Machine and The Human Hand
As mass production and consumer culture continues to expand, society has developed a buy new, throw away culture. With many products no longer being crafted by hand, but rather by machine, many traditional techniques and values may be lost as developed meanings in mass production becomes void in design. Craft on the other hand, can offer people more fulfilment and meaning in relation to their belongings, than those who live by the trends of consumer culture. While consumer culture can illude to satisfaction, craft can offer true satisfaction as self-identity is more honestly forged in belongings which are hand made. Craft can benefit contemporary design as consumers begin to take a more active role when presenting their identity within a domestic space. By designing products in relation to one's own identity; designers, or in this case crafters, can successfully create products that are more genuine in externally demonstrating one's personality.
It is only human nature to strive for a deep understanding of personal values and to constantly seek out new knowledge (Maslow, 1970, p 59). However, individuality and creativity are beginning to fade as mass production and consumer culture continue to expand. People desire more than what material products can offer such as emotional, mental and spiritual connections. Nonetheless, many people attempt to fill these desires with products that only satisfy physical needs thus resulting in only temporary satisfaction (Douglas, Isherwood, 1979, p 49). Though, people often do not recognise this as they are regularly enveloped by images of the good life, the ideal self and fulfilment (Featherstone, 2007, p 14).
Through the use of advertising, mass culture industries are able to manipulate passive consumers into buying their merchandise. By taking advantage of people's emotions, advertisers draw in passive consumers. By alluding to one's unattainable desires, advertisers give the sense that the targeted individual is incomplete in some from, and only by purchasing said product will the individual move towards their ideal self (Dittmar, 2007, p 29). An example of this is L'Oreal Paris' 2014 commercial in which, the video says "I enrich your skin, your hair, your body, your life", suggesting to the viewer that her life would not be reaching it's full potential until she owns this product. The commercial then finishes with the L'Oreal slogan "Because you're worth it", which alludes the viewer to having the control; that it is their decision to purchase this product and by doing so they are empowering themselves.
(picture) Figure 1 & 2: L'Oreal Paris 2014 (New Video) (Source: L'Oreal. 2014)
Advertisements create an illusion which can be associated to a wide range of cultures thus creating an unauthentic product of gratification (Featherstone, 2007, p 14). Both self identity and cultural identity then become lost as mass culture and globalisation continue to influence the purchases of passive consumers (Featherstone, 2007, p 14). Though it is not only emotional advertising that is manipulating consumers but mass production companies also play on the natural competitiveness of people. People often want to impress others therefore buy the newest commodities to gain status (Douglas, Isherwood, 1979, p 69). It is a person's fear of rejection that results in them continually buying new goods. People use objects to symbolise a part of themselves but symbols only work if a group of people share the same understanding of it (Dittmar, 2007, p 34). Therefore, people use their possessions as a way to demonstrate how they fit into a particular group of people. However, the worth of one's belongings, then only becomes valuable based upon fellow consumers opinions, rather than personal, emotional connection to the possession (Douglas, Isherwood, 1979, p 51).
When certain phenomena are new they are interesting; however, when this phenomena is repeated too often it becomes boring (Maslow, 1970, p 33). Mass consumption falls into Maslow’s (1970, p 39) category of material or lower needs. Once a person’s lower needs are met, people move onto higher needs. Therefore, people continue to buy the new because the old becomes no longer satisfying. While a person's possessions can temporarily give people enjoyment, independence and control; these only gratify physical needs as they are but an illusion of an utopia that advertisers create (Dittmar, 2007, p 27,29).
Craft, on the other hand, can offer people gratification of their cultural, spiritual and emotional needs in a way consumerism cannot. While industries shorten physical durability and culturally globalise the aesthetics of their products in order to gain profits; object begin to focus purely on function. As Risatti (2007, p 23) points out, when an object is purely function based people lose emotional attachment, therefore the object becomes meaningless. However, by focusing on people's desires, then objects can become more valuable to an individual (Risatti, 2007, p 23). While mass produced products only focus on people's desires at face value, through advertising; craft can provide people the ability to display a part of their self-identity through individual aesthetic and personality (Atkinson, 2006, p1-2). While in many cases, it is often cheaper to purchase new goods than it is to purchase the materials necessary to produce a product oneself; many will not truly feel represented, as an individual, from their mass produced possessions (Atkinson, 2006, p 5).
