Popsicle Stick Houses

Posted on by Margaret Anne

This post was inspired by RuthBlogsHere and her contribution to the RDP – Extravagant. Thank you Ruth.

For the past 6 years I’ve been designing and making jewelry – boho/hippie style using healing stones, leather and metal. I never called myself an artist because I don’t paint or draw, make pottery or stained glass, and I’m not a goldsmith or silversmith making my own pendants or chains.

When people ask me what I do I’ve found it awkward to respond… I usually mumble something like ‘oh I’m technically retired… and I make bracelets‘. This morning when I read Ruths post Arts and Crafts I realized I was subconsciously perpetuating the craft vs art snobbery! In my mind I was ‘just crafting’ and that brings me images of popsicle stick houses and pipe-cleaner dolls.

Art is defined by Britanica.com as “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings”; “an activity that requires special knowledge or skill”. Merriam-Webster defines Craft “as an occupation, trade, or activity requiring manual dexterity or artistic skill“.

Think about carpentry, gardening, code-writing, baking… the list is endless of the types of activities that require special knowledge or skill. We don’t all have to paint a portrait or sketch a landscape to embrace the art in our craft.

This weekend there was another example of my crafting vs art snobbery. I was meeting my sister and a friend for dinner and to deliver three bracelets and a pair of earrings to the friend, she wasn’t being extravagant, two of the bracelets were gifts for her daughters. The waitress saw the items and admired them, saying to me “I’m also an artist”. Turned out she is a painter. It felt so lovely to have my ‘crafting’ recognized as art by a person who does proper art – Total Snobbery!

There are many different forms of art and of craft, and I don’t think you can have one without the other.

In fact, you can’t spell Craft without Art.

13 thoughts on “Popsicle Stick Houses”

  2. Those are just words. I think the whole thing is really really stupid and can be very destructive especially in a small community like mine where that very snobbery ruined an art coop I belonged to. The ONLY time in my life it made any sense was when I lived in CA and belonged to an art group in a mountain town. They had two shows a year. Upstairs was fine art. Downstairs crafts. The clear distinction was for customers. People who wanted to look at paintings and sculpture wandered through the upstairs. People who wanted to find things that were actually useful or wearable went downstairs. The upstairs and downstairs was ONLY because the paintings needed windows. The old city hall didn’t have fancy lighting. I don’t see it as snobbery except in unimaginative people. Sadly some of the people in “my” co-op (RIP) were THOSE people. Ignore that BS. Make beautiful things according to your own lights and lift the appropriate finger at people when necessary. 😀

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      3. The lovely nugget is actually Sodalite, they get confused a lot, especially in photos, in real life you’d be able to see that it doesn’t have the ‘shimmer’ of Lapis. Sodalite is one of my favourites – its calming, helps with self-esteem issues and aids in communication.

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      4. I couldn’t tell. Here on my table I have a little (really little) jar of ground lapis to make into pigment. I won’t. It’s the most wonderful paint. It’s not an intense blue like the synthetic ultamarine. It’s this wonderful magical thing. Every time I open the tube I swear it says, “How can I help you with this painting, Martha?” It will be everything from snow shadows (its specialty) to distant mountains, to sky affected by ocean humidity, to the implication of sky in in a blizzard — to faded blue jeans. I just love it. I’ve tried wearing it, but it’s too much. I usually DO paint it on my hand when I’m working on a painting.

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    2. They are just words, you are absolutely right. It’s an interesting conversation though. I’m sorry that your art co-op fell due to closed mindedness. And I will ‘make beautiful things according to my own light’ – what a great phrase. Thanks Martha.

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Published by Margaret Anne

Just living life!