Audio:Destination DIY

Cheaper than therapy and harkening to a time when crafts were as much a part of our daily rhythms as recess and naps, recent years have seen the do-it-yourself (DIY) zeitgeist reach epidemic proportions among the hipster masses. But beyond the growing glut of ironic embroidery and Etsyholics, DIY culture has also engendered a new respect for creativity that goes beyond the boundaries of mainstream commerce. You won't find this kind of inventiveness at Target; you may not be able to buy it anywhere. 

Enter the host of Destination DIY, Julie Sabatier, whose radio show and podcast focuses on revolutionary do-it-yourself projects. "My motivation is to be a person who creates things rather than consumes things all the time," says Sabatier, "[Destination DIY] is my project, my thing that I put out in the world."

Originating out of KBOO Community Radio, the show began in 2006 as a half hour segment, eventually evolving into an independent podcast distributed via Public Radio Exchange. In August 2010, Destination DIY launched a one hour format, broadcasting via Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Blending recorded field sound, in-studio interviews, personal narratives and local music, Destination DIY aims to, "take listeners on a journey and bring them back inspired." As the show and it's reach have grown, so has Destination DIY's topical terrain. "Basically, I like to say it's do-it-yourself projects that take the DIY ethic beyond what you might typically think of," says Sabatier, including home funerals, keeping chickens in your backyard or representing yourself in court. Even a career can have DIY elements, as Sabatier notes in her own case. "Journalism has become my profession as I've been working on [Destination DIY]," says Sabatier. "As I've developed my career sort of alongside the show, the show has been a place to retain the freedom to explore my own ideas." 

For more on Sabatier and her work with Destination DIY, check out her Face of Media interview.

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