The Beginning

It’s the beginning of a new year, and here we are. I’ve picked this very tumultuous time to start a new adventure. Awkward pacing has been pretty on-brand for my life’s progress, though, so it’s not going to stop me now. I’m carving out a modest little place for myself; current events be damned.

Choose wisely.

Pushing forward means focusing on the things we can control–things that contribute to the greater good without depleting our own energy and sanity. For me, that means creating in a way that prevents further harm to our community and planet. So, here’s some of what’s going on in my brain that leads me to Craftcycled.

Art and crafting used to be a product of our abundance. Humans made use of our spare time and the spare resources surrounding us. Corn husk dolls, carved bone, adornments made of seashells–these were all items created from “waste” materials. It was only natural to make the most of what we already had. Take too much, and the land suffers. We suffer. So we used our creativity to innovate with the leftovers. 

Enter colonialism, and commodification creeps into every facet of life. Environmental balance and social cooperation give way to ownership and employment. Skilled crafts are lost because we can just manufacture and purchase a cheaper alternative. Sure, it’s not as good as the real thing, but who has time anymore? Like everything else, the overconsumption mindset has come for our creativity. 

Now we produce so much that the oceans are filling with perfectly good “waste”. What happened to making use of our abundance? We could use so much of this material we ship away, but it doesn’t generate enough capital, so instead we throw it in the garbage and use slave, prison, and sweatshop labor to satiate ourselves. And god forbid you become a little trash goblin like myself, who seeks out the cast-offs. Talk about that in certain circles and you’ll find yourself socially excommunicated, no matter how nice your thrifted finds may be! (The number of people who seem to forget that soap exists is truly astounding.)

So here is what I can do. I can create. I can crochet. I can find some great post-consumer materials (oftentimes for free) and keep a few things from getting tossed in the infinite garbage heap. I can prevent some money from going into the pockets of big corporations by using the abundance of my own community. I also know that even when my work wears out and gets trashed, I’ve still managed to make a neutral impact, because my materials were already “waste.” And if someone buys my work instead of buying from big corporations, they’re doing their part, too.

I hope you’ll work to be creative with the abundance around you and join me on this journey!

Here’s to the small spaces in which we can thrive.

-Robbie