Starting with Creativity

[seryn]

I noticed that there were not a lot of active groups for crafty hobbies here on Dreamwidth. Then I realized I couldn't tell where I should post about my hand-dyed, hand-spun, hand-knitted scarf, because all three of those things are different groups.

There needed to be a place where people could discuss what ideas for projects they have and get support or praise or even critique (though if you're wanting an honest evaluation, that should be specified).

Then I noticed that many of the yarn and fabric groups kept assuming only certain kinds of people were crafters. Maybe we should think of ourselves as "artisans" because the expectations are more varied? When I think of crafting, I think of making useful and practical things. Or perhaps only theoretically practical, like making macrame plant hangers! But what about the people who re-cane or reupholster chairs? What about the blacksmiths who make those wrought iron gates? What about the woodworker?

Have you built a dollhouse or a model ship? Could you make finger puppets? Do your friends and family get tired of looking at your quilt pictures because they don't sew and can't see the differences between projects? If you could make a crochet hook or use one, show us what you've done. If you've beaded a knitted shawl, we'd love to see that. Or the beads you made or the shawl you knit.

I come from the yarn side of creativity, but I don't believe everyone needs to love doing what I do in order to appreciate the creativity therein.

Comments

[weaverbird]

Great idea for a comm! I'm looking forward to see what's posted.

"Maybe we should think of ourselves as "artisans" because the expectations are more varied?"

Yes, this!

IMO, crafter is a loaded word; all too often it's used in a dismissive or derogatory way that devalues the objects created. Artisan, on the other hand sounds to me like a term of respect. YMMV, of course, but that's my two cents' worth. *g*

[seryn]

I liked "artisan" better because I think about artisan bread, which no one assumes is made by women.

I can tell you where I got the idea: One of my friends was shopping for a spinning wheel and was told to come back when his wife was ready to try them. He's the spinner! One of the (tiny) shops selling wheels online touts their eco-friendly feminine hygiene products first. It seemed like a self-fulfilling idea. There aren't a lot of male spinners because of the discrimination which exists because there aren't a lot of male spinners.

Obviously that's not the only kind of discrimination out there, but that's the kind I've personally seen and I can extrapolate that most people feel bad when they're excluded.

Also even the biggest of the various craft communities don't have 5 posts per week, so the specificity in the groups isn't necessary.

It was great that you left a comment for the first (real) poster! Thanks for that.

[weaverbird]

Heh. You're right, of course; the negative freight has a lot to do with gender. A conscious effort to get around that is an excellent notion!

We're having an interesting discussion in the other post. Here's to more like it. *g*

ETA: forgot to say - I *love* your teasel icon!