Crafting vs. Art

I generally call myself an artist rather than a crafter for lots of reasons,  but generally it is in deference to crafters. It really isn't a snobby affectation- I have to much respect for crafters for that.  Here is a perfect example of what I mean: I was looking at Aimee's scarf post, and thinking-I could do that, that looks like fun, and I set about going to work. I settled on a pair of old pajama's to use for my scarf. The pants had a nice vintage rose pattern on them. I like using old clothes for projects. They are soft from lots of washing, and you can bet on the fabric holding up if it has been washed so many times and still looks pretty good. I also have this thing abut taking something useless and making it more than the sum of it's parts. I looked at the precise squares from Aimee's picture and said, no, that will take too much time, and I cut long strips out of the pj's. Now here is the difference: Crafters are careful. They probably iron. Crafters would have made sure that all the fabric strips were the same width, and length. Not me. I hacked random long sections of pajamas out, some of them were crooked. I was going to take pictures of my process, but I was too embarrassed.  The edges were jagged and pretty much a mess. I didn't care. I noticed that on one of my pieces, there was a stain I had missed when I was checking out the fabric for this project. Crafters would say eew, and throw it all out. I decided it was "organic" ( It looked like it was chocolate) and I was going to use it anyway. I fashioned a patch out of some scraps, and sewed it on in an "I meant to do that" kind of way. After I sewed the patch on, I noticed it looked all wonky. Crafters would have carefully picked the stitching out and redone it. I sort of trimmed it up with scissors and then abandoned it, rationalizing that no one will notice that anyway.

I sewed the hacked up pieces together, and made one long patterned strip, and one long pink strip. I put them right sides together, and sewed down the sides, making a huge tube. I didn't sew straight, really, which is why I will never be a quilter, which is a highly specialized kind of crafter. My tube was ragged and uneven everywhere, so I hacked off the bits that were sticking out egregiously. I turned it right side out. In some places the stitching had puckered up some. Crafters would call this "a mistake", I call it "charm".

The ends were ragged so I hacked them off, tucked them in, and top stitched them, which just means stitching really close to the edge, on top. That looked sort of cool, so I top stitched the whole thing. And It is finished, my pj pants scarf. Maybe you are thinking it looks like I have a pair of old pajamas slung around my neck. If you do, you are probably a crafter. Artists call this "eccentricity" and walk around like we own it. So which is your style? Do you carefully follow proven techniques, measure and come out with a fabulous looking stylized gift? Or do you scavenge thru your junk, apply vision, and dive in headlong, not worrying much about the outcome? You answer will tell you whether you are a crafter or an artist.

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It's the thought that counts?

Hi I'm Krista, and I'm addicted to the internet. (Hi, Krista.) I read lots of news, blogs, and articles, every day, and today, I gleaned this nugget of gift-giving wisdom, just for you. Apparently they have done a study on how thinking about romantic love makes you more creative. When in love, or even thinking about romantic love, it triggers your brain to think more globally, and therefore, more creatively. This is postulated to be because when thinking about romantic love, you are thinking more about the future, making plans and goals. In contrast, when one thinks of more, ahem, physical love, it triggers you to think more with your analytical mind, and focus on the here and now, or as they put it, you are thinking locally. I won't go into the details, except to say that they cracked me up. So if you want to think of a really creative gift idea, for anyone, try thinking about being in love- apparently it works for creativity in all areas of life. Here is the money quote:
"A global processing style promotes creative thinking because it helps raise remote and uncommon associations. Consider, for example, the act of finding a gift for your partner. If we think about a gift while in a local mindset, then we’ll probably focus on more literal and concrete options, most of which involve a tangible object wrapped in colorful paper. We’ll probably consider the usual suspects, such as a watch, a book, or perfume. However, thinking about a gift more globally might inspire us to consider a gift as "anything that will make him/her happy". This may, in turn, bring to mind more diverse and original ideas, such as going on a joint vacation, writing a song, or cleaning and remodeling the house."

  You can read the whole thing here.
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