DIY Definition

DIY at its simplest is an acronym, replacing the words “do it yourself.” In practice, it replaces as well. It replaces buying a product. It replaces the work of another person. It replaces the work of a factory full of people. It replaces the work of a machine. It replaces poorly used spare time spent in front of the TV with something creative and productive. It can be just a hobby, or a way of life.

DIY can take many forms. It could be a craft like knitting a sweater, refinishing a coffee table, or creating homemade birthday cards. It could be a little more complicated than that… like fixing up a used car. It could be growing fruits and vegetables and herbs in a backyard garden instead of buying produce from the supermarket. It could be making your own “frappuccino” or ranch dressing or peanut butter. These forms don’t necessarily have to result in a physical object… DIY is digital as well. It could be creating your own LOLcat. It could be editing a video. It could be creating your own iPhone app.

DIY is a process. It can require research, special skills, tools, materials, time, effort, trial and error. The skills could be a physical process like learning a knitting stitch or a painting technique. Your craft could require you learn how to use a tool like a power drill or pottery wheel. Digital craft requires a set of skills and tools as well, like learning how to use Photoshop or learning how to write the code for your own website. It could even be a mixture of both physical and digital processes, like covering a popular song from the instrumentals to the vocals, then shooting and editing a music video for it. Sometimes a project takes a lot of time, like restoring a vintage trunk. Sometimes the steps of a project or the materials or the process will effect the time it takes to complete a task, like having to put your project on pause so paint or glue can dry. There are times you’ll make mistakes and hit some proverbial road blocks- that’s part of the process. You’ll learn and grow and gain skills as you go. DIY is an experience.

DIY is a movement. It can shape lifestyles. It can be a platform for activism, commonly referred to as Craftivism. That might mean making as much of your daily essentials as possible in an attempt to free yourself from consumer culture- from growing all your food in a backyard garden to making your own soaps and shampoos. It could be making quilts for victims of a natural disaster halfway around the world. It could be creating moss “graffiti” with a message about your cause. Education can be DIY. A movement called Edupunk works on the idea of taking your education into your own hands. This could be teaching yourself software or a foreign language through online course and tutorials. It could even go as far as creating you own “college curriculum” using free resources.

DIY is a lot of things… it has many interpretations. But they require just one simple thing- that you do them yourself.