Craft Con

Below you will find a description for each conference session, plus supplemental materials and audio files from the conference.

Craft Con 2008: Welcome & Introduction
Introduction and welcome speech by Craft Con 2007 organizer, Rachel Hopodar of Medium Reality and Pandora’s Trunk.

Audio:
« Welcome & Introduction

CraftCon Session: HANDMADE

Starring:

« Emily Howes, craft researcher (moderator)
« Sherry Huss from Maker Faire
« Rev Callie Janoff from Church of Craft
« Brent White from Impeti

The concept of ‘handmade’ might not be so straightforward. After all, aren’t manufactured goods also made by people? What, then, does it mean to use ‘handmade’ as a selling point in a crafty business? Is it the intention of the maker? Must the maker be the designer? Is it the context in which the work is made? Presented? Sold? This panel seeks to address the sometimes contradictory complexities of the anti-manufacturing stance that is frequently found in indie craft.

Audio:
« Handmade, Part 1
« Handmade, Part 2
« Handmade Q&A, Part 1
« Handmade Q&A, Part 2
« Handmade Q&A, Part 3
« Handmade Q&A, Part 4
« Handmade Q&A, Part 5

Craft Con Session: COMPUTER SOCIAL NETWORKING

Starring:

« Debra Roby from BlogHer
« Autumn Wiggins from String Theory

This session explores the various ways crafters can harness the www to promote their businesses, streamline their administrative processes and build networks within the online community. It will feature many of the tools that were used to build Craft Con!

Craft Con Session: BRICK AND MORTAR

Starring:

« Leslie Beard from Your Mom’s, and Team Leader of Etsy Street Team Pittsburgh (moderator)
« Jackie Ortega from Craft Gym
« Hope Meng from Stitch Lounge
« Sue Daly from the Renegade Craft Fair

Craft sales venues such as online stores and craft fairs bear a distinct but altered resemblance to that strange and changeable beast, the brick and mortar establishment. There are an increasing number of actual shops, actual buildings as venues in which to buy, sell, and make handmade wares. What does it take to establish and run a ‘brick and mortar’, and how does this format transform the exchange of artists’ works?

Craft Con Session: REAL-LIFE SOCIAL NETWORKING

Starring:

« Lorraine Sanders, editor of SF Indie Fashion blog (moderator)
« Sherry Huss from Maker Faire
« Kpoene’ Kofi-Bruce, Ladies Independent
« Design League (moderator)
« Betsy Greer from Craftivism

Remember the days most people you met had, like, bodies? Now, with the rise of digital networking technologies our interactions are increasingly mediated via pixels and cables, but how effective are they really? What is the value in interacting face-to-face, talking instead of typing, in the place we have come to know as ‘the real world’?

Craft Con Session: CRAFTING GREEN

Starring:

« Autumn Wiggins from String Theory

This session explores the potential for the creativity and enthusiasm within the modern craft movement to become a vehicle to eliminate pollution and waste once and for all.

Craft Con Session: TEACHING YOUR CRAFT

Starring:

« Nicole Vasbinder from Queen Puff Puff (moderator)
« Jackie Ortega from Craft Gym
« Jen Nietzel from DIY Lounge

The widespread interest in crafting has made for unprecedented numbers of people seeking to cultivate craft skills, creating teaching opportunities for those who are already blessedly endowed. This conversation explores the vibrant niche of craft teaching.

Craft Con Session: HANDMADE NATION Q&A

Starring:

« Faythe Levine, maker of Handmade Nation documentary

Join Faythe Levine for a screening and Q&A session of the trailer of Handmade Nation, her upcoming film about the indie craft phenomenon.

Craft Con Session: EXTREME CRAFT

Starring:

« Garth Johnson from Extreme Craft

Garth Johnson presents a tour of his Extreme Craft website, which gleefully explores the gray area between art and craft. Does a popsicle stick viking ship qualify as art? Will the souls of Polish grannies who knit scandalous lace underwear be doomed to eternal Hellfire? Can Craft be used as a weapon against Nigerian scammers?

Craft Con Session: GETTING PUBLISHED

Starring:

« Jeanee Ledoux, author of Abode a la Mode: 44 Projects for Hip Home Decor; codesigner of Honeydoux jewelry (moderator)
« Melissa Rannels, Co-author of Sew Subversive and Subversive Seamster; co-owner of Stitch Lounge in San Francisco
« Tina Barseghian, Editor-in-chief of Craft magazine; author of Get a Hobby
« Kate Prouty, San Francisco Chronicle crafts editor
« Jodi Warshaw, San Francisco Chronicle crafts editor
« Julia Cosgrove, deputy editor of Readymade magazine

Publishing insiders and authors tell you how to get published and promote your work. Discussion includes preparing a book proposal that stands out, writing a great magazine query, working with an agent, working through compromises with a publisher, and guerrilla versus traditional marketing.

