Craftivism and Photoshop

Betsy Greer reveals a lot about herself in Craftivist History. The history is very much a memoir of how Greer became involved with crafting and activism, eventually combining the word and “releasing it to the world”. It traces the roots of the word and its meaning to her time in New York City, how she liked her job but needed something more, she wanted to create and make a difference. According to her website she has since received a Master’s degree is Sociology from Goldsmiths College in London and has written and contributed to many books.

Although she has been credited in many circles with coining the phrase and even the idea of “craftivism” she does not position herself as so in this reading. She saw it more of something that already existed, but just needed a name. She had even heard the word used before once, but it needed to become more widespread. She simply released the word into the world. (Pg. 179) I would assume the main purpose of writing this was to clarify her intentions concerning craftivism and it’s meaning to her.

September 11^th had a major effect on her work as well. She used crafting as an outlet for activism as well as personal comfort. With the surge of activism of all sorts that naturally follows such a disaster, the craftivism community began to grow, as people wanted a way to express their beliefs in a creative unique way.

The second reading, Craft Hard Die Free by Anthea Black and Nicole Burisch, is a lot more technical than Greer’s. They do not focus on their own personal experience in the world of craftivism, but rather the community as a whole. Further research reveals that they are both based in Alberta, Canada, which makes sense of some of the examples used. Anthea Black is very active in the LGBT arts community there, while Nicole Burisch seems to be more present in academic and craft culture circles.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, they seem to want to expose their readers to the craftivism community as a whole and all of its diversity. They provide and analyze examples from a variety of artists as well the views of the artists on their craftivism. Greer’s essay was more about her experiences with craftivism, while this one is about the Craftivist community.

I must say, I had fun with the LOLcat. I actually used my own cat, Dumpling, looking sassy all dressed up for Christmas. But honestly, the most difficult part for me was having to spell the words wrong to fit the LOLcat unofficial guidelines. I have used Photoshop before, so this activity was extremely easy for me. On the flow scale of frustrating to boring, I was more towards the boring end of the continuum. I am actually working on a project for another class that is much more fitted to skill level, so I will use that as a reference point instead.

One connection I find between my scrapbooking project and Photoshop is the concept of layers. In scrapbooking you physically layer paper, photos and text to create your image, in Photoshop your layers are digital. In both cases layers can be a great tool creatively, but organizing them can get a bit frustrating. I see both activities as puzzle-like. They require thought, planning and time. You might not know what the end result will be until you get there. They’re both a creative challenge, and I enjoy both activities.

In-Class Writing Reflection- 2/28

Craftivism is a fusion of craft culture and political or social activism. The craftivist can come from either an activist or crafting background. Craftivists prove their point in society by sending their message through the peaceful medium of craft.

Like the craftifesto states, these objects do mean a lot more when you know who made it and where it came from. When I craft I detach myself, if only a little, from anonymous, mass produced consumer society. The same goes for buying handmade goods. It just feels better knowing you product was made by a person and not a machine. Once again there is a peace of mind that comes with detaching yourself from consumer culture.

My first LOLcat

My sassy mama cat, Dumpling.

Stich'nBitch and the DIY Trunk Show

Both authors work at Deakin University in Australia. They seem to spend a lot of time researching and writing about their finds, although Minihan seems to be more of a writing and Wolfram Cox does more editing. The essay "Stich'nBitch" comes from the Journal of Material Culture, a cultural studies and anthropology focused publication but not necessarily limited to those two disciplines. Because it is about material culture, artifacts and how they influence culture account for a lot of the journals content.

I think readers of this journal would be interested because DIY goes against the industrial structure that have become the standard in today's society. People are beginning to value the process that goes into their products. On top of that, Stich'nBitch is a social movement. Participants create these products while socializing, and have created their own sub-culture surrounding crafting and socializing.

