degradation of innovation
Oddly Soviet-looking hobby shop in the east county (Hobby of the People). I did not go in. Apparently “hobby”=male (trains, cars, kites), “craft”=female (friendship bracelets, cakes, feathers).
I was waiting for a meeting to start in the other part of the county yesterday, so I went to Michael’s craft store, ugh, why the horrible fake cinnavomit smell?
I am at a scary ebb in my crafting/sewing/creativity. I thought I’d try for something easy and get supplies to make holiday cards. I wanted to print using wood block or screen printing.
No go. The very young staff members had absolutely no idea what I was talking about when I referenced “silk screen printing” or “screen printing” or “you know, you transfer ink using a squeegee?” All search terms rejected. And “wood block printing” was met with a vague “oh, um, we haven’t had anything like that in forever?”
Instead, I wandered row after row of prefab, overpriced kits so that minimum energy could be devoted to “creating” cards, jewelry, cakes, ornaments. And the scrapbooking section? I have no idea what I’m even looking at.
Okay, okay, I know. There is a place for a place like Michael’s. And I was looking for art supplies in a craft store. I get that. And there were canvases and paints and pencils. But there’s an intermediate step that isn’t there anymore, like printmaking. The lack of supplies to create your own patterns is gone. And that of course can be the criticism for something like Pinterest, where we’re just basically taking someone else’s creation for consumption without really experimenting, creating, trying, failing.
I’m so of two minds about everything I’m saying. It’s just hard to see something like Michael’s being the only supply store for creative materials in a city. Or county, for that matter — there are NO art supply stores in my county. The most recent one opened and closed within a year.
But at the same time — wow, some of these die cutters are incredible! And advancement in technology of paint pens is very nice. And it IS possible to create art through craft, duh, that’s been my credo since forever. There’s just something…missing. Or is that my own laziness, lack of vision? Oh, who knows. I totally bought some dies and can’t wait to use them!
YES. I hear you on the “lazy craft.” I have also noticed the abundance of “kits” and “make this in 1 day!” projects. I think it’s a dark outcome of the craft tidal wave that hit so hard. Those that are frightened to “fail” need a sure-fire how-to in order to make. I also think the “hobby” world may have leaked into the craft world, in the sense that you make things a certain way and no other. No room for experiment! It MUST look like it does on the box!
Toddler employees have always been my pet peeve. I do improv with several youngsters and many of them work at the local Michael’s and they have pointed out that I am being close-minded and ageist, but IN MY EXPERIENCE, young people don’t have a clue about anything that happened before 2008 and it pisses me the fuck off when they look at me like I’m the crazy one. The Internet exists! Do some fucking research! The fact that those babies had no idea about the super punk, DIY process of screen printing hurts my heart – AND, if I were looking for such things, I would automatically look online first. Why? Have I already realized your plight and accepted it at an unconscious level? That’s sad and weird.
As far as Pinterest being a bad influence? Perhaps? It certainly is discouraging to attempt to make something look like the picture and it comes nowhere near. But I like Pinterest for the weird ideas it gives me. An artist’s brain is always going to experiment, try new things and never make it look like it does on the box.
I think it is HORRIFYING that there is no art supply store in your town. Is this also akin to there being no bookstores anymore (i.e. people buy their art supplies online now)?
Good stuff, Tristy. “Lazy craft” I think also has another dark purpose, perhaps (this came to me as I beheld jewelry that was basically put together, only needed one clasp or attachment by jump ring).. so that people can sell at craft shows or on Etsy and be able to declare their items “hand made”..
As for hobby leaking into the craft world: SO TRUE. It’s the flip side of the internet and collaborative information exchange.. all those “tutes”, PDFs, how-tos.. great to have but one could get caught up in doing it that one way. That’s the problem that’s leaked into the quilting and textile worlds.. crazy times of trying to copyright PDF patterns and to limit people from selling stuff that’s based on a pattern or using a fabric. You can see both sides — the system doesn’t work. Like the music industry.
Sigh to the toddlers. I get it, 95% of the time they’re just dealing with.. well.. you know, scrapbooker types, and they’re just working a job. But SHIT MAN, having to adapt by knowing when to keep my mouth shut about art stuff (or something like science quilts) because my fellow County-ers just won’t get it? Tired. Me tired.
I love Pinterest! I think many people use it well. I get bugged when I veer away from the people I’m following and surf around the general categories.. the pins there, so many cookie cutter and unrealistic.
(INTERNET WHY WON’T YOU BEND TO MY WILL? I am ridiculous.)
Correction: no art store in my COUNTY. My county of 823,318 people. Maybe this whole angst stew is the fact I live in the wrong fucking place. xooxoxo!
Sounds like an opportunity for a small business or at least community project? (With all the free time I’m sure you have. :-p) Check out the awesome SCRAP here in Portland: http://scrappdx.org/. Oh, and seriously, what’s up with the “horrible fake cinnavomit smell?” Why, Michaels, why?
I think the time will be right for the county, very soon, for stuff like that, TTR. A regular maker’s meeting just started happening at the library, and the county is skewing younger, so we’re ready for something like Scrap. Remember, we just got food trucks like a year ago, so it’s slow moving down here. Sigh.