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"The DIY ethic requires that the adherent seeks out the knowledge required to complete a given task." |
The DIY ethic refers to the ethic of self-sufficiency through completing tasks without the aid of a paid expert. Literally meaning "do it yourself,"
the DIY ethic promotes the idea that anyone is capable of performing a
variety of tasks rather than relying on paid specialists. The DIY ethic
requires that the adherent seeks out the knowledge required to complete a
given task. The term can refer to a variety of disciplines, including home improvement, first aid or creative works.
Rather than belittling or showing disdain for those who engage in
manual labor or skilled crafts, DIY champions the average individual
seeking such knowledge and expertise. Central to the ethic is the
empowerment of individuals and communities, encouraging the employment
of alternative approaches when faced with bureaucratic or societal
obstacles to achieving their objectives.
DIY culture in the United States can be linked to many of the same philosophies of the Arts and Crafts movement
of the 1900s, which sought to reconnect people with hands-on activities
and the aesthetics associated with them. This was in direct opposition
to the prevailing industrialization and modernization
which was moving many aspects of the culture's aesthetics away from the
hand-made artisan-created styles of the past and toward a mass-produced
sleek modern vision of the future. DIY culture in the US arguably
evolved from a simple cost-saving activity of the 1940s and 1950s to an
increasingly radical political activity which stood against the
increasingly visible trends of mass-production, conspicuous consumerism,
waste, and the industrial corporate philosophy of planned obsolescence.
DIY culture in the US is a current and evolving loose coalition of
various individuals. There are many members of DIY culture with distinct
and activist philosophies and goals, such as Betsy Greer who coined the term Craftivism
in 2003. There are also many people with a staunch neutrality of
political and social issues adopted by other members of the DIY
movement. The largest group fall into an area somewhere between these
two opposites, as varied in the spectrum of political and social
philosophy as members of any large and thriving subculture.
In John Isaacson's book Do-It-Yourself Screenprinting, published by Portland, Oregon's Microcosm Publishing, who gained fame by publishing and distributing a wide variety of zines, Jason Munn is quoted in a "screenprinter profile" as relating to the medium as follows: "I loved the idea of designing or illustrating something and doing the
printing myself. Most of my time is spent in front of the computer so
the printing is a great way to get my hands dirty again, so to speak."
In modern society, it is uncommon for people to go more than a part of a day without interacting with computers
or other modern technology. This leads to disconnect between the person
and the physical world world around them - including other people - and
is a secondary significant motivating force in leading people to
embrace DIY culture.
Carla Sinclair, Editor in Chief of Craft
attempts to describe the DIY community: "This DIY renaissance embraces
crafts while pushing them beyond traditional boundaries, either through
technology, irony, irreverence, and creative recycling, or by using
innovating materials and processes...the new craft movement encourages
people to make things themselves rather than buy what thousands of
others already own. It provides new venues for crafters to show and sell
their wares, and it offers original, unusual, alternative, and
better-made goods to consumers who choose not to fall in step with
mainstream commerce." Ellen Lupton embellishes these thoughts in her book D.I.Y. Design It Yourself:
"Around the world, people are making things themselves in order to save
money, to customize goods to suit their exact needs and interests, and
to feel less dependent on the corporations that manufacture and
distribute most of the products and media we consume. On top of these
practical and political motivations is the pleasure that comes from
developing an idea, making it physically real, and sharing it with other
people."
The articulation of both Isaacson and Lupton is that DIY activities and
culture not only are unique in a modern world of consumerism, they give
pleasure to its members simply due to the lack of corporate control or
thoughts of profit and marketability which are often assigned to the act
of creation outside the world of fine art.
These views are not universal or without variation, however. In Tsia
Carson's introduction to her book 'Craftivity: 40 Projects for the DIY
Lifestyle,' she muses that "the kind of agency one gains over their life
by making their things is certainly powerful, heady stuff. But I can't
honestly say that is why I make things. Do I make things for
spiritual reasons? I wonder if I'm ready to speak of crafting as a form
of meditation when I compare the crochet hats I make for my daughter's stuffed monkey to venerable practices like making Tibetan sand mandalas. We make things for two reasons: pleasure and because we can." While some ascribe political or social context to their DIY activities, others ascribe personal or spiritual dimensions.
Matt Maranian, author of 'Pad: The Guide to Ultra-Living,' a guide to
making your own home decor specifically intended not to look like it
was purchased in any store, illustrates another aspect of DIY culture:
"Pad is not a book for the helpless, the aimless, or the clueless, Pad
is a book for the empowered, the inspired, and the creative. It's a book
for people who forge their own trail, and who know how to make the very
most of what they have at hand — or can find cheaply. Pad is the
guerrilla approach to home decorating."
Matt articulates the sense of community and subculture present in DIY
culture, perhaps even hinting at a kind of intellectual succession from a
society deemed "helpless...aimless...clueless."
The first lines of Amy Spencer's 'DIY: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture' sum
up the juxtaposition of DIY culture's aspects by pointing out "the DIY
movement is about using anything you can get your hands on to shape your
own cultural entity: your own version of whatever you think is missing
in mainstream culture. You can produce your own zine, record an album,
publish your own book — the enduring appeal of this movement is that
anyone can be an artist or creator. The point is to get involved." Read more...
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