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craftivism.
Because craft + activism = craftivism.
You Are So Very Beautiful*
This week I took time back. And this morning, I officially agreed to a part-time job that will pay half my bills, leaving me time to do craftivism work, because freelancing was scattering my thoughts too much. Pitch a story on literacy, the weaving industry, online dating, and etiquette. Watch your mind unspool in a dozen directions as you watch your bank account dwindle, all while seeing the reality of not doing what you want to do. Realizing all that unspooling was not getting you towards anything, not building anything. That there was no direction, just scattered thoughts. And as I’ve been through a series of interviews, there was a period of time where this path seemed like a huge effing failure.
So I took some time. I hung out with friends, I stitched at home, I made gluten-free zucchini chocolate chip bread and my heart gushed when I took it out of the oven and held it in my own hands, I hung out with Bobbin, I drank coffee on my porch, I took time to truly taste it, sat (just sat) on my sofa, I took time to rein in my mind from months of freaking out about money to the point that most of my joy was sucked out of my life for ages. I helped the same bird who got stuck in screened-in porch twice in one day escape, taking the time to let it hop to freedom instead of feeling like I had to hurry his little heart through the process.
And I thought about the affirmations that I had to write each day as part of the 5-Minute Journal, which I heard about via a recommendation from Lisa Congdon on the While She Naps podcast. I thought about how they sustained me as I typed them, all the thoughts I was not letting sink into myself, lest I turn into someone too proud or vain or righteous or greedy. I was scared typing them would make me a different person, which meant change, which meant changing.
And lo, how they did change me! They pushed me to see I was beautiful, capable, worthy, enough, smart, and other permutations. And in homage to the work of the late artist Susan O’Malley, I envisioned a project where I stitched those sentiments I so needed to hear and then left them for others to find.
Because activism is as much about fighting the bad things in this world as it is fighting the bad things we tell ourselves. We can be better activists if we can better stand up for ourselves. We live in a world where we war with what the media tells us what is in, out, cool, passé. Every day we have to remind ourselves we are these good things. And some days we forget. And those days can drag on into weeks and months. Leaving us soul sucked and dry, a husk of what we were as children and knew we were amazing.
So it’s time to do that in the process of stitching. And it’s time to let that act of stitching go by leaving it somewhere for someone to find who needs to hear those words as much as you do, if not more. And that’s what that photo is up at the top, a prototype of the pieces I’m going to make. Craftivism is about healing ourselves as we stitch, and then healing the world with the product, so this project is about taking a microstep to help other people, to let them know that they are so very many wonderful things. And to remind ourselves that we are so many wonderful things.
xx
*You Are So Very Beautiful is what I’m calling this for right now, because I think that we, no matter what our gender orientation, can have a problem seeing this about ourselves, regarding both our inner and outer beauty. And seeing ourselves as beautiful is a radical act.
Craftivism on the road, Houston edition!
Living life as a craftivist isn’t about being crafty all the time. It’s about listening and being open to making work about the causes you want to amplify, better understand, or further talk about.
It’s about being a witness to what’s happening instead of turning away, something that we have to continually practice given that it doesn’t always come naturally. And sometimes I make work because I’m shut down about something, because I need to explore it and my feelings, and figure others do as well.
Sometimes I’m lucky enough to get to share the world of craftivism with other people, which I love to do. In my talks, I use what other people are doing with their craft as a way to help other people begin to think about how they can use their own (craft) skills as a conduit for change.
One recent weekend, I was lucky enough to speak to a group of people in Houston at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. And even luckier, I was there for the last day of the Crafting A Continuum show, which if you can’t go to see, has an amazing companion book about these pieces from the Arizona State University’s Art Museum and Ceramics Research Center’s collection.
Among the pieces in the show, I was happy to see Mark Newport’s W-Man and Two-Gun Kid (detail). All those French knots in the Two Gun Kid made me simultaneously giddy and amazed. And it was incredible to see Carol Eckert’s And A Wolf Shall Devour The Sun up close, only part of which I was able to fit in the photograph below.
