Don't let the entertainment industry and US government dictate what we can do on the Internet -
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Monday, 16 January 2012
Knitted Kittens Craft Club
Here's the latest poster for Knitted Kittens Craft Club. I'm hoping to interview the group in February for my research, so will definitely write a blog post documenting how I got on. The poster is designed by my oh so talented partner in crime Sophie Daniels.
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Email Interview with San Smith
I am extremely excited to tell you all about an email interview I had with one of my all time favourite bloggers San Smith. San is a freelance illustrator based in Atlanta, USA and I was ecstatic when she agreed to answer a few questions for my research.
There are many things I particularly love about San's blog - of course it's fun to read and very aesthetically pleasing, but it has also taught me a few things regarding my own blog practices too. Her posts are always positive, you can tell that she writes to inspire herself and others; another aspect of her blog that I particularly like is how her personality shines through, San obviously has very clear ideas of who she is and is adept at displaying her creative ideas to the online community.
Her online presence and work is a prime example of how creative people use technologies to develop their businesses and communicate their ideas. I even think it is fair to claim that San's blog is amongst my main inspirations as to why I am exploring how creative people use online technologies in this way so it was really amazing to get her contribution.
San works as a freelance illustrator so if you are looking for cool and unique custom designs then you can contact her through her website: http://www.san-smith.com/
Thursday, 5 January 2012
Interview with Quilting Ninja
When recently writing a paper for a journal. I realized (to my horror) that I hadn't actually interviewed any Etsy sellers yet, I needed to know some of the benefits of using Etsy for crafty people wanting to sell their work. After a quick plea on Facebook an old friend of mine (Madeline, who also runs an online store called Ghouls and Gladrags) said that she has a friend in America which has her own store on Etsy, she contacted her for me and managed get a few written statements to use for my research.
This also proves as an excellent example of how people may build relationships online (such as Madeline and her friend Kristen) even when based in different countries. It can also be used as an example of utilizing new technologies to collect data.
Kristen runs Quilting Ninja, where she makes and sells beautiful quality quilts with a "twist on the traditional".
Quilting Ninja clearly believes in the importance of individuality and the personality which can be found within the handmade, as Kristen also offers a bespoke service; meaning that if you had a particular design, theme or idea in mind then Kristen can be contacted to help make your ideas a reality. I personally love how she mixes the traditional notion of quilting with contemporary and alternative tastes, such as the Dr Suess quilt which is my particular favourite.
I want to say a big thank you to Madeline and Kristen as they have both really made such a big difference to my research, make sure you visit their stores and support their work xx
This also proves as an excellent example of how people may build relationships online (such as Madeline and her friend Kristen) even when based in different countries. It can also be used as an example of utilizing new technologies to collect data.
Kristen runs Quilting Ninja, where she makes and sells beautiful quality quilts with a "twist on the traditional".
Quilting Ninja clearly believes in the importance of individuality and the personality which can be found within the handmade, as Kristen also offers a bespoke service; meaning that if you had a particular design, theme or idea in mind then Kristen can be contacted to help make your ideas a reality. I personally love how she mixes the traditional notion of quilting with contemporary and alternative tastes, such as the Dr Suess quilt which is my particular favourite.
I want to say a big thank you to Madeline and Kristen as they have both really made such a big difference to my research, make sure you visit their stores and support their work xx
Saturday, 31 December 2011
My Makes
This is the last blog post of 2011, my blog has been a bit quiet since I've been taking some time off from the madness of December which included writing a journal paper, covering lessons and marking, but 2012 expects to be a bigger and busier year for me as I'm hoping to finish my thesis when my funding ends at the end of July. I already have lots of excellent things planned but thought I would finish the year with a post of some of the things I knitted as Christmas presents for people.
These are hot water bottle covers that I made using a simple garter stitch and basic pattern which I made up myself, the colours were chosen by the recipients and the buttons have snowflake details to be give a wintery feel. They were pretty easy so I am in the middle of making one for myself too.
