LOVE OF CRAFTS
Crafts have been lowly recognized and classified as a lesser creative activity than art. Perhaps, the great deal of skill involved makes it less appealing and applaudable compared to art which has to do with innate talent.
But then, isn’t craft a type of art? A reproducible art in fact! The ultimate creative tangible output from art. True, many craft activities (producing beautiful functional items) can be clearly distinguished from the fine arts (producing beautiful items for beauty’s sake); however, there seems to be no logical reason to classify a unique piece of pottery, or stained glass, or wood carving or textile as a ‘craft product’ rather than a ‘work of art’. Craft is the work of art itself! The very life of art! Its decorative and functional purposes make it a never-to-do-without for us.
From the furniture in the home, the basic utensils and the hall dรฉcor for special occasions to the invitation cards, woven sweaters, lovely papier-mache hats and personal jewelry, all made in exquisite taste; we are surrounded by craft. Craft is used in our day-to-day life.
Let’s take a look into what crafts entail:
Craft is an activity that involves skill in making things by hand. It is based on learned skills and techniques. One important thing to note is that craft involves a lot of ‘hands-on’ skill (handicraft) rather than just skill with a machine. Useful and decorative objects are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools.
As a physical manifestation of the internal human creative impulse and an outlet of human expression, craft is usually influenced by culture, and can in turn help to change culture. It can be divided into five basic types based on the form and purpose: textile, paper, decorative, fashion and functional crafts.
Textile crafts include any type of craft where you work with fabric, yarn or surface designs. Some examples are knitting, quilting, appliquรฉ, weaving and dyeing.
Paper crafts, as the name implies, have to do with paper. It is a collection of crafts using paper or card for the creation of objects. The paper can be folded, curved, bent, cut, glued, molded, stitched or layered to make the desired objects. It includes papier-mache, paper modeling, paper making and collage.
Decorative crafts are crafts made with the objective to design and manufacture objects that are both beautiful and functional; primarily for utility. It includes furniture making, toy making, metalwork, and basketry–anything where the final product is a piece of dรฉcor.
Fashion crafts encompass all the products that are used for dressing the human body: jewelry, hats, shoes, belts, handbags and garments. It involves a variety of materials, from soft fabrics such as cotton, linen and wool to sturdier materials such as leather, nylon and canvas.
Functional crafts include all the other types of crafts. Many of the other types of crafts can also be classified as functional. For example, decorative pottery can also be used for food storage, preparation and presentation (utensils and plates). Indeed many of the products from each category may easily fall under other categories of crafts. For example, fashion craft naturally will intersect with other craft types as seen in jewelry (made through metalwork, a form of decorative craft) and garments (fabricated by sewing, a form of fashion craft)
There are great ideas for art, dรฉcor and furniture from junk materials; amazing ways you can put to use old newspapers, broken ceramics, and the not-so-useful fabrics. Living in a beautified environment with a certain amount of individual creativity can make life more enjoyable. Crafts and craft skills are important contributors to this ideal and for this reason, they are worth preserving. Craft is fun; you really can turn just about any trash to treasure, save money and have fun doing things yourself.
How about you give your creative side a bit of a workout today; choose a craft and see what you can do with your hands, a few materials and the creativity in you. Through that, you may find a new hobby, discover hidden talents or even begin a business enterprise! Go big with crafts. As you try different craft projects, you’re also sure to end up with some decorative items you can use to brighten up your home. Whatever the case, you've got nothing to lose. Get the creative juices flowing!
Sulaiman Aishat Taiwo
Member, NIMELSSA EDITORIAL TEAM
19/20
Sources:
https://www.liveabout.com/the-five-types-of-crafts-193034
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/crafts-history-types.htm
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