Reading response

Response to the Article, “ Don’t Put a Bird on It: Saving “ Craft” from Cuteness” Times have changed and the way people perceive different things has continued to vary widely. As a result of changes in technology and quality of life, the world view of craft has changed tremendously. It is apparent that there are individuals who have taken craft to be outdated and obsolete. However, this is not the case for quite a reasonable group of people myself included. This article presents my opinion concerning Alexandra Lange’s article that was published in the New York Times entitled “ Don’t Put a Bird on It: Saving “ Craft” from Cuteness”. Craft is a very important component that helps people to be creative as well as promotes culture.
Craft has been narrowly considered based on what is cute and what is not. The perception that craft entails ugly, old-fashioned and things made by some old man or woman is misplaced and does not hold any water. Craft is supposed to be more of creativity and use of ones hands to facilitate that creativity. The scope of craft is unlimited; it can range from simple things such as developing a picture frame to complex aspects such as decorating huge structures. The objective of doing all these things is not solely to make a place look cute and neat but to add some reasonable value to the place. What matters is the creativity that has been utilized.
Eliminating the view that craft is some big and complex thing that should be done for the sake of competitions and embracing it in daily activities can help save. Handmade craft is cost effective and it helps an individual customize their environment depending on what they are pleased with. However, it should not always cost effective; sometimes it may be necessary to develop a less costly product after destroying a more costly one. The bottom line should be, what is it that pleases an individual and they are able to afford it. Taking care of individual taste is very beneficial since it dives a personal satisfaction as well as promotes longevity of use.
It is difficult to judge a piece of crafted based on any parameters. The first thing is that craft has a lot of biasness depending on the individual. For example, the “ Craft Wars” show is biased because it relies on the judgment of two or three judges who give their own personal view. To eliminate this biasness, all the participants can do a vote on such a show so that the will of the majority prevails. It is not right to narrow down the works of craft on the perception of a few.
Craft is very beneficial and every person should attempt to develop some work of craft. Technology has made things easy, rarely are we required to do so much tedious work with very little outcome. Despite being a daunting task, it is important that people learn how to integrate old technologies with the current ones. For example, it can be interesting to have custom-made stools in the house, which are not only simplistic but also do appease the owner. Whether the craft developed is wasteful or beneficial it should comply with the specific needs of the developer
Works cited
Lange, Alexandria. Don’t Put a Bird On It: Saving “ Craft” from Cuteness. August 1, 2012. Retrieved on January 20, 2014 from http://www. newyorker. com/online/blogs/culture/2012/08/dont-put-a-bird-on-it-saving-craft-from-cuteness. html