You're furious. Something terrible just happened. A human right violation. An environmental disaster. No major news outlet is covering it. No one is doing anything about it. This is your calling. DIY CREATIVE ACTIVISM presents to you endless opportunities for resistance in your local surroundings. Look up a community member from this A-Z handbook and see how to get them on board for a creative, kick-ass campaign. A viral campaign that will catch the eyes of the world - and redirect them to your cause.

Flash mobs come and go, but purposeful creativity can change communities. Are you a creative (aspiring or otherwise) who is curious about how you can apply your skills to activist, socially engaged art projects? Whether you paint, sew, sing, build, weld, or rhyme, Make It Meaningful explores how to take that big project you’ve been dreaming about and actually make it a happen. In response to the challenging times that we live in, Make It Meaningful will inspire readers to use their creativity to spur change in the world around them. Guiding readers through the various aspects of a project from ideation to final documentation, the book examines the relationship between creative leadership, community art projects, and social justice, and includes the perspectives of 23 creative instigators who have stretched the boundaries of what “art” should or shouldn’t do. Bold and imaginative, Make It Meaningful will appeal to creatives willing to expand their comfort zone by jumping into the fray and doing some outrageous, inspired rabble-rousing of their very own. Full-color throughout.

Create change in the world with this inspiring guide to social activism, from the artist and craftivist behind Badass Cross Stitch. Craftivism, or the space where art and activism meet, is a powerful, ever-evolving social justice movement that continues to grow and diversify as more voices and mediums take part in it. In Let's Move the Needle, Shannon Downey, an outspoken voice in the craftivist movement for over a decade, provides a roadmap and accessible toolkit for burgeoning art activists. Filled with self-reflective activities, exercises, prompts, and stories, Let's Move the Needle educates and empowers creatives to center their art around collective action in service of political, social or community issues they are most passionate about; affirming that everyone can be a changemaker and that change-making can be generative, enjoyable, and a bit sassy!

From the co-creator of the seminal craftivism book Yarn Bombing: a guide for creatives to make impactful, socially engaged art projects.

“Full of ways to show your support for a cause through homemade items . . . a great book for anyone who wants to grow their skills as a maker.” —Nerdy Girl Express Craftivism is a non-threatening form of activism that gives people a voice when they feel voiceless and power where they feel powerless. It is an international movement for our time and artist, scholar, activist, and YouTube art teacher Sayraphim Lothian has put together the first-ever tutorial book on craftivism. This master craftivist shows you how to make and use various crafts for political and protest purposes including: · Embroidery · Cross stitch · Knitting · Stenciling · Decoupage · Stamping and much more Craftivism is a growing worldwide movement in which handcrafted works are being used to highlight political issues, creatively engage in activism, and encourage change in the world. Craftivists employ their works to open a space for people to be introduced to issues and to broaden the discussion surrounding them. While it might seem that this most colorful movement began recently, creative resistance has been with us for centuries around the globe, and craftivism and makers stating their mind through the medium of art is here to stay. “Whether capturing the stories in crochet, or creating spontaneous interventions of crafted kindness, Sayraphim Lothian’s projects show that the new resistance can be artistic, clever, and kind. Whether using street art or baking, embroidery or soft sculpture, she demonstrates that craftivism is, at it’s very best, a medium devoted to connecting humans together, one creative act at a time.” —Leanne Prain, coauthor of Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet & Knit Graffiti

'This is mindful activism . . . thought-out, strategic and engaging' Guardian 'I love what Sarah does! It's quiet activism for everyone including introverts' Jon Ronson 'Sarah Corbett mixes an A-grade mind with astonishing creativity and emotional awareness' Lucy Siegle If we want a world that is beautiful, kind and fair, shouldn't our activism be beautiful, kind and fair? **Award-winning campaigner and founder of the global Craftivist Collective Sarah Corbett shows how to respond to injustice not with apathy or aggression, but with gentle, effective protest. This is a manifesto – for a more respectful and contemplative activism; for conversation and collaboration where too often these is division and conflict; for using craft to engage, empower and encourage us all to be the change we wish to see in the world. Sarah's craftivism has helped change laws and business policies as well as hearts and minds; here, with thoughtful principles and practical examples, she shows that quiet action can speak as powerfully as the loudest voice.

Craftivism is a worldwide movement that operates at the intersection where craft and activism meet; Craftivism the book is full of inspiration for crafters who want to create works that add to the greater good. With interviews and profiles of craftivists who are changing the world with their art, and through examples that range from community embroidery projects, stitching in prisons, revolutionary ceramics, AIDS activism, yarn bombing, and crafts that facilitate personal growth, Craftivism provides imaginative examples of how crafters can be creative and altruistic at the same time. Artists profiled in the book are from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Asia, and their crafts include knitting, crocheting, sewing, textiles, pottery, and ceramics. There's the Brooklyn writer who creates large-scale site-specific knitted installations; the British woman who runs sewing and quilting workshops for community building and therapy; the Indonesian book maker and organizer of a DIY craft center; and the Oxford, England, cultural theorist and dress designer. A wonderful sense of optimism and possibility pervades the book: the inspiring notion that being crafty can really make the world a better place. Betsy Greer is a writer, crafter, researcher, and the author of Knitting for Good!: A Guide to Creating Personal, Social and Political Change Stitch by Stitch. She also runs the blog craftivism.com and believes that creativity and positive activism can save not only the soul, but also the world.