I would say my approach to crafting so far has been progressive- I craft to express myself creatively. My first couple of crafting projects were focused on re-purposing items I already had, such as a headband made of braided t-shirt scraps, a bracelet made of braided necklace chains and fabric, etc. I wanted to create something unique, something I would be proud to say I had made. I also started to crochet a bit. I find that I like the act of crocheting... its calming. I am not as focused on the end goal with this project as I was with the others. I like that it takes a little more time, its something I can work on here an there to relax. I don't really know what I want it to be yet, I feel like when it's done I'll just know.

As for the Craftifesto, I really like the idea of craft being more personal. Lines like, "Anything you want—clothing, jewelry, art, music—you can probably get from a real live person here in Chicago" and "To know that something was made by hand, by someone who cares that you like it, makes that object much more enjoyable" really struck me. We really have no idea where our products come from before they make it to the store.

While I find their desire to change the world, corporate culture and consumerism inspiring, I can see it being a bit extreme to some visitors of the craft show. Corporate culture and consumerism is very much a part of our culture. I suppose the word "rethink" could have variety of meanings, depending on the consumer.

I would love to support local crafters as much as possible. As I mentioned before, I like the idea of knowing where my products come from. If I was a crafter I would love to embrace the social aspect of the crafting community of small businesses and artisans working together.

Buzek and Stevens

BUZEK

My understanding is that art and craft started off as distinctly separate practices with separate skills sets. Craft required a skills set more focused on technique, while the skills of an artist were more focused on concepts. This separation was actually seen positively, each group was proud of their skills set. The paragraph on the top of page 3 explains this.

Throughout the 20th century, through the modern and postmodern eras, the worlds of art and craft began to interact more. The work produced required both conceptual and technical skills. This merge in its simplest form can be seen in the name changes of many museums, such as the Kentucky Foundation of Arts and Crafts to the Kentucky Museum of Art and Design (Buzek 8).

At the same time, craft maintains a distinct identity from art despite the more artistic elements. Works such as Afro Abe II use traditional craft mediums and techniques in a fresh, creative way- in this case the skill of sewing and the medium of thread are used to transform a five dollar bill. Had this been done with a different medium, such as a marker or a pen, this would be seen as art.

STEVENS

Stevens also believes that craft is more technique based and art is more concept based. He even compares craft to "blue collar" work. He sees a convergence of arts and crafts as well. As suggested by the title though, his main focus is on validity.

He does a lot of comparisons between generations, mainly the Baby Boomers and Generation X. A great point he makes is that the older generations have control over the institutions that influence the art world the most- the museums, the universities and the art journals. They are thought to have the most knowledge and prestige, and therefore have the voice that speaks the loudest.

With the rise of the internet and blogging though, a lot of that power is shifted to the younger generation. They can now have a voice via self publishing. This sub-culture no longer needs the validation of the mainstream art world, they can live, work and thrive in their own circles.

Jackson and Terkel

Jackson's "Men Who Make" focuses on DIY as more of a leisure activity, the activities we choose to do in our free time. This free time is available as a result of a variety of changes in society including the shortening of the workweek to 40 hours and a rise in home ownership as opposed to renting. There are a couple of ideas that stick out to me in the reading. First is the idea of the Pro-Am (Pg. 264), a person who pursues a certain hobby and strives to maintain professional level standards. This brings up distinctions between active vs. passive and serious vs. casual leisure. Another idea I found important was “flow” (pg. 267), which occurs when “the participant is challenged but not overwhelmed by the activity” or more simply put “somewhere between anxiety and boredom.” The last idea that sticks out to me in this reading is that DIY or the “handyman” persona became an emblem of masculinity in a way similar to sports. So what does this say about the reading? It seems to be geared towards men. Recently, “crafts” have been given a more artsy feminine connotation- Jackson writes to remind us of that.

Terkel, on the other hand, focuses his writing on what people do for a living and how it can be seen as craft. He uses examples like the dentist who goes to the theater and asks the actress backstage who does her dental work or the retired executive who remains on their company’s board of directors. These people possess skill level and passion very similar to that described in “Men Who Make.” From this I developed a secondary meaning to what “craft” is.

