Craft movement flourishes online

Pages filled with ideas for crafts, recipes and decorations are strewn about the Internet for… Pages filled with ideas for crafts, recipes and decorations are strewn about the Internet for the public to see, allowing for a conversation between artists and viewers. The array of ideas splash color all over the Internet.

From Do-It-Yourself projects — known popularly as DIY — to direct artist-buyer relationships, the craft movement found a home and has flourished in the online community. Outlets like StumbleUpon, a user-specific site generator; Blogspot, a blogging network; Etsy, an Internet craft village; and Pinterest, a virtual bulliten board, have given crafters and buyers alike a chance to converse, discover ideas and buy goods.

The Do-It-Yourself movement isn’t new. People create handicrafts frequently as hobbies or even careers, and today the Internet helps designers connect with buyers and curious viewers through various websites.

Pittsburgh’s Vincent DeAndrea designs jewelry and sells it in the store he owns in Mt. Washington. There, he’s not only sold his personal designs, he’s also developed a specific clientele.

DeAndrea uses a traditional means of purchasing and selling his supplies. He goes to craft shows with thousands of vendors to buy the particular items he needs. “You can’t help but be inspired by the range of color, sizes and artists. It’s overwhelming,” he said.

Then he sells them in a brick-and-mortar store. But for many artists, there’s another option. Online marketplaces provide a virtual storefront for crafters at little to no cost

Sellers often use websites like Etsy to reach potential customers. On the site, artists post their information with pictures, and site surfers can pick out what they like best. Artists get revenue without needing a physical location from which to sell their crafts, creating a community that is geared toward very small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Rob Kalin started Etsy in 2005. With more than 12 million members, the site has now sold more than $467.8 billion of merchandise. Etsy has quickly grown to become a popular and effective means for artist-to-buyer communication. For many artists, this means exposure to a broad audience, often larger than what an personal site would garner on its own.

To use Etsy, artists and designers must create online accounts, which give them access to buying, selling and showing their creations in an Internet marketplace.

For DeAndrea, it was simple to begin using both Etsy and ArtFire — another online craft marketplace — because of the sites’ pre-made template constructions. The online stores make it easy to upload photographs with descriptions, and tutorials walk users through the process so they can make their products more public.

Online stores are vital for artists who look to make a living off of their designs, DeAndrea explained. They help artists reach out to more people than they’d otherwise have the opportunity to sell to.

The biggest advantage comes from the direct connection an artist has with his or her clients, said Sherrard Bostwick, the education director at the Society for Contemporary Craft. Many of the artists that teach craft courses at the Society for Contemporary Craft have some sort of affiliation with Etsy, which creates space for an online discussion and a broader field for potential business opportunities.

“Artists have a lot more opportunities to create discussion and create revenue options [online]. They’re all different. Some are more revenue based. Some are just about being part of the discussion,” Bostwick said.

And the Society for Contemporary Craft has even carved its own niche in the online world. The group has just begun to offer its classes online, giving interested individuals more access to the information. The site also includes biographies of the artists and teachers, allowing viewers to gain more knowledge about the programs.

“I think that art is a discussion, a dialogue. I think that anytime you can have a dialogue with the public, you can learn more about their response,” Bostwick said.

Some sites have a corner specficially on this kind of dialogue. Often, they allow novices to discover patterns and instructions for things they’d like to make and share their ideas with friends.

Shannon Krohe, a Pitt junior, has been on Pinterest since November and has multiple boards she frequently visits. Pinterest is an online community that offers digital open space for members to “pin” photos of various interests they have. Crowded onto multiple boards that members create to tack up their interests, there are often crafts, recipes and clothing ideas for others to enjoy and share.

In this space, Krohe has the opportunity to post pictures and links pertinent to her various interests, re-pin previously posted material and comment or like the things on other members’ boards.

Krohe used the website recently to assist in her sorority’s recruitment process. She most enjoyed crafting a balloon decoration that hung upside-down from the ceiling. She made this for a specific event and the design became popular on the website.

Like other blogging websites, Pinterest is open to the public. Anyone, regardless of membership, is able to view the website and have access to the copious amount of information posted there. There are topics that allow viewers to narrow their interests to a specific set of material, ranging from craft ideas to fashion tips.

But unlike other easily accessible websites, Pinterest is fairly exclusive. Initially, when looking to join, prospective members must request an invitation and provide their email addresses. They then wait until their invitations arrive, permitting them to create their own spaces and have access to the spaces of others as well.

Though it has circulated in more public spheres, the DIY discussion has also been joined by curators and educators, and now a younger generation is interested in the phenomenon. Bostwick said that, in a world where everything has been branded, DIY gives people the chance to make things personal again.

Although the Internet has given craftmakers a wider venue from which to share and discuss, the Drop-In Studio at the Society for Contemporary Craft gives individuals the chance to get off their computers and begin creating something. Anyone can go to the Drop-In Studio and create a personal adornment out of the array of supplies, which include safety pins, leather and paper clips.