Every Tool's a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

&;An imperative how-to for creativity.&; &;Nick Offerman

Adam Savage&;star of Discovery Channel&;s Mythbusters and one of the most beloved figures in science and tech&;shares his golden rules of creativity, from finding inspiration to following through and successfully making your idea a reality.

Every Tool&;s a Hammer is a chronicle of my life as a maker. It&;s an exploration of making and of my own productive obsessions, but it&;s also a permission slip of sorts from me to you. Permission to grab hold of the things you&;re interested in, that fascinate you, and to dive deeper into them to see where they lead you.

Through stories from forty-plus years of making and molding, building and break­ing, along with the lessons I learned along the way, this book is meant to be a toolbox of problem solving, complete with a shop&;s worth of notes on the tools, techniques, and materials that I use most often. Things like: In Every Tool There Is a Hammer&;don&;t wait until everything is perfect to begin a project, and if you don&;t have the exact right tool for a task, just use whatever&;s handy; Increase Your Loose Tolerance&;making is messy and filled with screwups, but that&;s okay, as creativity is a path with twists and turns and not a straight line to be found; Use More Cooling Fluid&;it prolongs the life of blades and bits, and it prevents tool failure, but beyond that it&;s a reminder to slow down and reduce the fric­tion in your work and relationships; Screw Before You Glue&;mechanical fasteners allow you to change and modify a project while glue is forever but sometimes you just need the right glue, so I dig into which ones will do the job with the least harm and best effects.

This toolbox also includes lessons from many other incredible makers and creators, including: Jamie Hyneman, Nick Offerman, Pixar director Andrew Stanton, Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro, artist Tom Sachs, and chef Traci Des Jardins. And if everything goes well, we will hopefully save you a few mistakes (and maybe fingers) as well as help you turn your curiosities into creations.

I hope this book inspires you to build, make, invent, explore, and&;most of all&;enjoy the thrills of being a creator.