Do it yourself!

Living in Portland, Oregon for several years around the DIY (Do It Yourself) environment where many people grow their own food, by planting and harvesting their own garden, brew their own beer in the garage and repair their own bicycles, I realized that the best way to learn for me has always been by doing it by myself.  I remember to do things better from “hands on” experience rather than just reading a book, and by doing a new activity by myself, I gain confidence and find the answers on my own.

My Mom was the kind of person who loved to do it herself. I remember one night when we were running out of glue, my Mom made some glue on the stove by mixing some flour and water in a little pan, so I finished my project for next day. Although my mom worked so hard, she could not afford to buy us new clothes every time school started, so she sewed and repaired our clothes on her sewing machine.  I was amazed by her abilities. I remember when I was a little girl, around 8 or 9 years old, my Mom, who was a nurse and single mother, taught my brother and I how to make a marble cake, step by step. She listed off all the utensils and ingredients that we needed. My brother and I collected them all and put them on the table. After she put some flour and butter in a mixing bowl, she told me: “Zara you are going to stir the flour and butter until the clumps of butter completely disappear”.  She showed us what was the best way to beat the eggs and stir the ingredients in order to get a sponge cake.  She said that I am going to be in charge of smearing some butter and sprinkling a dash of flour in the cake pan to prevent the cake mixture to get stick to the pan. She told my brother that he had to be in charge of putting the mixture in the pan. She warned us to be really careful and to turn the oven off after we take the pan out of the oven. That weekend, while my mom was working her afternoon shift, my brother and I baked a cake by ourselves, and we surprised her. It was the best cake of my life! Even though it happened so many years ago, my brother and I have never forgotten my Mom’s marble cake recipe. Since I have been an adult I always prefer cooking my own food, baking my own cakes rather than buying in the store or eating out. I love to do it myself. That’s my legacy from my Mom.

Last fall, when I took my first photo class of black and white photography, I learned how to process the film by myself rather than send it to the photo shop. To be honest, to process a film demands a lot of ability. After taking 2 rolls of photos in a skid road in Tenderloin for one of my assignments, I was so excited to see the results. I portrayed homeless that were painters, musicians, poets and writers, who were struggling with drug addictions and mental illnesses. Unfortunately, I ruined completely one of the rolls by forcing the film into the reel. For my second roll of film, I was prepared after practicing so many times “hands on” how to open and collocate an old film on the reel correctly. This time my film was perfect and clean. My exposures were great. Half of these exposures were part of my final portfolio at the end of my class. To my surprise my professor took pictures of every one of my pictures. It was the best compliment for me!.

            Now, I can say that I have always been a DIYer at heart. As far back as I can remember, I have always liked to do things for myself.  I never feel more proud of myself as when I have completed a project by myself.  For me, DIY is a path to freedom.   I no longer am dependent upon massive corporations.  There was a time in the past when people did everything for themselves, it was just life.  People are natural learners.  In an age when everyone is walking around like zombies looking into their mobile device, I find comfort taking it back to the old school and getting my hands dirty.