“Most people have a relationship with craft, even if they don’t at first realise it”
” I took advantage of this and used craft as my voice, my way to reach out and form relationships. Reaching out to those around us builds community; making ourselves approachable and open to new things allows friendships to develop”
“I believe the simple act of making something, anything with your hands is a quiet political ripple in a world dominated by mass production”
Faythe Levine, an independent researcher, artist and curator, in her essay Craft: Embracing Empowerment and Equality in the book Craftivism by Betsy Greer
Ive found this essay really inspiring, Ive been trying to brainstorm ideas for my SIPS project based on my values and my skills timeline I outlined previously. The way Faythe spoke about her experience of the punk community made me think about how important the cosplay community was to me growing up. Personally, it was a way to express myself and meet people who shared the same interests as me, use costume and craft to form connections and participate in LGBT culture. My best friends found opportunities to explore their gender and find other young trans people. These connections made us who we are and It could be an amazing project to explore people’s experiences of cosplay, fandom and dressing up.
On another hand, a more down to earth practical SIPS project idea could be around political activism. I really want to use this project to support causes I care about ; trans rights and sustainability in our everyday lives are at the top of my mind, especially in the current political climate following the recent attack on trans access to medical care in the UK and the US election results.
I got this UAL; SHOP tote bag in my first year. It was the perfect size for class but had this ugly logo so since then I’ve been covering it in screen prints, hand drawn patches, pins, charms, embroidery etc. I get a lot of compliments and its a great conversation starter. It makes me think about if i could make and distribute my own patches?
Patches and battle jackets are an iconic part of punk culture, and creating political patches is nothing new but educating people about the messages on the patches, teaching DIY skills on how to use the patches to repair and upcycle damaged clothes, making the patches entirely from scrap materials, and donating any profits to charity could do a lot of good.