What does it mean to be a “Crafty Bastard?” Well, 150+ Indie artists can tell you…it’s about SNARK baby!! And this weekend, one of the most alternative craft artisan shows in the country is rearing its indie head. The Crafty Nation team is going to be live on the ground at the “Crafty Bastards Art & Craft Fair” in Washington D.C., where we’ll bring you a multi-faceted look at the one of the most alternative craft artisan shows in the country!!

Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair is a juried exhibition and sale of handmade alternative arts and crafts from independent artists presented by the Washington City Paper. Why do they call it alternative you ask? Well, just for starters, this isn’t your Granny’s craft show, and…this isn’t your Granny’s craft. As the promoters of Crafty Bastards proudly shout on their website, “You won’t find knitted teapot cozies, floral wreaths, carved wood ducks or batik jackets here.”

What will you find? Be prepared to experience some of the finest and fugliest (did I say that out loud?) of the movement otherwise known as INDIE Craft. Items like “…dead Elvis statues, gumball machine ninja necklaces,… punk rock baby clothes,… tampon dolls, burnt toast plush toys,…” and others of like ilk are what mainly comprise this varietal display of colorful and creative albeit continuation-school dropout accouterments.

Items such as Dana De Kuyper’s Dammed Dollies…

Stella

Hortense

Or Victoria Wilkins Girlie Pants…

nuff said…

‘How bout them apples?’

Or something out of the mind of Ben Claassen, super creative INDIE genius - get some serious laughs from his daily comics at www.bendependent.com

Now in its 4th year of the show, the Washington City Paper promotes underground art and strives to connect the voice and vision of the indie craft community with their readers. In their Classifieds section, in print and online, they have a special Crafty Bastards advertising section through which craftspeople can sell their wares, and throughout the year they hold craft workshops finding talented crafters to share their knowledge and expertise with the public.

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How many of you remember Art & Craft time in grade school? Remember the finger paints and construction paper, the Popsicle sticks and play dough? And what about the paste? My friends used to eat it, (eeew!) and I can still smell it!

Now-a-days, I think the definition of art and craft is a little blurry. We use the terms interchangeably, and thus erroneously.  Perhaps there are some that even think that “craft” is beneath “Art” in some way.  But by my wire nippers, I think I’ve snipped it!!  Before I explain myself, you might want to grab a cup of coffee or wait to read this post when your fresh in the morning. Just to warn ya…

Now with respect to ART, I think we can safely say that when we say that a person is artistic we basically mean that they are "creative." So what does it mean to be creative? I think at a minimum, to be creative simply means to possess the ability to design a thing from imagination. Artistic or creative people produce designs that likely include external influence, but mainly stem from their own mind’s eye. This is why we say a design is "original" and not a reproduction.  The design may have been influenced, but it is not a copy.

Now here’s an interesting thought. A person may have "artistic" ability to design from imagination, BUT…they may not have much refined skill to ‘craft’ the design they’ve created. They can see the pattern in their mind, but bringing the design into being may not be so easy for them. On the other hand, they may be highly skilled to craft their design.

Which leads us to ask “What is CRAFT?”  in times past and not so a very long ago, a "craft" was something that a person did mainly to contribute to their community. You had your local blacksmith who made your horseshoes, you had your weaver who produced cloth for the village, and your cobbler who fashioned your shoes. Many of these craftspeople had learned their skills from others who passed them down and this enabled people to live communally and for the communites to thrive and grow.  Everyone had a role to play, and most likely it involved the production of something. More likely than not, your local blacksmith did not "design" the horseshoes he made from his imagination, rather, he learned the design from a master craftsman. And so on…

Over the centuries, I imagine that there were those who were inspired and then got creative or "artistic" with their craft, and thus produced a new style or design of whatever category of thing they had the skill to produce. Thus, they were both ‘creator’ and ‘producer’.  Hence, the title of "Artisan" was born. This word is a combination of Artist and Craftsman.  An Artisan then is both the artist who produced the design and the craftsman who brought the design into being. 

Viola! Art & Craft understood at last! (Apologies if that was a bit too philosophic, it’s the way I’m wired.)

Just another thought I’m having, (because I always have to share my thoughts). I think that very few people truly create patterns from absolutely nothing, with no inspiration or influence. Perhaps Mozart was an example of someone like this, and I think guys like him are few and far between.  All of us see shape, color and the craft of others in the world.  I think Artisans produce their patterns according to what influences them.  They envision the components based on things they have been exposed to, or studied. Inspiration has no limits! And seems to come when one is least expecting it.

Further, I think many of us can be creative and don’t even realize it. We don’t think we are artists, but we actually are!  You may not be a craftsmen, but it doesn’t follow that your not creative!  Ask yourself next time you play with your steak tartar (raw ground beef), and create something like this guy? Now haven’t we all seen him before?

TL

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