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.