In Rachel Mason's 2005 case study of women's domestic crafts, she points out that, unlike consumerism, craft can deeply contribute to an individuals satisfaction in their everyday life (p 263). While many of the women examined performed domestic crafts, simply for their own enjoyment; Mason (2005, p 263) also observed an increase in the crafters' self-esteem, life experience and overall wellbeing. Design has become very standardised as designers work for an unknown public therefore, designs cannot target people as individuals as each individual holds different values and has different appeals (Attfield, 2000, p 48). People attempt to individualise standardised objects, such as phones, with cases and stickers though it does not successfully represent one's individual identity in the same way. As Atkinson (2006, p 7) states, "The involvement in the creation of goods in order to derive personal meaning has become increasingly important to many in an age of mass-consumption". Therefore, it is the meaning behind the object that makes it valuable rather than the object itself. Risatti (2007, p 23) notes that there is a difference between function and usefulness. While function is simply the operation of the product; the usefulness may be the benefits that product has on an individuals emotional needs, or the meaning behind the product, but may not necessarily be related to the function of the product at all (Risatti, 2007, p 23).
When crafting an item, a tangible piece of an individuals identity is being formed as well as maintained (Atkinson, 2006, p 7). As people construct their identity through their possession; crafting one's own belongings, is to fully submerge themselves in the self, thus providing a more distinctive sense of individuality (Watson, Shove, 2007, p 70). As the crafter knows that their creation genuinely represents them, they become more self-confident as they are assured of who they are (Mason, 2005, p 265). Crafters become more self-reliant and independent as they do not require professional help; thus making their home-crafted belongings more fulfilling as they express one's capabilities (Atkinson, 2006, p 6). While many craft for personal pleasure and satisfaction, they are also, simultaneously, keeping traditional skills alive (Attfield, 2000, p 68). As a result, the belongings of crafters become far more meaningful as there is a story behind them; the reason for making, the struggles and skills learnt and the design process. As Atkinson (2006, p 7) states, "[Craft] enhance[s] people's notion of themselves as a agent of design rather than merely a passive consumer".
As the evidence shows, mass produced objects cannot successfully represent the user's individuality. So why then, would someone furnish a house with mass produced items? Could a house truly be a home if it does not adequately mirror the individual or the family as a unit? Would the house become void in value? As a person's possessions demonstrates their personality to strangers; if there identity is misrepresented than they may be misjudge by others, which would only add to one's disconnection and dissatisfaction between themselves and their belongings (Atkinson, 2006, p 7). The home would no longer be a place of satisfaction but would become unsettling (Friedman, 1994, p 66). As most people keep their public and private lives separate; the home becomes a sanctuary where one is given the sense of control (Csikszentmihlyi, Rochberg-Halton, 1981, p 121). While people forge their identity most openly within the home; it is over a period of time where values become deep-rooted (Manson, 2005, p 264). This is because people attach belongings to memories, experiences or other people (Csikszentmihlyi, Rochberg-Halton, 1981, p 112). For example, a person and their hand crafted soft toys. An individual may relate that toy to the person who made it for them. Not only is the toy entertainment for an individual as a child; but even as a person ages, it serves as a reminder of their experiences and the people who care for them.
(picture)Figure 3: Teddy Bears: Adults on their Stuffed Toy Companions (Source: BBC. 2013)
As people fill their homes in a manner to represent themselves, it only makes sense that craft can demonstrate a persons character, as a person physically creates themselves in crafted items. People only change the objects in their homes when their changing as a person. It becomes easier for people to mange this through crafted objects as they can simply add on to the existing object, rather than simply buying new, mass produced goods in order to follow the latest trends and gain status - which will less honestly represent a person's identity (Friedman, 1994, p 49). Therefore, through craft, people create their identity as well as define it (Csikszentmihlyi, Rochberg-Halton, 1981, p 138). As Friedman (1994, p 66) points out, the home can become "an arena for creativity and artists ambition", as well as an arena for self-identity.
