As the economy began to weaken, language including “Staycation,” “DIY” and “weekend warriors” started becoming regular vocabulary in mainstream consumer America.  DIY is largely seen as a way for homeowners and consumers to save money and tackle challenges on their own, without the help of a professional.  But a second, completely different definition of DIY is becoming mainstream: DIY for art, individuality and culture.  Made of consumers, artists and creative sprits, the Handmade Revolution is slowly growing its voice in consumer culture.

Defining Handmade

Describing an object as “handmade” may conjure notions of amateur, country crafts or our grandmothers; the modern definition is anything but. Today handmade can be defined as a convergence of craft, art and necessity.  As consumers and homeowners across the nation began doing improvement projects on their own, such as adding a garden, replacing hardware and laying new flooring, similarly a number of those same consumers began to look at how they can apply the same philosophy to things that would go inside the house.  Whether it’s jewelry, blankets, wall art, clothing or the other countless examples of handmade items, the movement is taking crafting to a new level.  The modern handmade world isn’t your grandma and her friends knitting over a cup of tea, its members are not only artists, but advocates for individuality, creativity, sustainability and the idea that people really can do it themselves.  The movement is driven by a simple but obvious pairing of Internet access and the DIY culture.

Leaders of the movement

In 2008 The New York Times produced a profile piece on The Handmade Nation and its leader Faythe Levine.  The article portrays two sides to The Nation – first the creative and hands-on part that shows people doing something they love, and second that it’s not all hot glue and fabric – the Handmade Nation is a business thriving on entrepreneurial spirit.  As The Handmade Nation documentary and book show there are many crafters and creatives across the U.S. that make up this Indie nation. Mass networks of talent, including The Handmade Nation and associations like The American Craft Council, are truly giving the movement a voice.  Etsy, an online marketplace where crafters and enthusiasts can buy and sell their handmade items, features everything from clothing to home goods.  The site is a leader in the handmade trend, and even spurred the development of chapters or local coalitions like BEST – The Baltimore Etsy Street Team.

The Business

Design*Sponge recently featured a post on Kari Chapin’s new book, The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally and Online.  Taking a closer look at the business side of the handmade movement, it’s clear that its success is heavily due to the pairing of the internet market and the DIY trend.  In today’s economy, the bottom line is people want to save money in all possible ways.  As a result, a number of trends have seen growth because they each provide a different approach to meeting that bottom line.  Sustainability and handmade are two movements that have successfully developed into this type of trend.  Buying and living sustainably allows consumers to save on energy costs and other resources but also gives them the satisfaction that they’ve done something greater and good for the environment.  Practicing handmade crafts and buying handmade puts a creative and fun approach on saving money and recycling materials and everyday objects.  The handmade and sustainable movements give consumers a little bit of that control and power back that they thought they lost during the recession.

The Culture

We said before that handmade is successful thanks to the mix of the Internet and DIY.  It’s taken off as a trend, and more and more people are leaving the big boxes behind to find or create something unique to meet their needs.  Last month Wired.com featured an article on the Revlolution in Micromanufacturing that describes the take off of the trend.  Just as there’s a satisfaction in creating or buying something that allows you to save or recycle, there’s also a wanting among consumers to be individualized.  The handmade movement is highly fueled on aesthetic appeal, which is something in higher demand now that many consumers have had to cut back on those unnecessary items or “wants” in the down economy.

There are so many facets of The Handmade Nation, and we can’t narrow it down to one post.  Over the next few months we’ll be producing a series highlighting different parts and people of handmade. Until our next post, take a look at some of our favorite blogs that feature handmade works:

Design*Sponge

ScoutieGirl

HelloCraft

CraftZine

TheCraftyDevils

Etsy-Love