February 10, 2008

My First Blog Post!


Well, this is my first blog post. I've never really been into blogging, but lately I've seen the benefits it has for crafting. There seems to be a real online-crafting-blogging-community. So I suppose I will give it a go. I'm not promising anything though. In a way, I think blogs are a little self-indulgent; I already have a facebook account, as if that isn't enough.

My plan is to share what I'm doing in terms of crafting, art, and activism (I write them as if they are separate, but they really aren't in my world), and maybe some interesting links or tidbits of information that I come across.

I have an Etsy page where I sell crocheted and handmade goods, you can check it out by clicking that photo album on the right there. Etsy is a really great, cooperative website that gives anyone a chance to make stuff and sell it. There's some really neat stuff on there too.

Currently, I'm filling out a questionnaire that a grad student is doing on Etsy, regarding crafting, feminism, consumerism, and resistance. Here is a link to some more info:

http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/craftivism/article/call-for-feminist-crafters-crafting-resistance-community/1130/

So far, it's got me really thinking about why I make art and craft, and even though the things I make aren't always overtly political, I've really discovered that I do them as an act of resistance: to consumer culture, sweatshops, mass production, and capitalism in general. Etsy has a great group that I just joined yesterday that is strictly for trading; so sellers can trade with each other rather than having to purchase with money. This is a great example of how crafting can be an alternative economy. I'm just learning about solidarity economics, and I think this definately fits in with it. More to come about that later.

Well, that's all for now. By the way, that is a cross stitch piece I did a few years ago.

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