05 Jan Craftivist Journal no.1

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Happy New Year Craftivists 🙂

To become who we are, let’s be subversive in 2015. A rebel with a cause! So much of our culture pushes the view ‘a new year, a new me’ a time for personal reinvention, often focusing on our external looks not the beauty within us and of course steering us to buying our way to happiness (sneaky!). The other default is often to focus too much on trying to change the world ourselves, be a hero & ‘save’ people. Yikes that’s a big challenge! Neither offers sit well with us.

We believe in striving to be the best version of ourselves in 2015: In solidarity with people, speaking out with courage and kindness where there is oppression, asking how we can be helpful using our power, position & passion and continuing to use craft as a tool for critical thinking: grappling with why there is still poverty & suffering in the world when we’ve proven what awesome things we can achieve in other areas. Let’s not accept the status quo but continue to be proud craftivists contributing to making our world can be even more just, kind & beautiful one stitch at a time yeah?:)

Sounds like a tiring challenge I know but I found this poem recently & thought it was perfect for this first monthly newsletter of 2015 (now called “Craftivist Journal”- like it?)

Poem by an unknown Monk 1100 A.D: “I wanted to change the world’

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.

I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.

When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.

Now, as an old man, I realise the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realised that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact in our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

(Or be part of changing the world aye mr humble monk?;p)

We’ve found these 4 things below useful on our journey so far in the Craftivist Collective & thought you might find them useful too. Let us know what you think by tweeting us @craftivists

Watch:

Watch Karen Armstrong’s 20min talk about her Charter for Compassion in the morning & begin your day with hope & excitement.

Read:

Read 50 stories from changemakers across nations, eras, wars & movements who made a difference despite the odds.

Share:

Share this list of 21 inspirational quotes about how we change the world. Pick up your needle & thread & let’s start the year as change-makers together

Follow:

Follow Whole Larder Love by inspiring & funny guy, Rohan on eating real food. Encouraging us to get our hands dirty, minds thinking & bellies & hearts full.

Links here for Kinfolk Magazine & Blog Review 2014.

It’s been a fun & fulfilling 2014 with this lovely community & I feel very privileged to be in this growing collective with you all. Seriously. Happy 2015 & I can’t wait to hear what you think of our new adventures coming up in the next 12 months (eek!)

P.S. Don’t you think this quote by the legendary Desmond Tutu is a brilliant challenge for 2015? “There comes a point when we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” Let us know x

We ? your tweets/feedback. Here is our pick for Journal 1 by @llenander

“Really interesting reflecting about how we communicate important messages about social justice effectively @Craftivists #CQ2014”