Comments on: crafty buggers: the great craft debate

By: Joy (Spool)

Joy (Spool) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:21:03 +0000

Live and let live

By: Jafabrit

Jafabrit — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:44:34 +0000

ps. forgot to mention I enjoyed reading your blog and everyone’s comments. Always good to read differing viewpoints and ideas.

By: Jafabrit

Jafabrit — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:44:02 +0000

I am not a crafter per se, but I have done crafts since I was little (too many moons to count now) and have recently ventured into incorporating elements into my art. It is interesting to read the discussion about quality, elitism, not much different than in the art world. I am glad to be at an age (and I got into the art game late in life) where I really don’t care or subscribe to the should’s and other people’s standards. Thank goodness too or I wouldn’t have done half of what I do. I have a passion for creating and hope others enjoy it, will perhaps buy my work, but in the end some will claim it isn’t skilled enough and others will think it brilliant. All very subjective.

By: lizzie

lizzie — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:03:26 +0000

Hmm, nice ‘ol can of worms… I adore seeing crafts that aren’t perfect. I love that it allows you to see the person behind it. I would rather have an imperfect handcrafted product than a perfect mass produced one.

By: Jo

Jo — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:27:24 +0000

I personally don’t see what the fuss is about. Pene did say there is room in craft for everyone. When you start selling your craft for money then yes, it makes sense to ask “is my stuff up to a suitable standard?” That is true for any industry you find yourself in.

By: ototo

ototo — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:41:58 +0000

I don’t think it’s really a debate about who should be “allowed” to sell their handicrafts. Does anyone care what your background or training is as long as you’re offering a well-made and attractive item? (Exposure through the internet can level the playing field for new designers and artisans.) It’s really quality and workmanship that we’re talking about here. I’m always surprised at the number of crafters out there that are under the impression that “hand-made” alone adds value to an item. I firmly believe that whether an object is produced by hand or mass-produced it should be durable, well-made, and attractive. Functionality is something people determine individually so I won’t comment on that except to say that if an object has a designated function, it should do it well, not simply adequately. Furthermore, I consider the over-production of ugly/useless/poorly constructed crafts a sadly wasteful endeavour. The waste of materials, energy, and time to produce and then ship these products is out of touch with the new eco-consciousness. All that said, I don’t discourage anyone from crafting for pleasure, it truly can be a joy. I’m really just in support of a higher standard of quality and aesthetics in the marketplace especially.

By: Kakariki

Kakariki — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:50:39 +0000

Fantastic to see this debate continuing. Who’d a thought corporate press could generate such an interesting debate ;)

I think one thing that needs to be considered is that some people like handmade stuff for reasons other than quality. Some people like craft for its interestingness or for its imaginative use of materials. Sometimes the creation processes involved to make stuff that’s interesting or uses weird materials means you just simply can’t do it for years and get good at it or it loses the appeal.

Personally my benchmark is something good enough quality for me to use or wear. I don’t aim for perfection, I’ve had enough of society trying to tell me to be perfect. And I also have extreme attention issues so I tend to only make half a dozen versions of any one thing. Usually less. And I sell stuff too but this is because my customers value my ideas not my skills (thank god). My customers know that when they buy one of my one-eyed trouser snake door snakes it probably isn’t top quality work, but it does what it says it does and most importantly it’s a genuinely interesting thing to take into their home. And they can be pretty certain that they’ll never see anther one since I only made four.

But this is what excites me about craft. I CAN make the weirdest shit and sell it at markets or give it to my friends and I CAN spend months working on high quality pieces for gallery display and I CAN do political craft action out in my community and leave it there for everyone to enjoy. And I do and it’s fun and there’s a fantastic community around me doing the same thing. And I don’t necessarily like the things other people make but I fully honour their amazing skillz and will always defend their right to make whatever they want. And most importantly I honour the generations of crafters and activists that have gone before me that have worked tirelessly to create the freedoms in the world we now enjoy.

xox

By: shelle

shelle — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:45:53 +0000

I think this is a funny debate. What is the definition of “crap”? Is is something you don’t think esthetically pleasing, is it poor workmanship, is it something made by someone you don’t deem worthy of selling their work?
Historically crafts were done in the home by those not educated in art to supplement their income, British sock knitters, Swedish Bohus sweaters, or because it was useful to their home like the quilters from Gee’s Bend. I only craft for myself and my family and choose not to sell because I would prefer to teach people the crafting skills I have so they can feel the pride in making. I do not feel threatened by the abundance of crafty people, I also do not think it is fair to say home/hobby crafters create so-so product.

By: laura

laura — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:39:12 +0000

Perhaps the abundance of “crap craft” is a symptom of generations of people gradually forgetting how or not needing to craft. I hope modern society can make a broad scale return to craft over industry, and as we mature as a community of crafters maybe the level of quality will continue to mature as well.

In the meantime, I agree that the market will sort itself out, and quality workmanship will be rewarded.

By: floresita

floresita — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:50:19 +0000

I agree with a lot of the points Pene raises – I think it’s important for people who turn their craft into a business to maintain a standard of quality and pride in their work. They should also think long and hard if selling is what gives them the most joy in crafting – because there’s nothing wrong with making things for your home or your loved ones and friends.

My biggest pet peeve when it comes to the “copycat” issue is when crafters make VERY basic crafts (which are such simple concepts they’ve been done 1000 times before), photograph them, blog them, put them in public places, and react in incredible shock and horror when they are “copied.” Granted, there are cases when complex, artful works are copied shamelessly – I’m just irritated when crafters create very basic things and feel they “own” that idea just because they blogged it.

I’ve actually witnessed people up in arms because they felt they had patented the idea of a stuffed, embroidered shape!

I think crafters and artists should strive for new ideas and items that are complex enough to own as their own….

Sorry to be long-winded, just my thoughts! :)