I'm working on two projects for a manufacturer, as I mentioned last week. This weekend I went to three different large craft stores in search of specific materials to use for the projects. Imagine my dismay to find that these basic craft items are no longer available at two of the major craft retailers and one local very large craft warehouse. I was further dismayed to find an array of new products that had me scratching my head in utter confusion. If I'm going to alter a t-shirt, do I really need a kit? There was an entire aisle of altered t-shirt kits and accessories. Then the most important aspect of this concept was ignored. You should have seen the horrid t-shirts being offered, not a single cap sleeve or fitted style in the bunch. Besides the lack of attention to style I had to wonder, isn't the entire impetus behind the DIY movement that we can do it ourselves and do it our way? We don't need no stinking kits. Why not instead offer an array of products we can entirely personalize and then provide t-shirts we might actually wear in public.

I had a video producer once swear to me that he was going to help me make a fabulous demo reel. He said, "We've got your creative." Then he proceeded to hand me off to a paid by the hour intern and I never saw him again. Needless to say my reel wasn't fabulous. I'm starting to wonder if the manufacturers and the big box retailers aren't pulling the same switch? What happened to the creativity in crafting?

As I walked aisle after aisle in search of what I needed I began to notice the proliferation of skulls and the tattoo flash art. The sparkly skulls, the scary skulls, the cute skulls, the girly skulls...the nautical stars, the rose, the stylized swallows and the hearts...is it just me or has the entire Indie aesthetic been boiled down to skulls and flash art? Of course, the ever present pin up girl hasn't made it to the main stream because that wouldn't fly at the more conservatively focused craft chains, but in every aisle were the most stereotypical emblems of punk rock being transformed into mainstream icons. It was simultaneously funny and sad. The biggest problem with the craft industry is the entire disconnect between the customer and the product lines. Do they really think slapping a skull on it makes it cool?! Now I like a skull as much as the next gal, heck I wear skulls and I craft skully projects, but skulls are not the only thing I craft. Why don't these companies go to Etsy or wander the blogosphere or head to YouTube and see what folks are actually creating? Who does the market research for them?!

Then there was the other rather large and ever imposing elephant in the room. The one no one is talking about. The one that is slowly, stealthily taking over the craft aisles at your local big box retailers. I went to WalMart in my last ditch attempt to find what I was seeking and lo and behold, almost the entire craft section was transformed into a pretty, perfect, Stepford crafts world courtesy of Martha Stewart. Now please don't get me wrong. I love Martha. I respect Martha. I think Martha is a marketing genius. But have you seen these craft kits?! They're oddly uninspired. What's with the felt jewelry kits where you don't even make the felt? What's with the 70s era felt animal puppets? Why is it all so...lacking in personality? Is it just me, or don't you feel that it's all so perfectly perfect you don't want to take anything off of the shelf? Where's the creative? Where's the soul? It's all so planned out for you, there's no room for your input. Is this really where crafting is headed? If so, I may have to jump off of the train.

Yes, I've just effectively blown my chance of ever appearing on the Martha Stewart show. But someone had to point out that the emperor was wearing no clothes. Martha my friend, we love you, but do you really need to takeover the craft industry? Can't we share? I mean, we all saw this coming with the keynote speech at CHA, but did we think it was going to be like this? Isn't there room for you and the rest of us? Could you at least spice it up a skootch? It's so...vanilla frosting on vanilla cake with dragees, frosting swags and white roses.

When we got home my husband and I asked each other what happened to the project sheets? How do folks even figure out how to use anything? Why aren't there simple and easy to follow how-to sheets, videos or recordings in every aisle for every discipline showing the Average Jane the basics so she can inject that with her creativity? How can you expect to sell anything if folks don't know how to use it? The folks who work at these big box chains don't even know what they stock or how it works. Why aren't the big box craft retailers approaching it like a big box hardware store. Shouldn't the employees be empowered to help your customers know what to buy? Shouldn't there be written materials that help to sell your product? You'd at least think Martha would have project sheets. What happened there?

If the craft industry wants to survive the current economy, there's going to have to be more outreach and more awareness. We're going to have to get the folks who aren't crafting excited about it. We're going to have to educate, empower and inspire. We're going to have to work both harder and smarter. We can't do that if we get lazy and complacent. We can't do that by slapping a skull on it and walking away. We need to show the customer how to reuse, renew and recycle. We have to help them see that crafting is an inexpensive and enjoyable way to pass the time when you're stuck at home and it's a great way to bring the family together. We have to show them that they can make gorgeous gifts and they can refresh their wardrobe and they can redecorate their homes and it's simple, fun and affordable. We have to show them exactly what to use, how to use it and make it enjoyable for them. That's no easy feat, but in my mind there is no better time for crafting than this. This is our time. So what's it going to be? Are we going to see more aisles busting with tired clichés and bland ‘no room for creativity' kits or are we going to start injecting them with innovative, fresh, exciting new approaches? One is going to lead to the Martha-ization of our industry and the other leads to a place where there's room for all of us to prosper.

It is my entire career focus to inspire you to color outside of the lines, make glorious mistakes and "create without filters^TM." It's going to get harder if the materials at hand keep getting less interesting.

Thoughtfully yours,
Margot