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How to be a Craftivist: The Art of Gentle Protest
How to be a Craftivist: The Art of Gentle Protest | Sarah Corbett
2 posts | 2 read | 1 to read
How to Be a Craftivist is a manifesto for quiet activism: how to tackle issues not with shouting and aggression but with gentle protest, using the process of ‘making’ to engage thoughtfully in the issues we are about, to influence and effect change. Sarah Corbett – professional campaigner and founder of the Craftivist Collective – shares her journey from burnt-out activist, tired of marching, confrontation and demonizing opposition, towards a more respectful activism: using craft to contemplate global issues, provoke thought and start conversations rather than arguments; to engage, empower and encourage people on and offline to become part of change in the face of injustice, inequality and prejudice. Interwoven with Sarah’s personal stories of causes fought are ideas and suggestions for every novice craftivist. From how to think about the medium itself, to looking at colour, fonts, size and message, here is inspiration for every detail of your creation. In today’s world it’s easy to feel helpless, but here is a book to initiate debates rather than shouting matches, to enable collaboration in place of confrontation. Gentleness can be a great strength, and quiet action can sometimes speak as powerfully amid the noise as the loudest voice. And if we want a world that is beautiful, kind and fair... shouldn’t our activism be beautiful, kind and fair?
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Robotswithpersonality
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As seems to be happening more often these days, the non-fiction that has been staring at me from the depths of my TBR for years, are turning out to be great reads that I wish I read earlier.
In this case, I'm very glad I have the full picture of what this book offers by reading it 'in one go', but I think its strength will be in its use as a manual, something to refer back to repeatedly along the craftivist journey, in addition to the online 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? site mentioned.
I am heartened, hopeful, in some sense renewed, by the recounting of Sarah's efforts, by her careful outlining of what being an effective craftivist, a gentle, compassionate protestor is all about.
I really appreciate her continual emphasis on certain facts that I think help this movement to be particularly inclusive:
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Robotswithpersonality 3/? -craftivism is a part of the activist toolkit, it is not meant to replace or devalue other forms of activism
-all kinds of people may be interested in joining if you keep an open mind
-research is key to understanding the people you want to reach and the issue you want to address
-empathy, the focus on becoming a critical friend rather than an aggressive enemy of those who you are trying to engage in making a change
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Robotswithpersonality 4/? -continually evaluating your efforts, asking 'crafterthoughts' to hone your intentions and projects
- exercising humility: ensuring you are filling a gap or aiding a group already doing the work, consulting the people directly affected for their thoughts/approval of your plan, but not taking too much of their time, emotional labour
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Robotswithpersonality 5/? I couldn't possibly summarize everything the book covered, but I love that my first read through has left such an impression. If you're at all curious, I highly recommend picking it up.
Corbett has professionally worked as an activist so I could see where her outlined journey might seem intimidating, but she's careful to indicate all the ways you can join in, get started, and the book makes it clear how worthwhile such efforts are.
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Robotswithpersonality 6/6 Heads up: There are a couple paragraphs about J.K. Rowling that did NOT age well from this 2017 book; thankfully Rowling's no longer part of the stitchable changemakers collection on the associated website. 😬 4d
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Vikz
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Another book that I read during my absence and loved. I was given an #arc via #NetGalley and loved it that much that I had to buy a copy