If you've ever been called boring for having a craft related hobby, I hope you've just smiled and thought no more of it.
If you have, that's ok too. I've been called boring many times. Once, upon discovering in conversation that I enjoyed knitting, a student actually said to me "wow, your life must be boring if you teach English and knit". There was no malice intended in what she was saying. I wouldn't expect a sixteen year old to have excellent conversation skills or be clued up on positive interaction to be perfectly honest but it made me think; only boring people get bored.
Your craft critics are missing out but you knew that already, didn't you?
Crafts are always looked down upon by those who can't put their hand to anything, I find. They usually care too much about what other people think and that stifles any hope of finding fun.
Crafting has helped me through some really dark times in a way that scrolling through social media or watching soaps on the telly absolutely would not. It has also just been there to enjoy. I don't know why people give us such a hard time for being passionate about our art.
Remember, only grannies like knitting and crochet. It's boring for everyone else.
It will never help that in popular culture, sitting at home and knitting is something only the elderly or those who have no social plans do. I remember a scene in The Parent Trap (1998) when Meredith said "what do you want me to do? Stay home and knit?" doesn't sound like a bad idea to me but each to their own I guess. She said it in such a way that it sounded like the worst thing you could do with your free time. I think we can all agree here that there certainly are worse things.
On television, there is always the trope of needlework being for the elderly and the elderly only. They make ugly sweaters and inflict them on their younger family members but hey, they have nothing else to do but sit at home and knit sweaters, so we should accept the ugly sweaters with gratitude and a pinch of pity.
We don't want to see attractive young fashion designers sewing clothing or middle aged businesswomen doing some crochet on the train. God forbid. Soon people will start getting ideas and before we know it, everyone will be indulging in an enjoyable hobby that brings an abundance of quality "me time".
Don't let the vocalised thoughts of others change how you see yourself as a crafter.
When it comes to my much loved crafts (knitting, crochet, sewing) I don't see myself as boring at all. I don't really see myself as anything other than a person who enjoys some time to myself and loves to make what is, and always will be, art. I love creating. It's natural to want to create things. Craft can help you focus and stay out of trouble. See here:
This is a decorated shell casing from World War 1. Yeah, a projectile full of gunpowder, shrapnel and/or chemicals was originally part of this casing. A British soldier turned it into art and as he was a bloke, it was definitely art, not silly craft (wink wink).
Decorated shell cases are perhaps the most common type of trench art. This is one of a pair, engraved by a British soldier. The design was taken from a stencil, which was purchased from a Belgian soldier for five Woodbine cigarettes. The design was transferred to the shell case using iodine. A bent nail was then used to engrave the design into the metal.- Imperial war museum
What should he have done instead? Scrolled through Tiktok for hours? Newsflash- there was no Tiktok (can you imagine the bliss?) This guy was sat in the trenches for weeks. There was persistent shelling, shell shock, amputation, death, machine gunfire, rats, rations and gangrene and this guy was passing his free time with craft. Craft is well worth doing. It really can get you through anything, as this guy has shown us!
Other reasons why you shouldn't let anyone tell you what you do is boring
Usually, the people who think you're uncool or boring aren't very interesting themselves, or they are just terrified of being thought of as "boring" or they're just being mean. Here's a much researched case study of mine:
Is Henry Cavill boring?
Take Henry Cavill for example. One of the most accomplished British actors and beautiful men in Hollywood and he is an out and out nerd. He loves Warhammer (a crafty hobby as much as it is a strategic tabletop gaming hobby) and computer games.
How many women like his Warhammer and computer related content on Instagram? The answer is... a lot of women. They'd love knitting if Henry was knitting. They'd love wood turning if Henry was wood turning. They'd love decoupage if Henry was into it. The minute a hot guy says something is cool, people will think it's cool. See also: Tom Daley.
Sorry, this was very distracting to write about. The point I'm making here is, they're not basing their opinions on anything other than TV tropes or someone else's unfounded opinion. Take no notice! You are cool for being your own person and doing your own thing. Others only wish they could, too.
Now go and knit, crochet, sew or whatever it is you do and seriously, give no f*cks. I want to see more unapologetic making, please.
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1 comment
I couldn’t agree more. I’m in my granny period now but I’ve been knitting, sewing and crocheting since my teens. I started out making doll’s clothes and graduated to making my own. Money was tight, patterns and materials were cheaper than buying ready-made and I wanted to be in the forefront of fashion. I went on to knit and sew for my children, their toys and myself. Grandchildren came along and I had a whole new set of people to “craft” for. Along the way I’ve had a go with Fimo clay, making jewellery which is still going strong nearly 40 years down the line, and more recently I discovered furniture painting and decorating. I’ve never considered myself artistic, can’t draw or paint for toffee, but I really enjoy the creative side of crafting. Many of those who call crafting boring really wish they could create something themselves but are simply afraid to admit it :-)