Discover the secrets of pottery


Why Craft?

"Oh, I'm not very creative," is the complaint
of many individuals when approached aboutCrafting  Today
starting up a craft. The truth is that
everyone is creative. Some of us just got theToday is a new movement, present even among
notion in third grade that since we weren'tthe very educated, wealthy, and politically
the best artist in the class that we weren'tprogressive. Betsy Greer coined the term
"the creative type." The Creative Type: acraftivism, a call to shrug off the plague of
mysterious individual with messy hair andmass produced goods available, in turn for an
outrageous attire who frequents museums andappreciation of all things unique and
the theatre and mutters tirelessly to him/handmade.
herself when in public. As legendary as Santa
Claus-and just as fictional. Real creativityMany still ask why, when it is cheaper,
manifests itself in a myriad of differentfaster, and more convenient to pick up this
ways. Creativity is that urge that makes youor that dust catcher at your neighborhood
want to move the furniture around, for theWal-Mart, why would anyone pick up a needle?
third time this week. Creativity is the calmThe  answer  is  manifold.
that comes over you as you chop vegetables
for tonight's dinner. Creativity is theSome craft because the activity creates
tickle of excitement you get when you find asatisfaction and gratification in a way that
new scenic route to work. As humans, we havefew other forms of entertainment today do.
a basic need to express ourselves, and how weThey enjoy both the process of creating as
express  ourselves  is  creativity.well as the finished product. There is a
certain amount of pride and confidence felt
A  Short  History  of  Craftswhen using something made with one's own
hands-whether it is a bookshelf or a
Crafting has gone in and out of fashion overcrocheted dishcloth. And then there are the
the last few decades. In the 1940s craftingcrafters who do what they do for no other
was done out of necessity. Because of WWII,reason  than  that  crafts  are  fun.
making do and using up what you had was a
respected form of patriotism. MiddleclassPerhaps others craft for their
women made quilts from their family's oldhealth-although they may not realize it.
clothes, and their children used cataloguesCrafting has a very positive impact on one's
or ads to make paper valentines or Christmasmental health, as it engages the mind in
cards. Worn out sheets were made intocreative and imaginative problem solving, as
pillowcases, then into handkerchiefs, andwell as the hands. Psychologists and
eventually used as rags. There were not thetherapists have taken note, and many nursing
malls open in the evening as there are today,homes and psychiatric hospitals offer craft
nor were there the myriad forms ofclasses as a potent form of recreational
entertainment to be had, so people stayedtherapy.
home  and  worked  needlecraft  or  baked.
Crafting has also created its own community,
This mentality continued throughout thewhich is a huge draw in our isolated society.
forties and fifties, but as the warWhether you scrapbook or throw pots, there is
generation aged crafting changed. Crafts werelikely an association in your city where you
something you made in your leisure time.can join with other like-minded individuals
Since crafting was traditionally a women'sto craft regularly. This feeling of community
activity, it was tied to domesticity andextends even within one's own family. Many
subordination. As the women's liberationparents now schedule a regular arts and
movement entered the scene, crafting wascrafts time with their children. This is time
looked down on as anti-progressive. Masswell spent-crafting with children builds
produced clothing and other articles madeimportant practical skills as well as
sewing  virtually  obsolete.interpersonal bonds.



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