Craft is a pattern of kindness and a peaceful action of connection. The principle of this natural order is from the core of the universe and is the oldest expression of being. Paulus Berensohn, mystic, writer, craft artist, dancer, deep ecologist, and potter, said, “Art is not a thing. It’s a behavior. It’s a participatory consciousness. All primary materials are a wilderness, and behaving artistically can save us.” He goes on to say, “My intuition has convinced me that working with primary materials: clay, fiber, wood, or glass, and working with them in a mode and rhythm that rounds us out will also soften the heaviness of our life.”[1]
We come to our creative lives through a continuum of motivations. Our peaceful actions offset the addiction to mass production and runaway economic growth. It’s bountiful to hold a yellow thread and weave a line of countercultural integrity. Indra’s Net is also a tapestry. The craft arts are patient and long-suffering. Harmony is natural. Making objects from clay or textile, wood, and fire is an intimate placeholder in a world gone wired and wild with grief.
And while I live for the pure experience of my creative practice, too often, I’m pushing back against the forces that pull me from my studio time. I come to feel like I live on the run, a psychic refugee, hunted for the exotic “ivories” of my handmade life. My vital resource is time, and there’s never enough of it. An average day has enough struggle battling for access to economies that will pay bills, purchase materials, and find time to make my work. Disasters – while I don’t want them to happen to anyone – I assume it will never happen to me.
Mass extinction, while some say it is possible, I see it as unlikely. Nature will never stop making wiser children, so I choose to believe the future is secure. At the same time, while the focus on mass extinction can attract some of my attention, what holds all of my attention is my life. The craft artist is not to go the way of the passenger pigeon. We must thrive and survive. The Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) is our kind of nature conservancy. Founded in 1985, CERF+ was established to support artists during emergencies. “Inspired by the craft community’s tradition of passing the hat, CERF + remains committed to its mutual aid origins and engagement with craft artists.”[2]
