I'm still trying to figure out how it's already nearly the middle of October, as it feels that the end of the 2024 Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival (August 23 - 25, 2024) was just a week or so ago! I have been thinking about that festival, along with many related topics.
As it pertains to the festival, specifically, one thing I know for sure is that there were weary vendors, teachers, and exhausted festival team members by the time it was over. I know this because I was a little more tired than usual and I didn't do more than attend and teach 2 class sessions!!
First of all, it was really wonderful (for me) to have an event like this that was, literally, right down the road from my house. It made it much easier for me to incorporate 3 days of attendance into my otherwise busy life. It also meant that after a long day at the event, I was able to get back home in a short period of time. I thought about this more than a few times over the weekend because there were a lot of people packing up to drive home, several hours away at the end of the 3-day event.
The vendor market areas were full of exciting items, all displayed with expertise and care. Classes were plentiful and while I taught one and attended one, my perspective is that all of the classes seemed to be popular and well-attended.
The class I chose was a sewing-specific class and I left with a finished reversible drawstring bag (2 of the subsequent ones I've made for gifts are pictured above). The class was $65 and we were to bring a handful of our own supplies, while sewing machines and cutting tools were available in the class.
I felt that the fee for that class was wholly appropriate for a sewing class where no pre-requisite sewing experience was required. I teach mostly technology, have never taught sewing and have only ever taught crocheting to 1 person (my granddaughter), so I have no experience in this specific education space. That being said, I have a great deal of appreciation for the teachers who took on sewing classes with no pre-requisite sewing expertise or knowledge required!
The reversible drawstring bag class was prepared well, and to my eye, had been vetted/tested prior to deployment. I only made 1 minor change to the pattern when I went home and began to make these for gifts and to use as gift bags, and I can see why they may not have included that in the class.
Given the perspective of a few weeks' time, OTHER fiber adventures, and consideration of things in the wider culture, I have some thoughts about events like this and related ventures.
Many of us seem to be doing fiber arts activities the same way we've ALWAYS done them. We open stores dedicated to our craft-of-choice, we host festivals and events, and we do craft/vendor shows. None of this is inherently BAD or GOOD, but in my opinion, and based on my collection of anecdotal observations, it's not working the same way that it has in the past. I have some knowledge and expertise about this transition because I grew up in a family that, for several years, lived on the proceeds of sales at craft shows (juried), only. The time period was the early-mid-1970's (prior to the oil embargo and "stagflation" of the later 1970's period) and the world seemed to be much simpler in this space.
In terms of SHOPPING, things were simpler. We had, only a couple decades prior, figured out how to employ TRUCKING to bring fresh fruits and vegetables from across the nation to markets on the East Coast and Northern states out of season. Amazon was simply a river in South America and the internet was someone's dream, I'm sure, but it was not anything for which the rest of us had any concept or context. Today, things are VERY different, and let's hope so! The 1970's were a half-century ago!
The challenges I see specifically in following what I am calling a "1970's Crafting Plan" are as follows:
The opening of global markets have significantly lowered prices on many items
Online shopping has made things available from many more places
People's appreciation for things has shifted
In the 1970's, people were willing to part with a significant amount of money for a unique, hand-crafted item of good quality. I believe that several factors played into that, including the fact that if they saw something they liked at a weekend show but did not buy it; it was harder to chase down the crafter and order one later. The "penalty" for not giving in to that impulse to buy was much steeper than it is today. In the 21st century, we can find the person's website and purchase the item once we realize that we truly want it. We ALSO have the option to look for viable alternatives that may be better or even cheaper.
It is my belief, based on my own travels and observations, that in the crafting space, people today value things with a lower price much more than they value something's hand-crafted status. Therefore, what often happens is that they peruse local craft shows, but if they don't like the price points, they'll go online and look for it at a better price.
In the 1990's as the world was headed into the exciting early and disruptive changes brought by internet technology, I began to see this FIRST in smaller wood crafts, then came the painted signs, followed by flower arrangements (e.g. wreaths and centerpieces). The influx of mass-produced, (and very low-priced!) wooden craft items and knick-knacks made it next to impossible for actual wood-working artists to make a living. Same story for many other artists. In my family it was glassblowing, and while we were lucky enough to be toward the END of the impact from global trade, we still felt the changes in craft show attendance and purchasing patterns.
So, what does this mean?
If demographic trends have any merit, we can look at them to begin. Millennials, the demographic group with the MOST buying power right now, report to be more interested in having EXPERIENCES than acquiring "things". The "Knick-Knack" market itself has declined since they took over as chief consumers in our culture, so while they - thankfully! - are learning to knit and crochet, as is Gen Z, they are more interested in events and community than in collecting large quantities of yarn that they may - or may not - ever use.
How can we leverage this understanding to the benefit of the larger fiber arts community? In my opinion, a pivot away from sales as the foundation and to EVENTS is a good start. Amazon can't replace a local gathering of fiber artists and the relationships that are formed will be more long-lasting than many of the things we all order online!
To be clear, I understand that the traditional venues for the events that I am suggesting can be EXPENSIVE. Hotel ballrooms, event halls and even local shops with monthly expenses represent significant outlays of capital before the first person walks into consider a purchase.
What if these options have simply outlived their usefulness?
History is littered with the stories of businesses that are no longer around because the culture moved on and people stopped buying what they were selling. I wrote about this on my other site in a different context (spirituality) in these 2 blog posts:
The long and the short of those blog posts is that things change, and anyone who stomps their feet and claims that they've ALWAYS done it this way, and have no intention to change, usually find themselves headed for the dustbin of history. Consider the story of Blockbuster Video stores:
“[Blockbuster was] too busy making money in their video stores to imagine a time when people would no longer want or need them. And in a bid to rescue their business, their answer at the time was to fight fire with fire. At one point they even opened up rental kiosks, a little bit like a vending machine, but all of these attempts were based on either outdated technology or outdated business models, whereas Netflix at the time, they did the opposite; they streamlined, they were able to see the future of video rentals and then innovate for that future. Blockbuster… didn’t seem to understand how … millennials, who grew up in a world without hard-copy media like DVDs and CDs, would react to video-on-demand as technology improved. And that’s why Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Hulu, they’re still all in business, whilst Blockbuster got left behind.“
(from Business Insider Online)
Those of us in the fiber arts corner of the world would do well to ask ourselves if we want to be a Blockbuster or a Netflix. Blockbuster doubled down on their previous successes with outdated technology and/or business models, while Netflix and others took a chance on innovation.
I'm voting for innovation and change. I surely don't have a crystal ball to see what that might be, but I'm game for the ride as we explore a new way. One thing I do know is that if we don't acknowledge the realities around us; avoid TALKING about the imminent changes, and shun anyone that does - we're headed for a line item in history next to Blockbuster (video stores) and Border's (bookstores).
In many ways, the future of fiber arts is up to us - crocheters and knitters. Let's embrace our skills; our expertise in the fiber arts and turn our faces to the future - a future we can create together and that serves us all!
(C) 2024 Stitch 'n Dish
Comments