The first of the previous readings that comes to mind in relations to these readings is the one about Slojd. The idea of practical slojd where the importance is attached to the work itself would fit very well with the ideas presented in both Terkel and Jackson about pride in one’s work, whether it be their occupation or their leisure activities. Another great connection is found in the Morris reading. The idea that art is man’s expression of his joy in labor could very well explain why people seek out hobbies- those who don’t make their living doing what they love seek out hobbies to make up for it.

I guess I am still trying to process all of this information in a way that relates to my life. I took this class because I would like to seek out DIY and crafting as a hobby, but I am realizing my work could very well be my craft. As we move on in the semester I hope to learn more about how technology has impacted craft, but also ways craft is an escape from technology.

Salomon and Sennett Nots

Salomon:
-Slojd- word with no English equivalent. It implies skill in work rather than craft as a productive activity.
- educational slojd- importance attached to the worker
- practical slojd- importance attached to the work itself
- whatever is educationally right but be practical and vice versa
- slojder for the most part works under the most primitive conditions
- wood carving is a "finer" form of manual work
-it is hurtful to the pupil for the teacher to touch their work... the pupil must learn by doing things themselves and problem solving
- keeping things in order is important... assigned seating, certain spots for tools (which must be kept in very good condition)
- teacher must not teach standing still in one place
- hand raising to get the teachers attention or other signal
- class work stays at school until the end of the school year or course duration, but after that it is the property of the maker
- sale of work for the benefit of the school should never be thought of

Sennett
- pragmatism wave 1: addressed the condition of Animal laborens
- to work well people need freedom from means-ends relationships
- the craft of making physical things provides insight into the techniques of experience that can shape our dealings with others
- pride in one's work lies in the heart of craftsmanship

Marx and Morris Notes

Marx:
-machines/industry exploit labor-power
-difference between tool and machine... machine replaces manpower (or animal power). Both machines and poeple use tools but machines are able to use the tools in ways humans cannot by combining tools and machine motor, etc.

Morris:
-Intellectual art vs. decorative art
-intellectual feeds the mind
-decorative also appeals to the mind, but that purpose is secondary to aesthetic beauty
-There have been nations and periods that lacked purely intellectual art, but none that lacked some sort of decorative art
-believes that decorative art has been declining in quality... civilizations carelessness to blame? --> building of suburbs/urban sprawl
-Intellectual art insists on individualism, forbids co-operation
- Art is man's expression of his joy in labor... art-lacking labor is unhappy labor, unhappy labor leads to unhappy life
-growth of commerce lead to the decline of craft
-believes competitive commerce is a waste. Waste of creativity?!?
-"Art is long and life is short; let us at least do something before we die."

English 240- Looking at HTML

We're looking under the hood today. Wow, that's exciting. Really.

I can't believe how thrilling it is. Here's what's great about it:

• tags look like carrots,


• internet nerd jokes make to much more sense now,


• and staring at html code is how I'd like to spend my Friday nights.

Click here to see the video again!

Craft Reflection

So far the crafting I have done for this class was in smaller chunks of time, 15 minutes here and there. I am still settling into my school/internship/work schedule for the semester so I feel like I am doing everything at the wrong time. Ideally, I would like to give myself a set time during the week to craft for an extended period of time.

I've noticed I feel more relaxed and focused when I am crafting, although I do get a bit frustrated when my ideas don't translate through whatever medium I am working with as well as I had imagine. With more practice and more time I'm sure this will become less of an issue.

I liked that I had free range on what sort of craft to do this week. I have recently gotten into Pinterest, which is a great place for inspiration- although sometimes it sucks you in and you pin more crafts, recipes and outfits than you know what to do with! this week I tried to work with materials I already have. I attempted to make a wall decoration of sorts using a shoe box and feathers, which unfortunately wont be going on my wall. I also am playing around with repurposing clothes I don't wear anymore. I've been cutting up fabric, braiding it and seeing where that goes. So far I have a very comfortable double wrap around headband.