I have been struggling with this issue recently because as a long-time knitter (the epitome of a functional craft) I have lately been smitten with cross stitching (which is almost entirely decorative). For years I grumpily proclaimed that one of my biggest thresholds for a craft was its utility. "Is it useful?" I would ask myself as I toyed with yet another kit or craft supply at the store.
(This is what drew me, early on, to crafts like candle-making and soap-making. But saying these crafts is useful is just whistling past the graveyard. The truth is, no one really needs another candle or another bar of soap. We all have plenty of those things already.)
The problem with purely decorative crafts is that they are more difficult to justify. "What does it do?" is a question which is asked of many artists. What it does is look pretty! Are we really so driven by circumstance that we cannot appreciate a beautiful item just for beauty's sake?
Looking around my house, I have to admit that this might be true. I have very few purely decorative items in my home. I'm looking around, and I can only name about five things on display (i.e. not crammed into storage) that have no purpose other than to look pretty.
By comparison, many homes are filled to the rafters with things that are non-functional yet pretty. But en masse, these items lose their decorative appeal and become stifling. It can be a slippery slope, and it can be hard to strike a good balance.
Nevertheless, I have been softening my formerly-firm stance on items that are strictly decorative. There may be no earthly reason why something needs to be cross stitched, it may never save a life or keep a person warm or light a room, but I sure do like it. It makes me wonder, what good is a home if it doesn't have a cross stitched Twin Peaks sampler on the walls, or a Tina Fey quote?
Image courtesy Flickr/freakgirl
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