I had a wonderful breakthrough this week of a new perspective my essay can pursue. It is wonderful that this new topic has come to mind because the second draft is due next week on Tuesday and I don’t want my “shitty first draft” to become shittier. Instead of just focusing on my family as crafters and then me on the bench knitting, I should focus on what it is like being a crafter in the modern day. Now here’s the first thought: how does this apply to popular Asian/American culture? First, I am doing research for any history in handicrafts which apply to financing a living or the home in general. Today may have Etsy, but nobody can afford handicrafts three times the price of a terribly made bag of socks from Fred Meyer. This usually leads to using social media to gain interest in the product being produced. Then there should be cheaper materials to lower the price. Quality of materials, as well as labor time spent, is what can raise the price of a created garment/quilt/etc. Since good writing comes from writing about what the author knows, I can write about me. I haven’t thought of myself as an “artist.” I was usually the reader or the writer. More reading than writing goes down, to be honest. I have seen my mother struggle at local craft bazaars and have no quilts sold. Most of the time, a quilt can be sold to a family member for hardly anything close to the price it is. Nobody wants to buy a $300 handmade quilt for their bedspread.

I have been speaking to my mother on this essay topic. She is proud I am getting to know the family’s crafting history and coming out of the shadows. I am an artist. It is true! I love finding the perfect palette of colors for a knitting project, and I am going to learn leatherworking from my uncle this summer. I never thought I wanted to learn how to make leather things, but it just makes sense to learn what family can give me until they aren’t around to teach anymore. Last year, I went to the Macah Reservation with my class on a field trip. While at the history museum, the class was separated into small groups. We would get to hear from professionals in their field and how it related to their family and the Macah tradition. One man (I have forgotten his name) was a carver. He also knew paints and drum making as well as creating astounding totem poles. He said his family line was of artists. He didn’t intend to become a carver. He then became terribly ill and then made a promise that he would start crafting again. My favorite part was when he pulled out a wood carving tool that belonged to his grandfather. It was a strange little thing. The handle had been carved into the image of a thumb. The artist man had found his grandfather’s tool in storage. It was rusted and old. He replaced the rusted parts with new metal but kept the unique handle. He said, “What is the point of finding it and keeping it in a box? It is a tool and should be used like one.”

I can only hope that I learn my family’s craft knowledge so that my own kids can understand the effort and gratification behind their own creations.