Meet Sean Mills of Maker Space Buzz in Midtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Mills.

Sean, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My first job in Atlanta was writing for CBS. The stories were “Best of” lists for art, artists, and galleries. My background as a designer had not prepared me for anything close to journalism so I enrolled in BURNAWAY’s first class of, “Emerging Art Writers.”

During that time I developed the concept for, “Double Primer” the premise was: I would interview someone who makes things and then let them pick the topic for a second conversation.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Some of the growth of this project has been pretty unexpected. What I first envisioned as a blog became the pilot project for a radio show. The station had received their license but couldn’t secure funding, so I turned the radio show into a podcast. The podcast evolved from the original two part gimmick and even took on a temporary co-host in Tanju Bayramoglu the co-founder of The Maker Station in Marietta. The name, “Makerspace Buzz” is a reflection of the latest trend, that “makers’ are people who go places and make things regardless of titles.

Tell us more about your work.
Makerspace Buzz is a conversation with someone passionate about their work and passionate about making. I like to know about how people make things and why they do things the way they do. The goal is that we can share stories as examples and camaraderie for people in the maker culture.

While interviewing illustrator Yoshitoshi ABe during Anime Weekend Atlanta he thanked me for giving him a chance to share his thoughts about art with the American audience, rather than just signing autographs. This moment made it click for me that even if I don’t rate my work, others might get something out of it.

Recently, I had a similar experience while talking with Ratna Sherrer of “Bytribal.” She founded an artisan marketplace that caters exclusively to Native made good, something like “ebay” for indigenous peoples. So despite actively searching out makers my whole life, I am still discovering entire worlds of creating I have yet to understand and explore.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I had the great luck to work on a documentary about the flash urbanization of Beijing with Kevin Deluca while filming I had the opportunity to practice all the parts of the process. He also gave me great advice when I was getting into the industry: “write about sports because it is a rabid readership that will give new authors a chance.”

Conversely, I started writing as newspapers were disappearing and the media landscape became very chaotic. Multiple online publications I have written for have been bought out, discontinued, or even purged of content. During one episode, I was offered a new position ghostwriting for a talking head on cable. While this was tempting I would have no choice in the topics and no byline. This was the moment I finally decided to self-publish.

A recent gold mine for meeting new people has been volunteering with Makerfaire Atlanta. The staff of the South East Makers Alliance has once again exposed me to new communities and reinvigorated my passion for making.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://makerspace.buzz/
• Email: makerspacebuzz@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makerspacebuzz/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/seanmillsmedia

Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.