Craft Manifesto

Thanks to David Weinberger for pointing me to Hobbyprincess, the intriguing blog by Ulla-Maaria Mutanen, a PhD student at the University of Helsinki, who is focused on the interface between technology, fashion and crafting.

In one posting, Mutanen comments on the rapid growth of the hobby and craft business in the United States.  It expanded from $20 billion in 2000 to $29 billion in 2004 – a growth of almost 50% in just 4 years. Clearly, more and more people are pursuing their passion to create things.

Mutanen has posted a Draft Craft Manifesto that does a great job of capturing the key dynamics shaping the growth of crafting. For example:

1. People get satisfaction for being able to create/craft things because they can see themselves in the objects they make.  This is not possible in purchased products.

6. Work inspires work.  Seeing what other people have made generates new ideas and designs.

10. Learning techniques brings people together.  This creates on-line and offline communities of practice.

I wish I had been able to see Mutanen’s presentation at Reboot7, the meetup for "practical visionaries" that just concluded in Copenhagen.  Entitled "Craftblogging – A Window into the Long Tail of Fashion?", this is the abstract for her presentation:

In Europe and Japan, the trend against mass-produced fashion is growing. An increasing number of people prefer to buy their apparel from a designer someone has recommended, or one that they personally know. This presentation is about craftblogging – producing hand-made fashion items and publishing them on weblogs. Examples of how people produce, tag and share self-made fashion items on-line provide an opportunity to understand the potential of the Long Tail of Fashion.

Mutanen is on to something very significant.  The urge to create is getting stronger and more distributed.  Technology is playing a significant role in connecting people who share this passion for creation and, in the process, it is intensifying the urge to create.