DIY for the Young and Old

DIY, or do it yourself, has wiggled its way into many projects. DIY is a project, or task, explained in simpler terms. With DIY, everyday people can do these projects and tasks without having too much of an issue. With these projects, you do not necessarily have to possess any special skills. Thus, eliminating the need to hire a professional. Being self reliant is usually the ethic involved in DIY.

Many people feel that DIY began back in the 1970s with the ‘punk movement’. The punk movement is when many bands started becoming self reliant. They would record their own music, make their own records and at eventually sell it themselves. They would even book their own tours. They also refused to use normal venues for their concerts. Instead, they would perform in a basement of one of the band members. They did this to avoid commercialization.

Eventually, DIY spread out to include more personal tasks, instead of just including magazines and bands. This is what led to the tutorial guides that are made to instruct people how to do things. In the beginning, it started out as ‘How to make your own shirts,’ or ‘How to make your own posters’ kind of projects.

DIY eventually evolve into projects like ‘DIY Birdhouse’ or ‘DIY Home Improvements’. As well as how to do things like ‘DIY Hair Extensions’ and ‘DIY Solar Panels’. DIY is not for just one age group. It is for everybody who is interested with doing things their selves.

DIY has become very popular in North American and European countries. It appears to be the peoples’ way of retaliating against the heavy reliance of the industrial society on mass production.

Many DIY enthusiasts are also against the exploitation of labor in developing countries. Therefore, it is like a boycott from the major companies that are exploiting the labor force. Instead of buying from these multimillion dollar companies, DIY enthusiast usually buy goods and services that are made locally. The motto of these DIY groups? ‘Think globally, act locally’.

DIY is not just making your own clothes or growing your own vegetables. DIY also includes your transportation from place to place. It is choosing to ride a bike, and fixing it yourself. DIY is choosing to take public transportation. It is using alternative energy like solar and wind powered electricity. DIY includes using a hybrid vehicle or using biodiesel. Or, listening to community radio, and producing community radio stations instead of stealing music from the Internet.

DIY, is it just do it yourself? Is it just self reliance? No. It is a movement. A movement of people with the same views. A movement of people protesting against these multimillion dollar companies. DIY is for everyone. It is for you to find your own self reliance. Whether it is DIY dog grooming or DIY plumbing, there is a DIY project out there for everyone. Everyone has a little piece inside of them that wants to prove that they can do it just like the pros do. All you have to do is find the right DIY project and start it right now.

DIY is something that young and old can enjoy and in this week’s BUILDERS DIY segment, Ewan met up with Builders DIY Specialist Andrew Donkin, to learn how to make a Biltong Dryer.

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