How to be a Craftivist: The art of gentle protest

by Sarah P. Corbett

320 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 2024

Reviews

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first this book was not what I was expecting. I was expecting the author to use more metaphorical language about craft to talk about the qualities activists should be like. I also expected her to be more open to applying these ideas more broadly. We got into more specifics than I had expected! In the end I appreciated this because I have a clearer grasp of what craftivism really is- both in the details and in a larger way of being sort of way. I like that craftivism is about engaging deeply and being open minded to other humans- kinda goes against what people think of as activism. Also while reading it I realized that I had not really engaged in thought about what activism is and how to do it- I learned about it through models but I haven’t really thought beyond that. I slugged through the beginning but I got more into it about a third of the way in. Right now I am trying to figure out how to engage with craftivism, whether I really do a craft with crafterthoughts as a form of inner activism, or I bring this to my students, or I get brave enough to engage in the gift-giving to powerful people? I want to go back and read some of the first few chapters to see how I might start.

Her writing style took a little getting used to because she is British. Also, she uses the word charity a little different than I am used to. Finally, I found it funny how classically into “politeness” she is, it was at times a little much for my American brain to handle (even though I’m midwestern!).