Supplementary Materials:
« Tips for Getting Published By Leah Kramer, founder of Craftster.org and author of The Craftster Guide to Nifty, Thrifty, and Kitschy Crafts
« Tips for the Crafty Author by Lilly Ghahremani of www.fullcircleliterary.com
« Tips for Aspiring Authors By Sonya Nimri, author of Beadalicious and Just for the Frill of It

Craft Con Session: PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND WHOLESALING

Starring:

« Tammy Hulva from Tamo Designs and Pandora’s Trunk

Coming up with fun new designs is the reason a lot of people become designers, but the process through which ideas become reality, and reality dovetails into existing standards, is a little fuzzy for a lot of us. Come meet with an experienced garment industry professional and talk about industry procedures and standards, and get a sneak peek at the only book written specifically to help designer-entrepreneurs succeed in the sewn products industry.

Craft Con Session: ALTRUISM

Starring:

« Kpoene’ Kofi-Bruce, Ladies Independent Design League (moderator)
« Autumn Wiggins from String Theory
« Olivera Bratich from Wholly Craft
« Sally Rosen from St Vincent De Paul

Meet some crafters who have helped redefine what it means to craft for a cause, explore some of the more creative ways independent artists have enriched the community, and get some good takeaway advice for starting your own philanthropic efforts.

Craft Con Session: PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLBOX

Starring:

« Ben Peoples from the Shalleck Collaborative (moderator)
« Sara Huddleston from Magic Theatre

Have you found yourself losing track of the details and struggling to up-scale your output? You may be your own best resource but allocating yourself is even harder than allocating your shrinking budget. Running a business requires you to track tons of information and wear many different hats. Come learn about tried and true techniques and approaches for tracking money, time, people, and tasks as the basis of reaping the rewards of being self-employed.

Craft Con Session: ART-CRAFT v CRAFT-CRAFT

Starring:

« Emily Howes, craft researcher (moderator)
« Mike Holmes from Velvet da Vinci gallery
« Garth Johnson from Extreme Craft
« Brent White from Impeti

The fine craft and indie craft worlds seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, one valuing mastery of material, the other valuing that certain ethic. But are they really that opposed? This session will explore the ranges of value on offer from both worlds, and how they can complement rather than compete with each other. What characterizes the extremes of craft? What does it say about craft that it takes on so many guises?

Craft Con Session: CRAFT BUSINESS STRUCTURES

Starring:

« Marie Kare from The Sampler
« Leslie Beard from Your Mom’s, and Team Leader of Etsy Street Team Pittsburgh
« Jamie Wong from the Urban Craft Center

S Corp, C Corp, LLC – sure, but then what? It’s easy to look up the various options and basic legal requirements for forming your business, but the government regulations are a long way from everything that you need to figure out in order to function. This panel will discuss some actual businesses and the ways that they fit (or don’t!) into the basic templates and other governmental gobbledegoop.

Craft Con Session: SPONSORSHIP

Starring:

« Kim Dorn from Crafty Bastards
« Sara Dick from Crafty Bastards

If you’ve ever considered sponsorship as a way to fund your craft fair, or are looking for better ways to partner with businesses, this workshop will give you the information you need to successfully incorporate sponsors from national corporations to mom-and-pop shops, in your event.

Craft Con Session: HEALTHCARE

Starring:

« Marie Kare from The Sampler

Well, you love working for yourself, or would love to, but you really like being able to go to the doctor when you need to. And the dentist. And the optometrist. Affordable healthcare options are hard to find for the self-employed, and with a maze of options it’s hard to know what’s best. We will discuss what is available and offer some tips on the way the system works.

Craft Con Session: CASE STUDY: CRAFT GYM

Starring:

« Jackie Ortega from Craft Gym

Jackie Ortega presents the story of Craft Gym, a San Franciscan studio space where instead of a physical workout, you get a creative one. Craft Gym offers access to crafting equipment and space, as well as provides classes and supplies. Jackie will discuss the vision, foundation, and unexpected challenges of founding a craft business, how it has evolved and where she plans to take it.

Craft Con Session: POLITICS

Starring:

« Faythe Levine from Handmade Nation, Art vs Craft fair and Paper Boat Boutique and Gallery
« Betsy Greer from Craftivism

‘Follow Your Own Damn Bliss: Craftivism, Community and politics’ is a group discussion lead by Betsy Greer and Faythe Levine, who will discuss how creativity and craft can be empowering and show examples of how actions can speak louder than words.