Power of We: Creative Altruism

 It's Blog Action Day, a global event where bloggers around the world post on the same subject and this year the theme is 
The Power of We. 

Craft Activism 
It took me a while to consider myself a craft activist. I made the mistake of thinking that being an activist required joining a group and marching/ protesting in the classic sense and forgetting activism comes in all shapes and sizes. Don't have to join a group, or specific cause, in fact Betsy Greer who coined the term Craftivism talked about that recently on her blog entry titled Craftivism: Party of One.


Embroidery of George on discarded metal
by jafabrit

 A statement can come in the form of creative altruism and this is where Free Art Friday and craft come together. In a consumer driven society where garbage pollution threatens our world the act of giving away art created from items normally tossed in the landfill is a twofold statement.


"Hungry woman" 
Polymer Clay and Grocery Store Carton
by Nancy Mellon
 for  Bloggers Unite for Human Rights 2008

It's a statement that many around the world are wanting to make and since the inception of Free Art Friday 10 years by MyDogSighs (check out his fab upccyled can paintings) the power of we is growing leaps and bounds. 

Sadly our efforts to recycle barely scratches the surface. According to Blog Action Day Partner Greenpeace "15 billion pounds of plastic are produced in the U.S., but only 1 billion are recycled." Much of it ends up in the oceans "leaving a trail of death and destruction."

How to reduce pollution list

 or
crochet a plastic bag


We can make a difference :)

Comments

CrochetBlogger said…
Love how you've pointed out that craft activism doesn't have to mean marching on something or screaming out loud ... just making and sharing our art is a statement in and of itself that can be hugely powerful.
Betsy said…
Aw, cheers for the shoutout, Corinne! And what a lovely post and excellent examples! I love the remembrance and mention that "activism comes in all shapes and sizes!" As we need all kinds of it in order to get our message(s) heard! x
jafabrit said…
thanks CrochetBlogger, Betsy. Sometimes I am astonished at how quiet or small acts can make such a difference or evolve into something much bigger. It also reminds me not to lose faith.

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