So how do you craft the future? YOU CREATE IT! which goes along with one of my favorite quotes of all time by Alan Kay who is credited with inventing the laptop and is a renown tech speaker and is renown for coining the adage, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
NEW PROGRAM ON BUSINESS : As I head off to the Winter Craft and Hobby Association Conference at LA Convention Center I realize that a new breed of crowd-sourcing and crowd-funding could propel some of the most talented designers and crafters at the confab to fame and fortune. That is if their talent is in the art of business, not just their specialty of knitting, carpentry or glitter and glue! That's why it's fascinating to see Nick Bilton, NYT blogger and reporter set to keynote and a whole new emphasis at the CHASHOW as the Winter conference is known as it moves from Orange County Anaheim to LA Convention Center (for more program info go to: www.chashow.com)
In addition to Nick's opener, the CHA exec team put together a fascinating program that features workshops and demo-nars on social media, branding and retailing. See the program schedule at www.chashow.com and if you're lucky you may be able to see some video on the CHA tele-feed to be hosted by CHA fave Terry O.
In addition to Nick's opener, the CHA exec team put together a fascinating program that features workshops and demo-nars on social media, branding and retailing. See the program schedule at www.chashow.com and if you're lucky you may be able to see some video on the CHA tele-feed to be hosted by CHA fave Terry O.
TURNING A LABOR OF LOVE INTO A BUSINESS...
The elephant in the room or rather challenge facing many of the CHA attendees is that some sources say that 70 percent of all crafters would love to make a living from their hobbies. More than 1/2 of the workers in the USA have a new American dream -- not to own a house but to start their own business. Yet, informal polls show that most crafters don't make enough to pay for thier supplies from what they sell.
This is where the SBA and SBDC should be this weekend. NAWBO National Association of Women Business Owners and Google advertising managers should be offering workshops along with Angel Investor panels and Fast pitches to investors for a new breed of creative entrepreneur who will create our future using both left and right brain skills.
At the last CHA I went to I didn't see eBay officials offering training sessions in front of desktops like I saw when ecommerce hit the consumer electronics industry. Back then, eBay took over the entry level at Las Vegas Convention Center and had power sellers training the next-gen of listers. So even if you can't fulfill your dream immediately of crafting your own business, you can start to make a stream of income that will supplement that day job or even your unemployment check or social security benefits.
GETTING RETAIL TO SELL LOCAL: Whole Foods is one of the only retailers I know who features local artisans, You can buy local fruits and vegetables at most major grocery chains now but to see wares from local crafters and artisans you still have to head to trendy walkways like Abbott Kinney in Venice, CA or vendors at your local flea market unless there is an arts and crafts fair going on that weekend in your town.
It sure ain't your grandma's craft show !
NEXT GEN -- driven by new sponsorship & power of the people: The Craft and Hobby industry is a $30 billion marketplace and in the past it's been led primarily by some of the age-old household names like Singer, Elmer's Glue, Canon, and retail chains like Lowe’s, Home Depot, Michael's, AC Moore, But if you check out some of the more avant garde craft and hobby events like Maker's Fair you'll see brands like Chevrolet, AAA, Cliff Bars, Lego Education, Whole Foods, Sierra Nevada Beer , HP and newcomers like Xyron: http://makerfaire.com/bayarea/2010/sponsors/ You can peek at some of the next-gen art, crafts and designs at such events as BURNING MAN, RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR, DEVIANTART.com and scores of blog who are way outside of the old crafters toolbox.
CRAFTING AND ECOMMERCE: Online sites like Etsy.com (who just announced a new crowd mingler called Etsy Circles yesterday according to the email they sent me as a user and the up and coming site Artifire.com are all aggregating the next generation of the Hand Made Nation (yes, there is a book and documentary of that name) along with vintage and a new more daring kind of crafter who delves into a combo of art, mixed-media, altered books and even housewhold decor.
Trends influencing the Craft marketplace :
UPCYCLE AND RECYCLE: it's not enough for the next gen of extreme crafters and Project Runway TV wannabes to just recycle vintage clothing, they are into what's called upcycling -- literally redesigning something like military jacket and decorating it with lace and velvet and even adding a mix of '40's appliqué and gold 50's bracelet charms to the finished piece of wearable art. Press example from Erie, PA of all places: Before you throw it away, upcycle it GoErie.com - 10 hours agoAnd it even has a new name: upcycling. "Upcycling is finding value in the material as it exists now, retaining that value or increasing it by turning it ...
