Making is the process of turning ideas and raw materials into a finished product. It’s a critical step for companies to ensure their products will function properly, look great and feel good in use. This requires a lot of time, patience and attention to detail. Choosing the right materials for your product is key. A material’s mechanical and chemical properties are important to consider. Things like tensile strength, elongation, split tear strength, compression set, accelerated aging, and temperature resistance all affect the quality of a product.

Creating something by hand is an emotionally gratifying experience. Studies have shown that crafting (whether it’s drawing, knitting or even building a treehouse) stimulates the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. These chemicals are responsible for boosting self-esteem, improving mood and providing a form of stress relief. Crafting also helps improve fine and gross motor skills, as well as cognitive abilities.

When it comes to making food, home and beauty products, the idea is that it will be healthier, tastier and cheaper than store bought alternatives. This is especially true in our current economic climate, where grocery prices are on the rise and many families are struggling to make ends meet. But there’s still a big market out there for people who want to create their own DIY versions of their favorite products.

The Instructables community is a great example of this. With so many people eager to learn how to do it themselves, there’s a vast number of tutorials online for everything from homemade ice cream and ketchup to ricotta cheese and bread. Some of these recipes are simple, some more complex, but they all offer the opportunity to save money and enjoy a healthy meal.

While cooking-from-scratch can be time consuming, it’s an excellent way to eat well while staying on a budget. For instance, hummus can be made with affordable ingredients like chickpeas, olive oil and tahini. Or how about baking a chocolate cake from scratch? It might take a little longer than picking up one from a bakery, but you’ll get to customize your cake with whichever frosting and toppings you choose.

If you’re looking for a fun and easy-to-do creative activity, try starting your week on a creative note by creating something new each Monday. You could try using a different art technique each week, or sketching what’s on your mind. If you’d like to keep it fun, make a hashtag for your creations and challenge yourself to share them with the #makermonday community on Instagram. You could also practice a new skill each month, such as shading or perspective, or sketch a daily mood portrait. You can even try a challenge like Drawing Every Day, where you draw an object from your surroundings each day to help improve your natural memory. This type of practice taps into different modalities of memory and can help your brain remember information 3 times more effectively than just reading it.