There’s been a renewed focus on DIY, making and hacking, but is a whole group of creative thinkers being overlooked?

In working with independent UK designers and makers, New York curator and artist Charlene Lam of Creative Clerkenwell found a technological gap in comfort and knowledge levels between those who make with their hands and those who create with computers.

Why is this, when makers are natural hackers? Isn’t a seamstress working backwards from a completed garment essentially reverse-engineering it? WordPress can be wielded alongside blowtorches, CSS deployed by ceramicists, and Twitter the tool of choice for the enterprising metalsmith.

Charlene Lam will share the ways she uses the principles and practices of craft to teach herself, and others, how to code and harness the power of social media and online tools. Learn how this different way of approaching new tools and languages can help you make the most of emerging technologies — and how developers and technologists could learn a thing or two from designer-makers.

Questions Answered:
What are the similarities between craft and code?

How can these parallels and analogies be used to teach ourselves new technologies, concepts and languages?

What are the most useful tools for small designers and creative entrepreneurs?