May for Makers: Sharing the Process, Growing the Community

Every May, makers around the world take part in a creative challenge called May for Makers. It’s a daily prompt series on Instagram designed to help small business owners, artists, and creators connect with their audience, tell their story, and show off the behind-the-scenes work that goes into every product.

This year, I decided to join the challenge—and I want to share a little bit about why.

 

What Is May for Makers?

May for Makers is more than just a hashtag. Each day comes with a new prompt that encourages makers to post about their tools, their process, their creative journey, or the ups and downs of running a small business. It’s a fun, low-pressure way to build community and give people a peek into what it’s really like to be a maker.

 

Why I’m Doing It

At Wet Nose Woodworks, I spend a lot of time building custom wood signs, cutting boards, personalized gifts, and digital designs. Most of what you see online are polished product photos—but there’s a lot more that happens behind the scenes.

Joining May for Makers has given me the chance to:

Show the human side of my work – the sawdust, the imperfections, the late nights, and the learning curve.

Connect with new people – other makers, future customers, and people who just appreciate handmade work.

Document my journey – answering these prompts has reminded me how far I’ve come and why I love what I do.

 

Highlights So Far

Here are just a few things I’ve shared:

My most expensive “toy” is actually my workshop! Building a dedicated space for my woodworking has made a huge difference in productivity (and kept the sawdust out of the house, which my wife definitely appreciates).

I talked about how “done is better than perfect.” I used to obsess over small flaws, but I’ve come to realize that those little imperfections are part of what makes handmade products unique.

I showed a time-lapse of myself triple-checking my bins before a craft fair—because yes, I still second-guess whether I’ve packed enough or too much.

Why This Matters

Doing this challenge has helped me slow down, reflect, and have fun with my content again. It’s also helped me reach new audiences, including people who are just discovering Wet Nose Woodworks for the first time. By showing the “why” and the “how,” not just the “what,” I hope to build a deeper connection with customers who care about the story behind what they buy.

Whether you’re a fellow maker or someone who just loves handcrafted goods, I appreciate you following along. You can keep up with my daily May for Makers posts over on Instagram @wetnosewoodworks, and if you’re curious about anything I’ve shared, I’d love to chat.

Thanks for being part of the journey!