Creating vs. Buying

Long lasting mental boost vs. short term mental high

Guest post written by Kevin Jezek

Understandably everyone has different skill sets,tools, capabilities, materials and experience therefore what you are able to get out of this article is going to be entirely based on the above factors. That being said this is in no way shape or form some kind of master guide or complete step by step instructions book. Instead I will attempt to relate to you my personal experiences both in the practical use side and the mental benefits ( my own personal conclusions here folks, nothing scientific in anyway just a lone guys personal feelings) that come from making something yourself vs buying it from the store.

In this crazy life it is often hard to find the time to make or create anything, while it seems like a mountain of challenges stand ready to block you at every turn. I remember growing up hearing people talk about Bob Vela you know the home repair guy, anyway he would fix simple things or make things. He had a beautiful shop all the fancy tools and the best materials you could buy, very unrealistic for your average person living in the city. But here we sit today and I can’t count the number of sites, channels,pages,shows there are about anything and everything you could ever think of. The internet is one tool ol Bob never had, and with it alone you can do almost anything imaginable. Regardless of your skill level every project is completely within your ability to tackle. Sites like Pinterest and YouTube offer step by step instructions and guides in both video and written form. You then have a shopping list and a list of tools you will need (most of which you can most likely borrow if you don’t have any). Once you build your first whatever it is you are either going to be looking for more and more projects or never build another thing ever.

Over the years I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who could build anything imaginable. I learned from a young age that everything is built by someone and if they can do it chances are you can to. I have made countless items over the years, mostly out of recycled materials. Items most people spend hard earned money on buying. Picture frames out of old driftwood and Shells off the beach or a walk in closet out of new construction waste wood ( actually got paid to take the wood to the dump. I brought it home instead lol) I have made outdoor planter boxes in the shape of furniture out of branches found in the woods. I was working on a truck one time and needed a special screwdriver to fit a special screw, needless to say I did not have one so I took a ball point pen apart and heated up the hard plastic end, pressed it onto the screw and let it harden back up. Worked perfectly and cost me nothing.

Each time you solve a problem this way in life is a hug mental win. I could have ordered the tool from Amazon and had it overnighted and got the job done just the same if you look at it from the cars point of view. The impact on my own mind however would have been far more different. In my head I would have been upset about the money I had to spend both on the part and extra for fast shipping, especially because chances are I will never need the tool again. I would have got a small boost from completing my project but every time after that when I see that tool it will trigger that resentment. So the difference in buying vs making is drastic if you approach it from this angle.

I find a added bonus in building things myself as opposed to buying them. They seem infinitely easier to part with. Way easier to give away as a gift or just to someone else who appreciates it. It’s almost like when I buy something in my brain I own that, no one else can have it unless they pay Me what it’s worth. Not at all how I feel about things that I have made. It’s almost like I want to give it away, I have no deep attachment or strong feeling of ownership and I place no value in the objects themselves either. This is a benefit in more than one way for my overall mental health. I have no doubt in my mind that I benefit tremendously from not having a mental connection to everything I OWN in this world. Remember we are only limited by our minds ability to find a solution to the problem. Nothing is impossible to those who are willing to do the work.

Kevin Jezek was born on September 13th 1988, in Tacoma Washington. He grew up in Federal Way, Washington where he attended Federal Way High School. He started commercial salmon fishing in the summer on my uncle’s boat in Alaska when he was 14. High school dropout (with GED). Has had held a variety of jobs, such as working with crab, salmon, cod, fishing, construction, heavy equipment operator, landfill, aircraft maintenance, plumbing, electrical, gardening and more. Kevin is an open-minded, deep thinking, loner who likes people.
“ I’m going through life looking to collect experiences not things. Your mind is either your strongest asset or your Achilles heel depending on how you use it!”