Power of craftivism: engaging in collective action through crafts during COVID-19
Back in December, our colleagues at Nesta predicted that in 2020 the rise in the number of citizens experiencing ecoanxiety in response to ecological breakdown will lead to people taking collecting action to tackle the climate crisis as a way to cope.
Engaging in activism can help with wellbeing and give people a sense of community and purpose, but not everyone is able to engage in traditional forms of activism like marches, protests and door-to-door canvassing. For many people, this can be intimidating, stressful or physically challenging, particularly given the current state of affairs.
In April, we ran a small initiative at Nesta exploring how craftivism can help people participate in new and inclusive ways while also helping them deal with the feelings of helplessness and anxiety many of us are experiencing at the moment.
We picked craftivism as it is a slow, creative and mindful form of protesting using arts and crafts as tools for collective empowerment, action and expression. ‘Craftivism’ was first coined by writer and maker Betsy Greer as a means of “voicing opinions through creativity” and later popularised through the great work of Sarah Corbett, founder of the Craftivist Collective.
In this blog, we want to share some of our findings and reflections that emerged from this process.
Our approach
Before the COVID-19 crisis escalated, we ran a climate craftivism workshop with some Nesta colleagues and asked participants to stitch a message of hope, reflection or protest on the theme of the climate crisis and the environment, and to consider how this helped them tackle ecoanxiety.
We had planned to run further in-person workshops, but lockdown meant that was not possible. However, rather than giving up the idea, we realised that the craftivist methodology was perhaps more relevant than ever in the context of a global pandemic. Although it is ‘corona-anxiety’ rather than eco-anxiety which is suddenly at the forefront of everyone’s mind, this seemed like a very pertinent moment to be exploring how mindful, creative activity can be beneficial for one’s mental wellbeing in the face of an overwhelming existential crisis.
We reconsidered our approach and moved to the next stage of our initiative: a remote craftivism activity with our colleagues, for people to come together (figuratively!) to take collective action and help with mental wellbeing during this period of self-isolation and social distancing.
We asked our colleagues to create their own message or design to bring hope to their community during this difficult time using stitching and embroidery. We asked them to dedicate some time to mindful creation and quiet reflection and consider displaying their pieces in public spaces to help share the message with their local community. We opened up online spaces for the group to see each other’s progress, ask questions and share embroidery tips (have a look at the image below to see what our colleagues have created). At the end, we asked participants to share their experience with us. There were several common themes which emerged, which are detailed below.
A moment of focus in a world of unpredictability
87% of the group agreed or strongly agreed that craftivism has been a helpful tool for them to ease feelings of anxiety or helplessness during the Covid-19 crisis. When asked about the effect on their general mood during the lockdown period, many felt that working on the embroidery gave them an opportunity to focus their attention on a single task in a time when that might otherwise be challenging.
“[It was] a pleasure to do something manual, creative and mindful, to stop my brain spinning too fast, drowning myself in ‘ifs’ and thinking about how everything is currently so unpredictable.”
The fact that each stitch requires attention required participants to take time to step back from external news and events to concentrate on something practical and mindful as they crafted their message.
“It allowed me to put myself into the meaning whilst I was working on it.“
Creating community
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected everyone in different ways. While we have seen incredible volunteering efforts across the country to get food and medical supplies to those most in need, crafting messages to display in their local area gave participants another way to contribute to the wellbeing of their wider community during the Covid-19 crisis, and they shared the sense of purpose that this gave them.
“Crafting a message of hope to share with my neighbourhood during this difficult time also felt really great — it gave a sense of purpose and it felt good knowing I might be able to brighten someone else’s day in a small way.”
Some shared the materials with others in their household, strengthening those relationships as they created together.
“We took joy in the creative aspect, and pride in the work that we did, and felt a warmth that we were creating this for a wider community beyond ourselves.”
Many found that participating alongside colleagues helped to foster a deeper sense of community in itself. Participants appreciated the support of the group and being able to see the creations develop together, even as they worked on their pieces apart.
“It was so lovely to see other people’s creations too — it gave a really nice sense of togetherness while everyone is apart.”
Particularly in circumstances with a potentially widespread impact on mental health, this could form part of organisations’ support to their employees.
“Interventions and activities to help support good mental health are absolutely essential and should be a key part of an organisation’s role in protecting and safeguarding their staff.”
Developing creative skills
Previous experience of craft techniques varied across the group, with some completely new to embroidery reporting that the project enabled them to develop new skills and build confidence.
“I feel grateful to you for allowing me to discover that if I persevere I can learn new skills that I always thought and heard I was bad at. And that is never too late to learn a new craft.”
87% of participants said they are likely to continue embroidering in the future, with some thinking about how they could apply the techniques and ideas to future projects linked to social issues.
“We have carried on embroidery, using whatever materials we could find… It’s also made me feel more confident in mending my own clothing upon rips- contributing to a broader sense of reducing clothing waste.”
Lifting lockdown spirits
The aim of the suggested theme of the creations was to bring hope to communities during incredibly difficult circumstances. The group shared how they saw this play out both in the sense of achievement they felt from completing their own piece and also through what they felt this could do to boost spirits in their local communities.
“Whenever I go on walks around the neighborhood and see bits of public craftivism, I feel a sense of community, comradery, and hope- it often is a highlight of my day. Such a simple thing to do, that can lift the spirits of others.”
We hope this initiative showcases the wellbeing potential of collective action, creativity and mindfulness during a time that is filled with uncertainty. If you are interested in craftivism, you can find more information and tools on the Craftivist Collective website.
Authors: Codrina Cretu, Hessy Elliott and Rosalyn Old.
This project was funded and supported by Nesta’s Explorations Initiative. The views and opinions expressed in this blog / report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Nesta.