A Physical Therapist, Pastry Chef, and Fiber Artist Walk Into a Makerspace… Making Space to Become
Maker Faire Bay Area 2026
September 25th-27th
What happens when we stop asking people 'what do you want to be when you grow up?' and start making space for who they might become?
While navigating a non traditional career path through physical therapy, running a bakery, and exploring fiber arts, this talk explores the makerspace as more than a place to learn tools and technical skills. It can also be a space for curiosity, experimentation, identity, and belonging.
Through stories and hands-on examples, we’ll explore how “AND thinking”—connecting seemingly unrelated interests, experiences, and ideas—can spark ideation and create new possibilities. Participants will consider how customization, creative freedom, failure, and both high- and low-tech making can give learners permission to bring more of themselves into what they create.
Because when we make space for people to explore, connect, and play, we’re not just helping them make things. We’re making space for them to become.
Schedule
Rachel Okazaki
Rachel Okazaki is a physical therapist, maker, fiber artist, and creative facilitator whose work thrives at the intersection of accessibility, creativity, education, technology, and play. As a pediatric physical therapist for ATypical Physical Therapy & Wellness and Makerspace Coordinator at the Krause Center for Innovation, Rachel uses design thinking, prototyping, customization, and hands-on making to create inclusive experiences and expand what is possible for learners of all abilities. Her creative practice is just as varied—from eight years running her “bakerspace,” The Hangry Moose, to ceramics, sashiko, and visible mending. Across these mediums, she explores making as a practice of curiosity, experimentation, repair, mindfulness, and play. Whether adapting equipment, stitching fabric, baking, working with clay, or supporting others in a makerspace, Rachel is fascinated by what happens when seemingly unrelated ideas collide—and by creating spaces where people have permission to experiment, fail, play, create, and become.