I also had time to check out the fabulous Menil Collection and bookstore. I was particularly amazed by the Witnesses room, which featured pieces from around the world. The collection website explains it best, “ritual and everyday objects, primarily from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands and the Americas—which the Surrealists believed to be “witnesses†to the universality of their own visual and literary artistic practices—are exhibited with 19th-century European astrolabes, anamorphoscopes, and other devices that offer alternative ways to perceive and understand reality. Initially working with museum founder Dominique de Menil, Carpenter conceived of the permanent installation as a way to illustrate a “common intelligence†connecting the Surrealist artists to the peoples of Africa, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas.”
In short, it was amazing. And I can’t decide if I’m annoyed that no photographs were allowed or happy that that crowded room now exists as just a snapshot in my head. In case you want to learn more, someone wrote their entire thesis on it.
When I got to the bookshop I was a bit bummed to be on foot, as they had an incredible collection of books. I ended up taking photographs of the ones I wanted most. I was most enthralled with Art and Activism: Projects of John and Dominique de Menil. Also of interest were books from three shows: Crafted: Objects in Flux, The Drawing Center: Threadlines (which you can read online for free!), and Richard Prince: Protest Paintings. Have you read any of them?
When I got back, I was well chuffed to see that Virka Dygnet Runt @virkadygnetrunt posted the following photo on Instagram, because, OMG.
All in all, the trip gave me a chance to step further into craftivism for a few days, instead of just part of a few days a week. And yes, I do wish that could change to more full time, a girl can dream, can’t she? Given that I want to do more research (and would even be up for teaching) as opposed to workshops (although I love giving them, too!), it’s a bit harder to find funding opportunities.
It’s important for me to delve further into the craftivist activities of those around the world, both in the past and presently, because not everyone one has a Twitter or Facebook account. And I want to share those stories, those causes, those talents, and hope that one day an opportunity will present itself to do just that.
But for now, I relish my trips to places, the ones that let me explore, dig in, open up, and further learn about the great craftivist-related work that is being done.
Environmental Protest Songs, Speaking Out, + Creating Waves
The issue at hand is that Unilever is neither cleaning up nor compensating the people of Kodaikanal, who have been affected by its thermometer factory.
Interestingly, she used to work for Ogilvy & Mather, which counts Unilever as one of its clients. Here’s more on that and an article about the song via Indian media. The article ends with, “it ought to be a grim reminder to brands that the content that attacks them will beat the content they create, any day of the week, especially if its in an engaging, shareable format.”
You can sign the petition against Unilever here and view the original press release here.
Is it craftivism? Not so much, but it is definitely activism (and craftivism-adjacent). It will interesting to see how this plays out, if things will change. But one thing the song has done is amplified the issue, taking it to a more global discussion. Widening the scope of issues can help pile on more pressure, even pushing changes into action.
That’s the anecdotal story of what the Chilean arpilleras accomplished, by including tiny pockets filled with scrolls of information on their backs, news of what was happening under Pinochet’s regime got through to the rest of the world through missionaries returning home.
And craftivism helps amplify issues that need amplifying, whether that’s by raising an issue in your community or the world. Â In short, that’s kind of the whole point, the hidden value of which is that as you make the work yourself, you are reminded of why it’s important to talk about.
It’s not about raising the voices of those that are needy, but about raising your voice with theirs. It’s about joining in the fight, not rescuing anyone. Through amplification of situations that others are going through, we hold their hands in spirit, we raise them so that they are heard by more people, and we help them tighten into a fist with which to fight when necessary.
For more information on Unilever’s history in Kodaikanal, check out this informative article by the social activist Nityanand Jayaraman in today’s Hindustan Times and the website kodaimercury.org. (The latter of which is the link in Nityanand’s Twitter profile, @nityanandjraman.)
Digitized Craftivism
One of the coolest things about technology is that it helps us access items from all over the world. Enter the amazing power of libraries and you hit the jackpot.
As craftivism is nothing new, I love coming across old books and booklets that help people make things for others, especially those in need.
Therefore, I was especially happy to find the two books (click for PDF) in the University of Southampton’s digitized library collection, which is a literal virtual treasure trove of crafty goodness.
And it’s not just the patterns that are fascinating either, the ads within are amazing, too!
Also, if you’re a knitter, the University of Southampton also houses the Richard Rutt collection, which is quite fabulous.
From a more modern perspective, check out this amazing video by Craftspace about why craftivism is important! The video is about an event that has already happened, but some super important points are made as to why craftivism can be helpful, poignant, and healing.
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