Growing up, art class was my favourite subject. To this day, I distinctly remember so many details about the projects we created in those Friday afternoons and how excited I was to spend time in that class. Don’t get me wrong! I loved math and I ended up taking an English Lit degree, but there was something very liberating about art class in contrast to the performance driven reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Art class was where we were encouraged to let our imaginations run wild. It was where we could bring the imagined to life. It is where we could create things to beautify our world and feel a sense of accomplishment or pride in our work our parents found prominent places to display our works of art.
Crafting Through the Ages
How many of us remember the homes of older relatives which were decorated with embroidery, crochet, or even macrame? Did you have a relative who knitted mittens, hats, or sweaters? Did anyone stencil a pattern that acorned the trip in a room?
In my mid-twenties, after taking a course in fashion design, I started purchasing a European sewing magazine for patterns and inspiration. Every month there was a section on home crafts that always amazed me at how simple and elegant personalized touches can bring charm to any surrounding.
Such hobbies used to be quite commonplace, but as our society became reliant on electronic distractions, we became less interactive with the world around us. There are so many reasons for this, and I do not want to vilify conveniences that we now rely on, but simply offer possibilities.
So What Now…
I created Urban Craft Revival in the hopes of renewing people’s interest not only in crafting as a hobby with all the personal benefits that those activities can bring, but also to encourage people to beautify their surroundings with personalized homemade objects. It need not be old fashioned or complicated.
I welcome feedback and suggestions of what you would like to see, so feel free to reach out and make your ideas and impressions known.
All the best,
Rowan
Founder of Urban Craft Revival