Each week, I gather with my peers to create new pieces of art. No, not just the ones in my actual art class I’m in, but in Crafts Club. That’s right. It may not seem as difficult as creating “The David,” but crafting is art. People tend to set crafting at a lower bar than more traditional art techniques. Just because something appears on the DIY section of Pinterest, or can be bought on Etsy, does not mean it doesn’t have the same value as a painting.
There are many categories of being a crafter, just as there are levels of being an artist. These include the beginner, the weekend crafter and the professional. Most people have at least tempted some kind of craft, be it in school or receiving a loom for one holiday and deciding to break it out of the box one weekend. The beginning stage is the toughest, and the place where most are likely to give up, as it is the stage of learning all the movements. One has to make those first pancakes before becoming more of an advanced, or weekend crafter.
Someone who brings their knitting around with them on daily rides on the bus might not be doing the craft to make money, but is working on side projects that they will complete. For a weekend crafter, their craft might be a hobby, one that is done with free time or with serious commitment. The final stage is when a person can make a living off their crafting. Be it soap making or basket weaving, they are dedicated to going to craft conventions, workshops and have multiple selling venues. While crafting might not be their only job, it brings in more money than what the crafter has spent on supplies and efforts. Whatever stage one may be in, the work that is produced is still art.
Artwork is something that takes a creative seed that then develops into a project. The process for creating art, at a basic level, is simple. Have an idea, decide how to create it, put time into making it and then display or sell it. This process is the same for crafters. Say the project is knitting, the crafter decides what they are going to make, selects the perfect yarn, spends a certain amount of hours on their piece, then they may or may not sell it.
Crafting is the same as art in its processing. The ideas behind crafting can be to the same effect as art. Ceramics, which is considered a formal art form, tends to produce two types of artwork: functional and non-functional. A functional ceramic piece would be a vessel that has a purpose, like say a bowl. A non-functioning piece would be a sculpture; it’s for decoration, sure, but it doesn’t hold noodles. The same classifications work with crafting. Someone who enjoys sewing may make clothing, functional work, but they may also make toys that sit on a shelf. When it comes down to their basic forms, crafting and making art are the same.
The reasoning behind crafting isn’t equal to art, or whether it’s a lower form of art, may be because of where the pieces are placed on display. It’s pretty rare to see a beautiful needlepoint work on display in a gallery. Yet, at a crafts fair, one can see everything from what could be considered more formal artwork like an oil painting, all the way to someone crafting purses with leather. Just because a well made sweater isn’t normally on display in the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, doesn’t mean it didn’t take as much work and talent as say a wood-carved mask.
So go out there and support the crafters. Whatever stage they may be, from humble beginnings, to the extravagant seller with everything under their craft, they are artists too. They work hard to create something just like any artist.
