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i think it’s safe to say that most of us reading this site have at least a slight affinity for the handmade movement. i’ve dedicated the last few years of my life to covering the handmade community online and i know there are some of you reading who’ve spent your entire lives being a part of this incredible community of artists focused on handmade skills and indie-entrepenurship. whether you’re new or not-so-new to the handmade scene i think you’ll enjoy reading rob walker’s handmade 2.0 article in the new york times magazine. ~~a chapter from his upcoming book “buying in: the secret dialogue between what we buy and who we are“,~~ the article is mostly an exploration of the handmade/indie design scene (focusing on etsy, buy handmade, the church of craft, the austin craft mafia and handmade nation). for those of you who live and breath this community the article might not reveal anything new to you, but i found it really interesting to hear someone from outside of the design scene examine and analyze some of the missions and ideology behind the handmade movement. i think it’s a must-read, so click here to check it out. you can also read rob’s continued discussion of the article and subjects within right here on his blog.

[Image above: Thomas Hannich for The New York Times. Crocheted laptop by Joana Vasconcelos]

Thanks so much for the links Grace. Just one quick thing: The article is NOT a chapter from the book. There’s stuff about DIY/craft scene in the book, but different stuff. Sorry for any confusion!

But again, thanks much for the linking and the kind words. Cheers/ rw

Wonderful! I LOVE this! It is very satisfying knowing that the handmade movement has reached the interests of a broader audience, outside ourselves.

At this point, it will be interesting to see how this movement grows, and continues to flow into the mainstream market.

I definitely will be reading Rob’s book when it’s published~

thanks so much for pointing this out - I missed this and it is so relevant to me. Almost all the gifts I’m giving this year are handmade - either by me, via Etsy or directly from a small artist. I love buying from people directly and supporting the creativity of others. I love finding new and unique things. I hope this movement continues to have legs!

I was so thrilled to read this article but even more excited to learn that Rob has a book coming out (love that NYT column!) I am actually suprised how few folks — other than bloggers and stakeholders — have looked into the Etsy/crafting scene with anything close to a serious analysis. Maybe that’s a blessing in disguise, however.

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