craftivism.

Because craft + activism = craftivism.

Embracing Joyful Activism & an Instagram Craftivism Round Up

| Betsy

I haven’t been around lately because I have been scared. Like stupid scared. Why, you ask?

Because I’ll have to admit something. That when I started making YASVB signs, I thought I was failing. So I was having a super hard time talking about them because I thought it meant abandoning craftivism entirely. But then I remembered that there is no rule book for craftivism (outside of the fact it should fall inside of those tenets and be handmade and make the world better) and that’s why I created it to be the amorphous blob that is. So it can evolve and change so it can involve all interested parties. But I forgot that along the way.

What that means now is sharing the work of other people as it changes and evolves. Such as doing Instagram round ups like this one.

 

I was scared to go in a new direction because I was scared people would tell me it’s not craftivism because it’s not about a cause. I was scared to be told I was a bad craftivist. I was scared to embrace what made me feel good. Really truly amazing. 

Because this work is about fighting the negative spaces inside you. It’s about being strong so you can show up and fight. It’s about being healthy enough to make the right choices so you can make the world better. It’s about believing you are a being of joy and compassion first and foremost.

That, to me, is craftivism. Creative self care. I was holding my breath all the time and not exhaling in fear of my next step. Scared to step into the beautification tenet of craftivism because it seemed like perhaps it wasn’t good enough. But, what can be better than embracing the fullness of our selves and letting ourselves make from a place of full-on ecstatic joy? 

 

Getting there . . . . #craftivism #hb2 #xstitch #wearenotthis #crossstitchersofinstagram #wip #intersectionalfeminism

A photo posted by A. Wiseass (@fakegeekgrrrl) on

 

So for awhile I thought I should just check out and come up with some new portmanteau which was actually really sad and confusing. I struggled to write about craftivism because the project wasn’t craftivism in my head- my brain went in circles trying to find a resolution. And it made me tired and cranky and miserable. And really sad to write posts here and my newsletter (which was randomly sent) because I felt so separate from it. And since I finished my anti-graffiti project years ago I’ve felt this way, but also I just didn’t know what else to do. So I limped along. And was pretty sad.

 

I could go in a totally different direction, but where when I fundamentally agree that craft can be life changing? And how do I spread that word sustainably and maybe even (GASP!) make some money, something I vowed not to do when I started? Then I thought long and hard about the essence of the work. And realized they’re beautification. They’re making the world brighter through craft. They’re making you brighter through craft. They’re making the finder better through craft.

 

I’m ready for the protest tomorrow. #craftivism #craftivismo #embroidery #nãovaitergolpe #brazil #renunciatemer

A photo posted by Clara Beauty (@clarabeauty) on

 

So I realized there is such a thing as joyful activism. And that that can be craftivism too.

 

I wondered how would people react. And just kept making these signs. And collecting them from people all over the world. The people who made them told me how the process of making them made them feel better. About the 12th time I heard that it truly hit me that we were causing change by making these little signs. By listening to ourselves and stitching the words we truly needed to hear. Or say. Or share. 

 

 

And unlike in 2003 when it really was just me, now there are craftivists doing all sorts of work all over the world. We are Team Craftivism. And we are strong. 

And we can be joyful, too. Here’s to joyful making. And changing. And embracing our fears. 

(Also, here is Textile Center interview with Chi Nguyen about 5.4 Million And Counting.) 

 

C’mon, North Carolina, we’re better than this.

| Betsy

pee near me

 

While I love that my home state has both the beach and the mountains, I don’t love that currently we’re the butt of every joke in the country given the passage of HB2. It’s embarrassing. And makes us look like the hayseeds some people think we already are in the South.

So I made a little something that I’m going to share. Because I am a trans ally. And I want anyone that is trans to know I support them. And they can pee near me.

There are enough problems in the trans community to worry about (high suicide rates for one) that having to add peeing to the list is infuriating. So I thought I’d make a little something that says not everyone agrees with the law. Because we support your life, your wellbeing, and your light. We need your light to continue to shine, too, because you are braver than most, and we need all the brave people we can get.

Who’s not brave? The governor. And this is all the more frustrating because chances are high Governor McCrory is just doing this to get the vote. He’s making people feel less than human to get re-elected.

He’s getting his Christian friends to say transgender individuals shouldn’t use the bathroom of the sex they identify with and making it a religion thing. Meaning if a transgender man comes into the women’s bathroom, he is risking being treated badly, with no due recourse, even though he’s upholding the law. Low blow. And the governor and his pals are like, “Yes, this is the way forward. This is the way we should be.”