Not only does craft offer an arena of self-identity but it also offers a sense of community. As Maslow (1970, p 33) points out, lower or material needs only satisfy an individual for a short period. But these material needs can be met very easily and will continue to occur if higher needs are not meet. A person's higher needs can only be meet through relationships (Maslow, 1970, p 39). While mass production and advertising industries promote competitiveness and cause the corrosion of community through excessive individualism; craft can bring people back together (Mason, 2005, p 264). By teaching and sharing skills of crafting; people form tighter bonds. It is through a person's relationship that the begin to understand their community (Maslow, 1970, p 39). This results in a deeper understanding of one's position within their community, thus forming stronger sense of self.
In a society which is now saturated with technology, craft can continue to keep traditional techniques alive (Buszek, 2011, p 205). Contemporary designers can learn from craft as it focuses more on the process of creation rather than the final, polished product. By focusing on the potential of the activity, rather than the outcome, people can become more intellectual designers, as the focus is on building up one's skills (Buszek, 2011, p 205). As craft is not intended to be displayed in the public or for mainstream economics; this opens it up as a way to challenge globalisation (Buszek, 2011, p 204). Rather than focusing on how wide spread a design can be, designers should be focusing on people as individuals; embracing different cultures in an authentic way - rather than as a selling point. Craft becomes honest as the crafter is not thinking about the profits from the end result, but rather the skills, knowledge and experienced gained throughout the process of crafting (Buszek, 2011, p 3). Craft ultimately becomes more satisfying as it focuses on the everyday and ordinary people who can learn such skills and feel a sense of accomplishment when their skills begin to develop (Atkinson, 2006, p 6). By crafting, people accept themselves as ordinary. Therefore, they become happier in everyday life, as they are not attempting to reach the unattainable ideal that mass production and advertising industries present.
Therefore, from the evidence that has been provided, it can be seen that craft is a far more satisfying way for a person to demonstrate their identity than through the purchasing of mass produced goods. While mass production and advertising industries manipulate people's emotions and create an illusion of fulfilment in order to sell products to passive consumers and gain profit; craft can offer genuine satisfaction through the skills, knowledge and deep sense of self people gain while crafting. People can become confused and lose their sense of self-identity, as mass produced products and mainstream economics are ever-changing. Craft allows consumers to take a more active role as it offers people a way to physically represent themselves through design. Contemporary designers can learn from craft, as focusing on the process of the product rather than the result, designers can create more meaningful works that represent everyday people and a variety of cultures. These works would be far more honest in their design thus providing users more satisfaction in relation to their belongings.
Atkinson, P. (2006). Do It Yourself: Democracy and Design. Journal of Design History, 19(1), 1-9. Doi: 10.1093/jdh/epk001
Attfield, J. (2000). Wild Things: The Material Culture of Everyday Life. New York, USA: Berg.
BBC. (2013). Teddy Bears: Adults on their Stuffed Toy Companions [article/ photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21367728
Buszek, M. (2011). Extra/Ordinary: Craft an Contemporary Art. USA: Duke University Press.
Csikszentmihlyi, M. Rochberg-Halton, E. (1981). The Meaning of Things: Domestic Symbols and the Self. New York, USA: Cambridge University Press.
Dittmar, H. (2007). Consumer Culture, Identity and Well-Being. New York, USA: Psychology Press.
Douglas, M. Isherwood, B. (1979). The World of Goods: Towards an Anthropology of Consumption. London, UK: Routledge.
Featherstone, M. (2007). Consumer Culture and Postmodernism. California, USA: SAGE Publications Inc.
Friedman, J. (1994). Consumption and Identity. Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers.
L'Oreal. (2014). L'Oreal Paris 2014 (New Video) [Video, screenshot]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6v5uZwoUtg
Maslow, A. H. (1970). Motivation and Personality. New York, USA: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.
Mason, R. (2005). The Meaning and Value of Home-Based Craft. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 24(3), 263-264. Doi: 10.1111/j.1476-8070.2005.00449.x
Risatti, H. (2007). Theory of Craft: Function and Aesthetic Expression. Chapel Hill, USA: University of North Carolina Press.
Watson, M. Shove, E. (2008). Product, Competence, Project and Practice: DIY and the Dynamics of Craft Consumption. Journal of Consumer Culture, 8(69), 70-76. Doi: 10.1177/1469540507085726
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