DIY Crafting Challenges the Big-Box Stores

I dream nightmares of gray. Of people marching from one given task to the next, of their hair washing out and their face fading into lines of age that know bitterness. Robots in human masks. I mourn for individuality, a concept that is chipped away day by day in the form of teen magazines and big-box department stores. And the landfills overflow with packaging, our children die - poisoned by their own commercially created toys - under our noses, and we turn not to ourselves but to our government looking for answers.

Chain stores have affected our very culture, nightmare or not. Global manufacturing has urged us to dress, furnish our homes, and decorate our walls the same way - and pressures us to spend more money when trends change and those commercial demands we've followed are no longer fashionable.

In short, we're encouraged to be consumers of our own culture.

Mass production of the products we use every day, discard and purchase again, are a major cause of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. We're placing in our childrens' hands toys that were produced on a massive scale in another country where our government can't control the contents (just take a look at the latest children's toy recalls for a great example of that), and we're throwing away tons of packaging that serves no purpose other than to pressure us into buying the same things Dick and Jane next door have.

Every item you make or purchase from an independent artist or crafter strikes a blow to the forces of mass production and generally help us reconnect on a real human scale. Whether you're creating or purchasing, DIY is more than a movement or a political statement. It has benefits that go unnoticed, ignored, or swept aside; it's time that we take a look at what our hands can really do for us.

Handmade Culture

Historically, the artists who crafted for their community were highly valued and widely respected. The metalsmith who could turn out amazing swords that weren't just high-quality but also artistically beautiful was necessary. The seamstress whose skillful fingers clothed people warmly was known to the whole community. Crafters weren't just hobbyists in their local group, but they were vital parts of the whole.

There isn't a single art course that doesn't focus to some extent on the arts of historical people. Woven blankets to quilts, weapons, tapestries, clothing, even pottery became as much a definition of the culture as that culture's deeds.

Many years from now, who will want to view the remnants of our culture? The plastic and glass tv god, the landfills of disposables (diapers, razors, toothbrushes, furniture, packaging)?

If our "assets" define us as a culture, we need to seriously stop and think about what we're really passing on to our children. There's no doubt that technology has a vital role in our daily lives, and I'm not going to suggest that we forgo the dvd player or our computers. What is needed is some sort of balance where the plastic and electronic chips don't replace the handmade marvel of cukoo clocks and the designer labels pumping out clothes that cost both our society's idea of self-worth and our environment don't replace the soft warmth of a handcrafted sweater.

Handmade culture invites us to become a community once again. The tale of a handmade item is something that will be remembered; in my cedar chest is a quilt that was given to me by my grandmother when my father died. That quilt was meticulously stitched by hand when my grandmother's father was away at war, and every single piece of fabric on that quilt was made from clothes that her family had worn. It's a story that I'll never forget - but it doesn't have to be that dramatic. It's about the connection. A wool sweater is presented as a gift - the wool in the sweater was harvested by a woman who raises her own sheep and spins the yarn by hand, and a crafter purchased that wool yarn to craft into a sweater using her own hands. Nothing in the process of this creation has had a negative effect on the environment, and it becomes an expression of a much more natural culture with so much more meaning than if that same sweater had been purchased off of a rack of identical ones at the local big-box department store.

Challenging the Big-Box

Big-box department stores are rapidly showing themselves to have accumulating effects on our culture and our environment. From the mass-production (and mass-pollution) methods employed by the producers of products their carry to things like sweat shops and community economics, big-box stores are harming us as a society much more than we could have expected even a decade ago.

What can you do to challenge the big box? Lots. Start small; try purchasing your next set of dinnerware from a local potter. Not only will you have a much better-quality set of dishes that will easily last you a lifetime, but you've also got something that no one else will have. You express your individuality, help an artist who isn't putting loads of strain on the environment, and promote culture - all with a simple purchase. Beyond that, educate yourself. Learn more about what the big-box stores are doing to us, and spread the word.

Here are a few sites that can help you learn more and become a conscious consumer:

Sweatfree.org - A network for local action against sweatshops.
New Rules - A group of people dedicated to changing laws and policies that affect small-scale businesses.
WalMart Watch - A nationwide public education campaign to challenge the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, to become a better employer, neighbor, and corporate citizen.
Craft Revolution - A blog that focuses on resources for crafters who utilize their art as small business owners and operators.
The Sustainability Dictionary - An open dictionary that focuses on how sustainability concepts are creating new ideas in business, government, and society.
Coop America - A not-for-profit organization that harnesses the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace to create a just and environmentally sustainable society.