From an early age, Melissa’s heart was set on creating and making, and helping people along the way. Years later, after bouncing around from place to place, Melissa eventually found a home in Colorado. And in her search for a local space to help bring her visions to life, she found Monumental Impact.
Now one of our newer members, Melissa uses the makerspace to plan and execute her designs, start to finish. In fact, she’s already created several pieces.
The Journey to Monument
Before moving to Colorado, Melissa traveled. A LOT. After studying to become a teacher, she went international to help resource-constrained communities build and support education programs. She even spent 8 years in Uganda working with educational non-profits.
During her time abroad, she gained experience in programming, development, and formal and non-formal education, while pursuing her passion to help others. Really, it’s at the heart of what she does.
Fast forward several years and she’s back in the US pursuing a Master’s Degree at the University of Pennsylvania. There, she was able to make use of the makerspace provided by the Integrated Product Design program she was a part of. She was able to explore production design, CAD, entrepreneurship, and more. Melissa was also able to pursue another passion of hers: creating unique, fun products.
From Christmas Ornaments to Lamps…
Taking everything she learned — and her passion to just CREATE that she developed as a young girl making Christmas ornaments for her Grandma — Melissa now uses Monumental Impact’s makerspace to design and craft new products, while exploring what she can do next with her creations. Already she’s made rings, earrings, a hamster toilet paper holder, and an ostrich egg lamp. Each has its own unique charm. And when asked what her favorite was, she said, “I loved making all of them. I like different designs for different reasons…”
While making her products, Melissa has found the laser cutter and 3D printer extremely helpful during the process. And of course, the opportunity to learn more, along with connecting with others. She hopes to see more of that in our space in the future.
“When you talk through a project with other like-minded creatives it helps to move things forward.”
Bringing her ideas to life isn’t her only focus, though, here at Monumental Impact. She’s also interested in exploring more of what it takes to run a business and how to possibly sell her products. During her time as a teacher, she had to focus on finding resources and making them available to schools in the most affordable way possible. Whether that’s sourcing locally or repurposing items — and she’s interested in exploring that concept here.
Let’s make something together…
Melissa hopes to continue making products, exploring how she can turn her ideas into a sustainable business, and learn all she can. Part of that means collaborating.
If you’re interested in bringing your ideas to life, a membership with Monumental Impact is the perfect starting point. Because in addition to the tools you need to get started, you’ll also have access to a collaborative environment dedicated to helping you grow.
Melissa’s advice if you’re still unsure about taking that first step to become a maker? “Making that first step can be overwhelming, because overcoming it can be difficult. But the more that you try, starting small maybe, and talking to people and being in a space like this, you can see how other people do things and learn. And I think it is a rewarding adventure to stick [it] out and get over the initial uncertainty.”
Another great starting point is one of our orientations. It’s FREE and open to the public. You’ll learn more about Monumental Impact, our events and programs, our available tools (like that laser cutter and 3D printer) and more.
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