Hi Chris, I think it’s a little unfair to say that “Craft Lite” is undercutting the market for “Craft Pro”. Surely it’s from the long tail of newbies and dabblers that the next generation of superstar craftspeople will emerge? Members of the elite have a choice: they can either join this continuum and help people up the learning curve, or they can sit on the sidelines complaining that they were into knitting/blogging/folk music/whatever before everyone else.
However, I can’t help feeling that the immaturity of digital technology must also be to blame for the decline in “heavy craft”. As a schoolboy I got inky fingers composing metal type into lines of text, spaced them with actual leading, and printed them on a terrifying Heidleberg press that would have your arm off quicker than it could turn out 100 business cards. Now the end product is much more accessible, but without any of the sensuality or physicality of the production process. I hope that is only a temporary loss. The kind of rapid prototyping and participation you describe could also be about reconnecting people with the true experience of production, not masking it or replacing it with a sanitised version.
Matt

— Matt Edgar    27.07.06    #

I think the apparent decline in heavy craft is due to the fact that it’s not particularly necessary – hot metal type or weaving on a loom looks interesting, until you have to do it because there’s a demand for print or fabric but no easy mechanical way to produce it. It’s fun when it’s voluntary, like knitting videogame sprites. =) There are definitely still skilled people out there who know how to operate presses, make paper, or grow vegetables, but they’ve been doing it for decades and probably view MAKE or Craft magazine as a passing fad.

I find it less harrowing to think about this when I cut the “Academic We” out of my thoughts – “We” don’t really need to do anything, except be good at what we do and trust/hope others will do the same.

— Michal Migurski    4.08.06    #

chris,

re: large machinery – yes, there’s something about grease, heat, sound, and so on. the process is as much a part of the creation.

since i was a wee bairn, i was facinated with printing presses of all types. eh, now with color printers and print-on-demand, it’s all been reduced to the end product. no more ink, solvent, ka-chunk, and so on.

sigh.

re: large machinery 2 – uh, and where can we find these large machines nowadays for the amateur crafter? i’d love to play with a loom or a real recording studio. eh, but i’ve got no time or space or access to such things.

re: tv crafts – i find tv-alone to be impossible to learn how to do anything for a newbie. you need some sort of second media, such as print from web and web videos, to support what the person just saw.

i’ve been observing my mother (73 y.o. at the end of this year) and how she uses all these tv shows. my mom is a self-taught crafting genious – she’s an amazing cook, quilter, seamstress, designer, embroiderer, etc etc etc. she’s also addicted to tv shows that have pros come on and show how things are made.

with cooking, she hops online and downloads the recipes. with quilting, her main addiction, she might go online to learn more, but really uses the shows to inspire her. usually, she jots down a few notes, pooh-poohs the expert, and ends up mixing it with her own style, wowing her friends.

i think the tv shows and magazines have a place in the process, as a starting place from which to build upon. it is also a quick way for experts to disseminate their ideas for other experts to pick up on and transform.

what do you think?

— charlie    7.08.06    #

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