The 'What If?' and the hustle.
The idea came to us in Systems Dynamics. It was a particularly riveting lecture on multi degree of freedom systems and yet nearly three-quarters of the class raised their hands when asked if they were confused. While Sarajane and I weren’t confused, we were big doodlers. Our minds wandered off to the things we could potentially make at the Aero Maker Space for the Women In AE event. Earlier that day, we’d both received the following alert:
Besides the matrices, scribbles now lined the corners of our notebooks.
"Create cute things in the AMS", her note read.
I had been particularly enamoured by the idea of creating a neon wall décor that read ‘Hustle’. It had been trending at Urban Outfitters and Bed Bath and Beyond - a glowing reminder to work hard every day. What better way to bring out the girls who might otherwise be apprehensive to use the Maker Space, I thought.
As soon as class let out we began to bounce off ideas. The wall décor idea was great she said, but what if we pushed ourselves further? What if we began to create them ourselves? What if we sold them?
“You mean like a start-up?”
We couldn’t possibly… I thought.
However the prices were steep considering it could easily be manufactured by us. It was a good idea. But it wasn't helping anyone. It didn't have lasting impact and it wasn't different.
What did women in aerospace need? Hustle signs or something bigger?