The Craftivism Manifesto

My name appears at the bottom of the Craftivism Manifesto as a contributor. Yay! I discovered the Craftivism movement around two years ago finding Craftivism: The Art of Craft and Activism by Betsy Greer on the "new and notable in 700s" display stand in the downtown Houston Library. Sometimes you read a book and it subtly changes the way you think. And then things are never the same again. Reading that book changed the way I thought about my craft.

I am maybe getting a little ahead of myself. I know my mum is going to ask me what this is, just as I had to explain to her what a podcast was. The word craftivism derives from the combination of the words: craft + activism = craftivism A craftivist is anyone who uses their craft to help the greater good.

 

I teach people and see their joy in mastering a skill, I run a craft group and we make things collaboratively for local charities. I make gifts for people that I care about - sometimes they even like what I make for them!

Back to the manifesto. You can find this on Betsy Greer's website (btw Betsy is godmother of Craftivism). I am not going to read the Spanish version. I am learning Spanish but I'm just not that brave yet.

Here are links to two additional recent craftivism items:

Betsy was interviewed by the marvelous Vicky Howell super famous crafter and broadcast personality, who lives in nearby Austin, Texas on her Craftish podcast series so check that out here.

And I spotted a recent article in Molly Makes (wonderful British craft magazine) Making Good: Five Ways to be a Craftivist - an interview with Sarah Corbett the founder of the Crafivist Collective in the UK.

Enjoy! And do let me know if you're thinking of yourself as a craftivist now! Comment below or contact me on Instagram or Twitter. I'm @craftyescapism

Here's the Audio Podcast