Sunday, June 06, 2010

Despair at the craft store

I hadn’t been to Michael’s for years. I went yesterday for something specific but took some time to survey the state of crafts.

Scrapbook materials take up many aisles. It’s the rage. Scrapbooking appears to be a sort of assembly art, not that creative, it doesn’t seem to me. There are a lot of pre-made objects you can buy and then you assemble them, bringing your own taste or whimsy. I’m sure there must be a certain satisfaction in it. I’m also sure the craze couldn’t exist without products to buy.

Then as I wandered around, I noticed it’s not just scrapbooks. It seems like many—not saying most—crafts consist of buying things that somebody else made and putting them together. Can I buy a chain and a plastic teardrop crystal, put one on the other, and claim that I make jewelry?

I remember painting a preformed plaster cat at summer Bible school when I was about 8 and thinking “I didn’t make this.” But I think it’s getting worse. Is it part of the same trend as toys that entertain kids but don’t allow for much imagination or doing on the kid’s part?