Craftivism - Betsy Greer

For my essay I decided to contact Betsy Greer, who coined the word craftivism. Craft + activism = craftivism. Ithought this would be good practice for my dissertation as I would like to continue to research into craftivism and contact craftivists near and far.


My email:


Hi Betsy,

I was wondering if you could help me. 

I'm currently writing an essay on craftivism and would like to know if you could answer these questions......

To what extent could craftivism be thought of as a symbolic to patriarchal capitalism?

What examples of your own work, reflect this?

I really hope to hear from you soon,

Thanks

Laura x

Betsy's reply:


Laura, 

Thanks so much for contacting me! I'm always so flattered when people want to ask little ole me questions on this sort of thing! :) Sorry it has taken me awhile to get back to you, sometimes I can be a pretty pokey email responder. 

Erm... Patriarchal capitalism. I haven't been asked a question on that in awhile, pardon me, while my rusty ol' brain starts to think... 

Nothing is ever black and white. Nothing. So, that being said, I'm of two minds about craftivism's relationship to patriarchal capitalism: 

1. It helps fuel it. But only if we waste what craft supplies we have or buy them from unethical sources (and I'm not saying everything I have is totally ethical, it's just the nature of the beast as I've accumulated so many supplies over the years!). On one hand, it can *definitely* be a cog in the machine, helping it run just as steady as every other business/hobby/endeavor out there. 

2. It helps fight it.... but I tend to see it outside of that frame of reference. Capitalism to me is stripped bare of emotions, whether it's patriarchal or not. It's money plain and simple, no frills. Craft (and craftivism), however, ARE pure emotion. They're opposite sides of the coin. In many ways, handcraft steps outside the circle of capitalism traditionally as it was a way of providing basic needs, not a way of furthering your bank account. (Although, yes, there have always been people willing to pay others to make these items for them, but not on such a large scale?) It offers up the softer side of society and allows us to look beyond big machines as it connects souls to souls and reconnect us to our own bodies. Maybe it's due to the extreme reverence I have for craft, but as far as craftivism (which generally isn't based on selling items, but on making them to express your point of view, feelings, concerns, etc.) goes, it's a benevolent force that encourages us to step away from materialist constructs and find our way through life outside of them. Not that we'll ever truly escape capitalism, but by seeing things from a more expressive, personal, craftier point of view, we can start seeing (and seeking) alternatives to the ways in which we live our lives. It can make us more aware of our surroundings, ourselves, our communities... and in doing so, helps flip the balance a teensy bit more away from money stripped bare and naked, and more towards a kinder, gentler, more thoughtful way of life. 

But all of that may not help you in this particular context at all, and just out me as the softie hippie that I secretly am! :) 

In my own work, the closest thing in it that deals with patriarchal capitalism, deals with war. The anti-war cross-stitch http://craftivism.com/xstitch.html focuses on what the people want, vs want the machine wants. It highlights the voice of the street, the market, the living room, instead of the ones on TV, in the spotlight, ordering the battle. 

Hopefully this helps a little bit, sorry if it's not what you're looking for. If you have any other questions, I'll be more than glad to answer them, the quickest way to get a response from me is to tell me when you need the answers by. As long as I have at least a week lead time, they should get answered? I would love to see your essay on craftivism, whether it's in progress or when it's done, I love it when students share their work with me!! 

Best,

Betsy