But how can it be the way forward if it is a decision based on fear? And, as Austin Fonville rightly points out in this video, there is no actual precedent for it?

Fear brings hate. Fear breeds fear. Fear cancels out kindness. Fear gives people reason to hurt other people because it puts people into fight or flight mode. You get scared, your amygdala goes haywire, and you do something stupid. (Or something selfish in case of the governor.)

The Boss and a Beatle cancel concerts; companies everywhere don’t want to do business within your borders; and the state loses money. All because one jackhole wants the vote. And whips the Christian right up in such a fury that they don’t even see how un-Christian the intolerance is. Fear is not the way forward.

But speaking out about it is. Saying you don’t support HB2 helps make transgender individuals feel safe and wanted. (And before you say, “I don’t know anyone transgender,” are you sure? Because I’m willing to bet you’re not really all that sure.) Embracing individual choices is one step closer to stopping the madness. Making sure people know where you stand means letting someone trans know that you don’t agree with the law.

My North Carolina is a free North Carolina. One that accepts and welcomes and loves people for who they are. Yes, #wearenotthis, but we are also more than fear.

So if you need to, you can pee near me.

This Is About Acceptance

| Betsy

Months ago, I had a crazy little idea to make affirmation signs. Because there were things that I needed to hear. Because there were things I wanted to tell other people but also chickened out on. Because I want everyone to feel worthy, even though I know that society often tells us we are less than.

You can read a rundown of how things went in Baltimore over at Uncustomary, Mary did a fantastic job both helping me with this project and writing about it! You can see more photos over at Instagram at #yasvb.

Here are just a few photos that came from February 7th, and they all show that we all need to hear these things, say these things, share these things. Time and time again, when people finished making these lil’ signs, they would write or say things like, “I really enjoyed making these!” or “That felt really good!” And they’re right, it just feels good down to your bones when you make something that reminds you of how awesome you really are.

So, this project is about acceptance. Acceptance of who you are, of how you feel about yourself. Or about saying the things you want someone else to hear and accept, but they’re just not ready. It’s about saying what you really want to say, and then sitting with the poignancy of the moment, whether that’s in the making or in the giving away.

Personally, it took years for me to destroy the negative tape loop in my head, the one that tried to size me up next to people in magazine ads and on TV. And doing projects like this? It helps combat that negative loop by feeding it positive thoughts, the ones that should have been with us the one darn time. (Like it says in the “two wolves” legend.)

Since putting the signs up, we’ve heard from a few people who found them… who told us that they were going to put the signs back out for someone else to find, which is kind of the best. And the loveliest.

Thanks to interest from people in other places, I already have dates on the calendar for Atlanta, GA and Cary, NC, and I heard word there’s going to be a drop in Melbourne, Australia too! Therefore, we’re (okay, I’m) still collecting signs, so if you’d like to send them, please go here and follow the teeny-tiny instruction list.

And remember, you, yes you, are so very beautiful.

Want to join in the fun? Go here. Comment. Get our your stitching. Or your paints. Or your oyster shells (yes!). Or your balloons. Because you deserve that time for yourself, that moment of kindness that you need to let come.

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You Are So Very Beautiful is TWO WEEKS away!

| Betsy

You Are So Very Beautiful commences TWO WEEKS from today!

A photo posted by Betsy Greer (@craftivista) on

I’m super stoked to be working with Mary on this, and for there to be coordinating drops in both London and Vancouver on the same day we have our event in Baltimore! To learn more about getting involved, have a look over here!

People have also been kind enough to write posts about it on Mr. X Stitch, Katherine Diuguid, Kurbits, Crafting A Green World,  Monica Miller and Catherine West from Significant Seams also wrote posts here and here, respectively, and are the ones coordinating drops in Vancouver and London, yeah!

This project has reminded me of how important it is to bring joy into what you’re doing, and how sometimes all it takes to switch a bad mood to a good one is some peppy music. (For the past month, I’ve been listening to the 50 Most Blogged (Indie!) Songs over at Google Music as it changes each week!)

For a long time I thought that to create also meant you had to suffer. (I read a lot of stuff by the Beats in college, coincidence?) It took *this very project* to realize how much better it feels to create from a place of joy than a place of sadness or angst or lack. Although I’ve crafting and making for years, it wasn’t until I sat down and literally stitched dozens of affirmations onto cloth that I began to realize how that kind of making resonates on a higher level, a different plane. And it feels good.

I’ve written more about it in my weekly newsletter, that just came off a hiatus. You can sign up for it in the top righthand corner of my blog; I hope to see you there!