The Date To Create

If you’ve been waiting for a specific date to create something, your wait is over. On August 8th, we celebrate “The Date to Create,” an effort to put an end to procrastination and get your ball rolling on creating that one thing you’ve been meaning to take on. It could be just about anything you could dream up. All it takes is some imagination, a little know-how, and the resolve to do it. Can’t think of anything you can do just in a single day? No worries — August 8th can be the date you got started on that massive project you’ve been meaning to take on.

Some Stuff You Can Create

Stumped for ideas? That thing you can create doesn’t have to be a massive project. Just something you know you can do. Just think of the feeling of satisfaction you’ll get knowing you created something.

• A new recipe. A lot of my favorite recipes started out as improvised ideas for using up holiday leftovers. With a little experimentation, you can get it exactly right and then share it with friends.
• A quilt. If you’re into crafting, you probably have a lot of waste fabric laying around. You can turn that fabric into a quilt just by cutting it into evenly sized squares and making up your own pattern. Don’t need a new quilt? No problem. I’ve seen the quilts that the ladies in my church made out of leftover fabric for charity. Ask around to see who might be needing one.
• A backyard science experiment. Got some kids who are curious about how something in the science world works? A homemade science experiment can be a good way to demonstrate basic scientific principles. Be sure to read up on how to do it safely and have some fun with it.
• A garden. Okay, August 8th might be a little late to start an outdoor garden, but you can create an indoor vegetable garden with a few potted plants and a little cleverness. Grow root vegetables and herbs you can enjoy any time of the year. And you can start planning your outdoor garden for next year.
• An Android app. If you’re good with code, you can create your own Android app. Sound daring? The genius behind “Angry Birds” created the original game just using his computer and the books he found in his college’s library. Who knows, you might create the next big app.

Can Your Creations Make A Difference?

You might not think so, but there are some good success stories from people whose creations make a difference. Some of them include:

• Fiverr. It’s not a charity, it’s a site where people who have a small job that needs doing can pay other people $5 (really $4 once Fiverr takes their cut) to do it for them. Top Rated Sellers can add extras that they’d be willing to do for a bump in pay. It’s used by college students who need to pay dorm rent, people who want to supplement their income when they aren’t at work and/or build up their reputation as a freelancer before they quit their “day job”, and just about anyone from around the world who is trying to make ends meet and might have had trouble finding a regular job.
• Random Hacks of Kindness. So you’re a programmer and you’ve been looking for ways to make a difference. Random Hacks of Kindness aims to maximize the use of technology to create systems that help the down-and-out. Examples include real-time reporting of election news in Nairobi that includes incidents of election fraud and violence, a system that allowed women in Nepali to send ultrasound pictures on mobile devices, and an improved security system for the Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin.
• Squidoo has raised $1,000,000 for charity since its founding. When I was way more active on Squidoo than I am now, I liked that I had the option to choose which charity I wanted my pages to donate to.
• Walter Dean Myers is best known for his books that include characters that troubled teens can relate to. He takes the position that one of the major obstacles to literacy efforts is the lack of reading material that kids can identify with and goes out of his way to include the high school dropout, the teenager in the juvenile detention center, and the middle-school kid with a single parent. By writing these books, he wants to create hope for troubled children that their lives can get better.

A Sampling of Walter Dean Myers

What’s it like to be branded a monster while you’re still a teen? Walter Dean Myers carefully researched cases that regularly see “Juvie” to craft this book more believably. Did the teenaged protagonist really act as a lookout for a gunman, or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Creating Stuff can be Fun and Profitable

What are you waiting on? Once you get started, you can see how much fun creating your favorite things is. There are even entrepreneurs who built their business around their hobby of creating things. It’s the lady who makes a living by selling homemade brownies online, the crafty people who set up an eBay store to sell their best items, and the fellow who takes the extra produce from his garden to a farmer’s market to sell. You can do it, too.

How To Design Cool Stuff & Other Books