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Craft practice has experienced a sharp rise in popularity since the late 2000s, partly through the 'aura of the analogue' and the desire for authentic, handmade products in an increasingly fast paced, digitalised world (Luckman, 2015) but also because of digital platforms such as Etsy and social media enabling 'anyone' to become a craft entrepreneur. This book brings together historical, policy and individual narratives to inform a broad understanding of craft entrepreneurship.
Drawing on case studies from around the world, Craft Entrepreneurship considers questions of identity, community, and the digital in craft entrepreneurship. In doing so, it finds craft activities to be positioned between or across the arts, heritage, notions of a bohemian lifestyle and the challenges of micro-entrepreneurship. By engaging with the contradictions and fragility of sustaining a craft practice, the chapters in this book contribute to different perspectives for entrepreneurship studies. The contributions to this volume illustrate the craft entrepreneurs' identity, motivation and sense of creative purpose through their craft, as these collide with the tensions brought about through entrepreneurship.
About the author
Annette Naudin is Associate Professor in the Birmingham Institute for Media and English, Birmingham City University.Karen Patel is Research Fellow in the Birmingham Institute for Media and English, Birmingham City University.
Summary
This book reveals the individual experience of craft entrepreneurship, drawing on case studies from around the world, considering questions of identity, policy, community, and the digital in crafting a life.
