Dissertation part 2

This is my second draft for my dissertation proposal.

Working title (max 25 words)
How do weavers earn a living? Investigate how weaver’s skills fit into current jobs.


Summary (max 250 words)
Due to my chosen discipline being weave within my textile course, I am researching where my knowledge and skills that I will have learned by the time I finish in 4th year, will lead me within the current job market. I feel I have the skills of a ‘lost craft’ for the forthcoming years ahead so I want to research current weavers that work within the craft and business sector and their journeys fittings into the workplace. Portfolios careers is a new way of introducing skills into cross-discipline jobs and think it’s important to bring design ideas into a non-design job. I also understand that craft has to engage with targeted consumer interests in order for a weaver to be successful. I intend to investigate what the consumer’s needs are and how to constantly meet their desires. “Do you stick with the tried and tested formula or do you leap into the unknown?” (NESTA 2009).


Aims: Why are you doing this? (max 100 words)
The aim of this dissertation is to investigate how weavers and companies that still manufacture their own cloth can fit into modern day craft as consumers have constant changing needs and requirements. This research will give me an insight into the possible career opportunities available to me and the different areas my given discipline can fit into. I want to create awareness of the importance and benefits of weave, so students will continue to choose weave as specialist subject.


Objectives: What will you produce? (max 100 words)
 I want to provide evidence that weave is becoming a lost craft and interview Scottish weavers as a case study and weave companies because very few still manufacture in Scotland.
 Find out what skills weavers have compared to other disciplines.
 Discover how big a part craft plays within the current market and how to enhance these figures.
 Consumers needs
 Teach importance of craft.
 Ethical values

Keywords (min 5 and max 10)
 Contemporary Scottish weavers
 Craft makers
 Making a life out of craft
 Weave Manufacturing
 Traditional weave techniques
 Cross disciplines

Annotated Bibliography
Dovecot Studios. Weavers [online] (updated 30 Nov 2010) Available at: [accessed 30 Nov 2010].

Description - There is a list of Weaver’s name and what they area they are particularly interested in within the discipline. They could be a good source as a point of contact.

Dumelow, I. MacLennan, H. and Stanley, N., 1999. Planning the Future. Wiltshire: NSEAD.

Description - The book gives an insight into career and employment trends straight after graduation.

Hunt, W, Ball, L, and Pollard, E,. 2010. Crafting Futures. Crafts Council [online] Available at: [accessed 19 Nov 2010]

Description - Explores the early careers patterns after graduation working within the craft sector and looking at the different areas of craft they diverse into.

Johnstons of Elgin. WeavingWarping [online] (Updated 30 Nov 10) Available at: [Accessed 30 Nov 2010].

Description - This website is giving a full description of the Weave process. This will explain the process to non-weavers and emphasis the amount of work that goes into the making cloth.

Lauren Crawford [online] Available at: [accessed 02 Dec 2010]

Description - A weaver that graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone who has created a successful business selling work in several different stores and locations with help frm NESTA. She would be a great point of contact to find out her journey from graduating to setting up her own brand.

McIntyre, M,. 2010. Consuming Craft: the contemporary craft market in a changing economy. Crafts Council [online] Available at: [accessed 19 Nov 2010]

Description - How contemporary craft consumption has evolved since 2004 and the ways in which we can continue to increase the number of consumers buying craft products.

NESTA, 2009. Ensuring economic growth of the UK’s creative industries [online] London: NESTA. Available at: < http://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/guest_articles/assets/features/ensuring_economic_growth_of_the_uks_creative_industries> [accessed 26 Nov 2010]

Description - The point this author is making is to constantly move with the market trying new techniques and don’t try to create something that has already been done. I find this article very inspiring and the key to keeping the consumers interests at heart.

New designers, 2010 [online] Available at: < http://www.newdesigners.com/page.cfm/Link=1/t=m/goSection=1> [accessed 30 Nov 2010]

Description - This website gives information about how to advertise youself after graduation. It gives you the chance be picked up by designers and given the opportunity of a career whether it’s working for them or commissioned work.


Niedderer, k and Townsend, K., 2010. Editorial. Craft Research, 1(1), pp.3-10

Description - Several definitions of craft. Makers expressing their points of view.

RCMG, 2004. Not for the likes of you a resource for practitioners [online] Available at: < http://www.takingpartinthearts.com/content.php?content=1026> [accessed 26 Nov 2010]

Description - This book gives a resource list of how to help anyone working within the art sector meet the needs of those who wouldn’t normally be targeted to open up the market to a widen audience.

Schwarz, M., and Yair, K.,2010. Making Value: craft & the economic and social contribution of makers. Crafts Council [online] Available at: [accessed 19 Nov 2010]

Description - Looks at portfolio making and the disciplines their skills have led into including, community and educational surroundings.

Assignment 2 Post Consumerism

Post Consumerism is becoming more and more a part of daily lives, although this is a new recent way of thinking. It’s introducing an ‘eco friendly’ approach, taking more time to think before buying. A bit like a reflector! Instead of a person being influenced by advertisements, peers and trends, purchasing items/objects even though they don’t need it but only just ‘want it’, they consider their options and buy quality rather than quantity so it lasts for a longer period of time.

A post consumer will identify what they need and buy because it’s an essential! Price doesn’t matter because they want to use it over and over again and re-cycle rather than chucking it away. They will think about many different subjects within their daily routines and chose the one which impacts the environment the least.

In our groups we all chose a subject to gather images from, mines was transport. I got images for bicycles which create no carbon emissions, cars with no road tax, looked at increasing petrol prices, public transport to explore the best way to create a profile for a post consumer.

Learning styles assignment 1a & 1b

For our first assignment of semester two we had to take a individual learning test to figure out what type of learner I am in practice. This is to see how my learning skills can be put to good use in a team. There are four different types:
Activists - Activists like to be involved in new experiences and are enthusiastic about new ideas. They enjoy doing things and tend to act first and consider the implications afterwards. They are unlikely to prepare for the learning experience or review their learning afterwards.
Reflectors - Reflectors like to view the situation from different perspectives. They like to collect data, review and think carefully before coming to any conclusions. They enjoy observing others and will listen to their views before offering their own.
Theorists - Theorists like to adapt and integrate observations into complex and logically sound theories. They think problems through step- by-step. They tend to be perfectionists who like to fit things into a rational scheme.
Pragmatists - Pragmatists are eager to try things out. They like concepts that can be applied to their job. They tend to be impatient with lengthy discussions and are practical and down to earth.
When I took the test I was a strong very Activist, moderate Reflector, moderate Pragmatist and a low Theorist. In my studio work I do jump into new ideas quickly even if they’re not appropriate and deal with the consequences later. Activist describes me very well.
I later met up with my study group to discuss what each one of us is. The results are as follows:
Karen - Activist
Libby - Activist
Sarah - Activist
Myself - Activist
Emma - Pragmatist
Tom - Reflector
Brogan - Theorist

From the results our group is predominantly Activists. We can overcome this situation by assessing each other’s comments and trying to take a step back to think it over. I personally think because we have alot of Activists we can make a decision quickly, try it out and if it doesn’t work still have time to try new ideas.