The Maker Movement

Philosophies of Craft #

John Ruskin

Background Info

William Morris

Craft Today

Arts & Crafts Movement #

DIY Culture

Craft Motivations

Creativity Reframed

Digital

Web 1.0

Web 2.0/Social Media

Wikipedia

Tools for Change

Social Capital

Deschooling

Generativity

Preserving the Open, Creative Web #

Artist, art critic, social thinker, writer

Opposed industrialism and exploitative capitalism

Had attachment to values of communities, local-level organic production, care for the environment, and valuring all workers

Argued financial wealth that doesn't contribute to human happiness is no wealth at all

1819-1900

On Gothic Style

Admired the 'savagery' and 'rudeness' of Gothic style because it's loving embrace of humanity's imperfections

It was 'thoughtful' work

People making things with fixed specifications were 'slaves'

Would have not opposed digital; loved the relationship of parts which formed a complex interwoven network

On Division of Labour

Complex tasks broken down into stages with each worker responsible for production of one stage

Alienation (Karl Marx)

Ruskin believed it steals from worker the opportunity to create whole object and to put own creative mark on it

Separating stages of production adds feeling of meaninglessness

Thought work is vital because it connects man with nature and with God

Background Info

1834-1896

British designer, writer, activist

Mastered many creative techniques like embroidery, woodcuts, tapestry weaving, etc.

Founded Morris & Co and Kelmscott Press

Main Ideas

Admired medieval Europe as example of pre-capitalist society built on community and craft

Feared industrial capitalism diverted people's desires away from the natural love of nature, creativity and fresh air, etc

Recognized people have to 'make do' within a system which is not of their choosing

Ahead of his time when it came to environment and sustainability

Believed sharing of art in a community was part of society's life-blood

Claims creative work offers hope in three ways

  1. hope of rest - pleasueable feeling of job well done
  1. hope of product - achievement of having made something
  1. hope of pleasure in the work itself - conscious pleasure in the activity while its being engaged in

Understood genuine art to be 'the expression of man's pleasure in his handiwork'

Central idea was that all creative work was of equal status, and was the means by which humans could connect with nature, with their own sense of self, and with other people

Spread majorly in US where it connected with American ideas of self-reliance, individualism, community

Arts and Craft Movement built on ideas of Ruskin and Morris

Movement centred on physical and mental freedom

"Do it yourself" is part of original message of the movement

Emerged in the 1960's

Culture emerged because it was argued that the formal education system had filled students heads with abstract information, lacking real-world usefulness

Stewart Brand published The Whole Earth Catalog which offered readers gateway to all kinds of resources

Key Figures

Alan Watts

John Holt

Stewart Brand

Arts & Crafts Movement led to rise of DIY movement

Punk DIY

Rejection of the glossy, highly-produced, celebrity-oriented mainstream of popular culture

Amy Spencer DIY: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture

Emphasis on content rather than style

Do things yourself instead of relying on experts or by paying someone else to provide a solution

People want to be part of community and movement with appealing values

It's sustainable

Homemade things carry personal touch of person who has made them

Certain satisfaction comes from making things

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's definition of creativity is that creativity is usually identified by its outcomes: things or ideas which haven't been seen before, and which make a difference in the context in which they appear

He insists creative creations should be noticed and appreciated by influential people in the relevant field

"Everyday creativity refers to a process which brings together at least one active human mind, and the material or digital world, in the activity of making something which is novel in that context, and is a process which evokes a feeling of joy" (Gauntlett)

"Creativity is something that is felt, not something that needs external expert verification" (Gauntlett)

Making something from the ground up

You leave metaphoric footprints on what you make

Requires manual dexterity and intellectual agility

Tim Berners Lee

"read-only"

required web-masters to be able to use it

static pages and basic hypertext mark-up language

Dale Dougherty

"read-write"

static pages turned social

its still tinkering and weaving something from the ground up

Youtube

most-used online video platform

unlike television which is professional and complex

it's everyday people making handmade videos

Can't re-edit videos by someone else but can communicate through posting your own videos or leaving likes/comments

Platform # #

encourage users to express their creativity

offers a framework for participation

agnostic about content

fostering community

participatory website that's in pursuit of knowledge, information and truth

people can re-edit work of others

collaborator environment

individual or communities network of relationships

Happiness

people are bad at predicting what will make them happy

increase in economic capital only makes difference to those who were previously poor

relative wealth is what makes people more or less happy

Richard Layard’s Big Seven Factors affecting happiness

family relationships

financial situation

work

community and friends

health

personal freedom

personal values

Gauntlett adds agency and goal oriented behaviours that are other-oriented

James Coleman

Robert Putnam

author of bowling alone

concern about the demise of the “American art of associating together”

said it's one of the potential resources "an actor" can use

based on trust and shared values

source of useful information as well as norms and sanctions

can be bridging, bonding or linking

Bridging: residents have broad connections that help them expand opportunities

Bonding: residents have a close connection that give a sense of belonging and help them get by

Linking: residents have connections to organizations and systems that help them gain resources and bring about change

Pierre Bourdieu

wanted to study how dominant classes retain their position and concluded that it was based not only on economic capital

used social capital to show harsh reality of social inequality

social capital arises as a resource which is available to them

He believed that when people meet up to engage in their shared enthusiasm, this provides really valuable social glue

actually affects the outcomes of social behaviour

Ivan Illich

Illich argued that uniform systems start causing more harm than good at a certain point

Schools, instead of providing education, become institutional system that become machines to deliver schooling

Schools trains pupils to depend on treatment offered by big institutions to be whole and prepares us for a lifetime under other institutions

"cruelest manipulation is that they lead people to believe they are unable to do things for themselves and that the big institutional solution is the only legitimate one"
(Making is Connecting, pg 105)

Illich said solution is create a new educational environment that helps people to learn things they want to learn about, when they want to

Conviviality

Ivan Illich

Tools for Conviviality intended to be pamphlet where Illich could discuss his general theory of tools.

Conviviality is about "being vigorously engaged in relationships, conscious of values and meanings; and it is about having the capacity to communicate yourself directly, and to create the things of your world yourself." (Making is Connecting, pg 106)

About the power to shape one's own world

it is also joyfulness which is lost when try to put everything into systems and institutions

Jonathan Zittrain

Generativity; the right and the opportunity to be creative (coined by Jonathan Zittrain)

Generative Technology; technology that allows you to do whatever you want, for yourself

Tim Berners-Lee

World Wide Web; idea was any piece of online information could link to any other piece to allow maximum sharing of ideas and experiences

Web is a convivial tool when if it remain universal platform; people can join the conversation on a light level or deep level whenever

Craftivism

Sarah Corbett

Gentle Protest

Angry Activism

Angry activism can lead to trouble and quick outbursts can create confrontation and conflict

Angry actions can turn people away from joining your cause because you might be intimidating them without realizing it

Robotic Activism

Scattered approach to activism rather than a focused one

Engaging in activities activities without engaging deeply with the issue at hand

Gentleness

To be thoughtful about actions, consider the most effective approach and keep an eye on details

Self-control is key

Protesting through compassion and empathy

Using emotional intelligence to engage with others effectively

kindness, decency, thoughfulness

The Slow Movement

Core of movement is wanting to do well and to do good

It is about making time to reflect and to think critically about pace we need to go at to do everything well, rather than fast

Anushka Bagde

COM 199

Professor Vogelaar