WEARABLE ART: Go ahead and search eBay for 'wearable art' and you'll see hundreds of listings, in fact if you want to almost assure bids on a decorative and colorful pre-owed clothing item tag it 'wearable art' and you're sure to at least get dozens and dozens of page views.
Press examples of wearable art include:
Gentle pastels colour Chanel haute couture collection
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STEAMPUNK: not familiar with this term? Well, Sci Fi fans sure are and a new breed of crafters, artists and techies are all fashioning wearables to fuel this passion. Do a search for Streampunk on Etsy.com and you'll see futuristic jackets, goggles and head-gear that combos Victoriana and what I'd call geekdom.Here's how Wikipedia explains this phenom --note the word 'mdded'', "Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by enthusiasts into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style.[7][30] Example objects include computer keyboards and electric guitars.[31] The goal of such redesigns is to employ appropriate materials (such as polished brass, iron, wood, and leather) with design elements and craftsmanship consistent with the Victorian era.[10][32]" www.wikipedia.org
Recent examples of Steampunk in the press include:

LED LIGHT THE WAY wearable LED studded clothing was hot fashion at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) a few years ago and it's finally hit the stores in LED decoration kits for shirts, shoes and more. CYBER CRAFTS: These light the way (okay pun intended) to a new combo of geek-crafting which is made popular by MAKE (there is an exhibit traveling to regional museums on this topic and also by kits that look like a combo of ones from Science Magazine and NYLON (a trendy fashion and pop culture pub).
You can now help your brother or your BFF make a Cylon or a Robot that walks or hack your way to PopSci fame by blogging about how you crossed your washing machine spare parts with the old diamond necklace Aunt Hilda left you in her will to design a tiara that is now on display at a Venice art gallery with a price tag of thousands!
(see below) Nick Bilton, CHA keynote penned this blog post about a version of this trend which is making Japanese fans Smile wider:

FOR THE COMMON GOOD
of course there's always another version of how to craft more revenues from mainstream action-adventure and fantasy blockbusters and Disneyana. The Twilight blockbuster films and TV licensing all continue to influence the mainstream fans who are enticed into decorating a shirt or two or conning mom or grandma into adding an appliqué to their old apparel. Comic heroes can be knitted, crocheted, glittered or even stamped onto anything from paper to paint your own pottery.
PSYCHOGRAPHICS NOT DEMOGRAPHICS MATTER FOR CRAFTING THE FUTURE: Yuppies, Boomers, Tweens, Geezers and Cyberpunks -- there's something for all of you to create when you invent the future! Go ahead upcycle that old Brooks Brothers suit and take your AARP card and those long-cancelled plastic credit cards and hot glue them into a colorful bird house. Anime your way to raising funds for your favorite high school team or hold a faux Sushi or knitted cupcake sale instead of that oh so 90's car wash.
The new world of crafting is joined together by psychographics not demographics, it's daring and adventurous and a little bit like a circus to watch but there's no one ringmaster that's why social media like Facebook, sites like Etsy.com and Artfire.com and even flickr are the best windows to this new world. After all those hours of sewing or knitting or painting or tweezering ya' just gotta show off the new baby and of course new iPhone apps and vids for iPad also allow you to Twitpic or create and show media almost real-time.AARP TOUR APP FOR THE HAND-MADE NATION ? CES certainly knows how to tie in corporate brands., Bloomingdale’s has made a fortune by turning its 59th street store into countries like Ireland or the state of Hawaii and Economic Development and Art Initiatives like We Heart Colombia have taken over Grand Central station and toured the USA with great success.
So when is the AARP going to offer that app that tells all those boomers where to buy tours of the best of the Hand Made Nation?
ABOUT THIS BLOGGER: JOYCE SCHWARZ Joyce Schwarz is the best-selling author of THE VISION BOARD: the secret to an extraordinary life and four other books on new media, careers and the future. She is one of the female pioneers in new media and combines a background in advertising, publishing ande media production with her journalism undergrad degree from Ohio University and a masters degree in professional writing (cinema) from USC. she is alsoa social entrepreneur best known for launching the Missing Kids on the Milk Carton campaign and a farquent sepaker at conferences and conventions worldwide. Last week she was names AMAZING WOMAN at Amazing Woman's Day, Los Angeles. She lives and works in Marina Del Rey and manges several successful businesses including the Center for Successful Recareering, the Vision Board Institute (with ore than 110 Certified Vision Board coaches around the globe and JCOM Emerging Media consulting which has helped launch 75 venture funded firms ranging from emusic.com to primesense.com ( Xbox kinect's powering technology).