece,” Anon said.
His maker career arose from his strong interest in technology and his passion to invent new things. He knew that many people wanted to be a maker, but could not find the opportunities to do so. He decided to pursue a maker career with Pinn Creative Space because he wanted to share his maker experience with others and to give them opportunities to invent things.
He added that “the heart of maker culture is trial and error until the final product is completely satisfactory. It helps sharpen your thinking, analysis, experimentation and communication skills. Sometimes we need help from our team members and other makers to share thoughts, experiences and insights. If we provide a platform for makers and the public to meet up, this will strengthen maker community networks in Thailand.”
In his opinion, Thailand’s maker communities and culture will grow stronger because of the support from the Chevron Enjoy Science Project being implemented by Kenan Foundation Asia, and NSTDA’s effort to improve STEM education for Thai youth. “In the past, maker communities were small, and communication between these communities was limited. Sometimes I wanted to talk to other makers but did not know how to contact them. This posed obstacles to the growth of the maker communities.
The Mini Maker Faire event, held by the Chevron Enjoy Science Project and NSTDA, was the starting point for bridging our communities, and it offered great opportunities for makers to share their innovations with others. Equipping Thai kids with these type of 21st century skills and preparing them to form a skilled and competitive workforce is at the heart of building the country’s digital economy in line with the government’s Thailand 4.0 economic model.
In addition, the Young Maker Contest opened up new opportunities for new makers to share their passion and helped the maker communities to grow stronger,” Anon shared. He went on to say that “It also offered a stage for Thai youth to practice their skills and apply the knowledge gained from their classroom to invent new things that benefit their communities,” and that he believes the event “will help people to understand that makers are not just robot makers.”
