Persistence.<p>In the spring of 2009, as a senior at university, I was one of the first few people involved in the movement that became Twin Cities Maker, now a hacker&#x2F;makerspace in Minneapolis, MN.<p>Movements start small. The very first meeting was just three of us meeting in a coffee shop after one guy started by boldly registering the web domain and looking for interest.<p>This eventually grew to a consistent weekly social meeting in the back room of a coffee shop. Over time informality gave way to an official club with officers. We started collecting dues to save money for a lease while still keeping the energy by meeting <i>every</i> week at the coffee shop.<p>I moved away for work soon after graduating in the summer but initially kept in pretty close contact with the group. By January 2010, with the help of a group-merger, Hack Factory of MN dba Twin Cities Maker officially held a lease to a space in town.  Since then they&#x27;ve expanded to lease more of the building. At the Hack Factory you can tinker with electronics, 3d printing, CNC routing, milling, welding, woodworking, textiles,....<p>Even after acquiring the shop, the weekly coffee shop meet turned into a weekly open house on Wednesday evenings that still runs today.<p>Credit for this success goes to the individuals who stepped up to volunteer running this crazy enterprise. I have crazy amounts of respect for everyone who&#x27;s served as an officer or otherwise helped organize things.<p>After returning to town in 2011 I officially rejoined as a member, although I happened to loose much of my enthusiasm for social  tinkering. I was interested, but not committed, so i&#x27;d sit in on board meetings but not actually run for office. Eventually, I spent less and less time at the shop.<p>Since then I&#x27;ve always felt odd talking about my involvement in TC Maker, because other than being one of the first few people in the door, I never personally took much of a real lead role in the organization. By 2013- I was considering myself to just be the longest dues-paying member who actually participated the least.<p>I&#x27;m on another &quot;hiatus&quot; now as I moved to Helsinki, Finland last spring. I&#x27;m still on the mailing list, and I still admire the group for doing their own thing and making it work. If I&#x27;m ever back in MN and it&#x27;s still around I&#x27;ll undoubtedly be involved again at <i>some</i> level.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.tcmaker.org&#x2F;blog&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.tcmaker.org&#x2F;blog&#x2F;</a>