The next item is a tea cosy which was requested by the recipient, I decided to use green as I know that many items in her kitchen are lime green, The tea pot is from Whittards and has the same star detail which can be seen on the mugs, the stars inspired me to think of a circus theme so the tea cosy design is loosely based on the stripes of a big-top tent (attaching the bobble on top made me particularly angry). I placed a miniature bottle of gin within the tea pot as a secret surprise.
I hope that everyone had a excellent Christmas and has a happy new year. Although I am enjoying the rest I am looking forward to diving back into my work.
These are hot water bottle covers that I made using a simple garter stitch and basic pattern which I made up myself, the colours were chosen by the recipients and the buttons have snowflake details to be give a wintery feel. They were pretty easy so I am in the middle of making one for myself too.
The next item is a tea cosy which was requested by the recipient, I decided to use green as I know that many items in her kitchen are lime green, The tea pot is from Whittards and has the same star detail which can be seen on the mugs, the stars inspired me to think of a circus theme so the tea cosy design is loosely based on the stripes of a big-top tent (attaching the bobble on top made me particularly angry). I placed a miniature bottle of gin within the tea pot as a secret surprise.
I hope that everyone had a excellent Christmas and has a happy new year. Although I am enjoying the rest I am looking forward to diving back into my work.
Sunday, 11 December 2011
Charles Leadbeater Talk
On Thursday I went to the Cornerhouse Cinema to hear Charles Leadbeater do a talk called 'Improvers, Entertainers, Shockers and Makers: A Guide to Modern Culture'. Charles Leadbeater has been extremely influential to my thesis and I found his book 'We Think: Mass Innovation not Mass Production' extremely inspiring when I was trying to work out what I wanted to write about.
The talk was fantastic, it took a little while to warm up but when it did I remembered everything that I liked about Leadbeater's philosophies and how it applies to my own work. I found his opinions particularly interesting during the Q and A session afterward.
I managed to have a quick word with Charles Leadbeater at the end of the session to tell him how influential his book has been on my work and he seemed pleased, I also managed to get my booked signed, my copy of this book is actually battered as I've made so many notes in the margins.
The talk was fantastic, it took a little while to warm up but when it did I remembered everything that I liked about Leadbeater's philosophies and how it applies to my own work. I found his opinions particularly interesting during the Q and A session afterward.
I managed to have a quick word with Charles Leadbeater at the end of the session to tell him how influential his book has been on my work and he seemed pleased, I also managed to get my booked signed, my copy of this book is actually battered as I've made so many notes in the margins.
I highly recommend Leadbeater's work for ideas and information about the benefits of sharing ideas and collaboration.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Interview with Kate Day
Of course all of my interviewees have been wonderful but I consider it to be a great privilege that I was given the opportunity to speak with Kate Day - Director of Manchester Craft and Design Centre.
The Manchester Craft and Design Center is one of those rare places that makes Manchester special, completely unique to the city it houses a community of makers and provides a welcoming space for them to sell their products.
The director Kate Day is an extremely intelligent woman, her grasp on craft, technology and their place within culture is unsurpassed. Kate possesses a deep authority on these subjects which is built on authenticity and professionalism.
The Manchester Craft and Design Centre is very lucky to have someone like Kate Day looking out for their best interests and I was just as lucky to be able to speak to her for my research, the insights and information she has provided me have been invaluable and I thank her for her time.
The Manchester Craft and Design Center is one of those rare places that makes Manchester special, completely unique to the city it houses a community of makers and provides a welcoming space for them to sell their products.
The director Kate Day is an extremely intelligent woman, her grasp on craft, technology and their place within culture is unsurpassed. Kate possesses a deep authority on these subjects which is built on authenticity and professionalism.
The Manchester Craft and Design Centre is very lucky to have someone like Kate Day looking out for their best interests and I was just as lucky to be able to speak to her for my research, the insights and information she has provided me have been invaluable and I thank her for her time.
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