DIY, Crafting, & Sustainability
I've been an avid crafter and DIY advocate for well over 10 years and many of those close to me can attest to this. I grew up searching my home for trash and unused objects to reclaim and turn into a new object that replaced the manufactured goods I could not purchase. Furthermore, engaging in alternative music/fashion communities during those years pushed me to learn new skills that would help to distance me from the capitalistic grasp on clothing and novelty items, especially in the more niche communities/fandoms.
In the past few years, I've noticed a growing trend within these communities: rapid overconsumption and waste. I see many people pick up a new hobby within the crafting/DIY realm and purchase up to hundreds of dollars worth of supplies only to engage in it a handful of times and disregard it after. Social media has a lot to do with this issue; information being more accessible leads to curiosity and experimentation, yet also promotes fast paced trends that encourage overconsumption. It's human nature to do what everyone else is doing, so it's no surprise that many individuals are unknowingly causing harm to the community and the environment. Social media is, in my opinion, one of the biggest causes of the death of the true natures of these activities. Though, this won't be a rant about social media. Instead, I want to discuss the actual harmful actions and how to remedy them.
When people start a new hobby, they're more than likely to purchase supplies necessary to engage in it (e.g. painting requires paints, brushes, canvases, etc.); the same can be said about beginners and crafting. Though, it's important to note that much of crafting and DIY itself is based upon the idea of using what you already have. While purchasing more supplies is not uncommon or frowned upon, it can sometimes be a bit frustrating watching people buy something like sheets of fabric when they have old, unused clothes made of the same fabric. As a beginner, it's important to practice, but when you practice on something your brain perceives as "better" (e.g. new fabrics as opposed to your old clothes), you often find yourself scared of even starting. You spent money on this nice material and you might end up failing at creating your ideal vision. With that, you put everything away and never touch the hobby again. Alternatively, you might be the person to see various crafts online and mass purchase all the necessary materials. Yet, you'll find yourself practically drowning in your materials, feel overwhelmed/run out of motivation, and quit.
There is nothing wrong with trying out a new hobby and realizing that it's not for you. I've done it before! For years, I've tried to crochet, on and off, only to consistently feel frustrated and put my yarn and needle down. However, the few materials that I purchased will not go to waste. Though I still have some motivation in me to try a few more times, I know that once I quit for good, I will use my yarn in other projects and give away anything that I can't use to friends. This is an extremely important thing to consider when starting to craft and is a big reason why the hobby itself is based upon using what you already have; you were going to throw it out anyway, so what's the harm in messing with potential materials first? There is no real money wasted if you use these pieces of "trash" to experiment and end up not liking it.
Maybe you're someone that does enjoy crafting/DIY and actively does it. Like many of us, you might have a lot of scraps/spare materials lying around, though you don't know what to do with them. This is actually a common thing I see and it really frustrates me when people throw away scraps that are still valuable! It's important to know your materials, how you will use them, and how you will limit your waste of them. For example, I'm very big on hand-sewing felt plushies/accessories and I have A LOT of scrap felt pieces that are too small to sew onto something. Thus, I have started to collect these scraps in a container and will continue to do so until I have a project where I can use the scraps as stuffing. I also do quite a lot of crafting with paper and have accumulated many random pieces with weird cutouts in them. These pieces can be used as they would normally (e.g. cutting out smaller shapes), but I also use them as "test" paper, where I'll test out pens/markers before drawing, and as a way to get out random ideas, like tasks or sketches.
I find that certain hobbies objectively produce more waste than others. While there is no issue with engaging in these hobbies, I believe that it is imperative that you do what you can to limit this waste. For example, 3D printing is a fantastic way to bring your ideas to life, and like many of us, it requires iterations in order to produce the ideal product, which can then be replicated over and over. While iterations are not as harmful in hobbies like sewing, where you can simply undo your stitches, reuse the fabric, or give prototypes to friends and family, iterations in 3D printing are completely different. Pieces that are even a few millimeters off usually can't be used in the final product and are often disposed of, as repurposing a lot of very specific pieces is more difficult for the average person looking to create one specific thing. Moreover, these prints require supports while being printed and must be cut off once complete. Thus, you begin to accumulate a pile of prototypes and supports that you can't do anything with. Reclaiming the materials of these pieces at home is expensive, as it requires something like a shredder and filament extruder, and many people don't want to commit more money (up to $10,000) to this already expensive hobby. Additionally, many people are simply not aware that you can even reclaim projects or send these pieces to specialized recycling centers in the first place. 3D printing is not a sustainable hobby for a lot of people, yet many people still take it on (many of which do it due to the rising trend in producing random, in-demand objects to sell, like fidgets).
A lot of people will make the argument that these small bits of waste are nothing when compared to the size of this world. While they are right in some regards, waste is waste and when thousands of people say the same thing, it adds up. Average people are not the biggest contributors to pollution and waste (major corporations and wealthy individuals are), but that should not stop you from attempting to reduce your waste as much as possible. Crafting and DIYing is meant to repurpose this waste, yet when you produce more waste than your final products, what's the point?
Entering the crafting and DIY spheres can be intimidating, especially when seeing them online. You'll want to buy more, but you'll most likely end up creating less. During the rare creation process, you'll create scraps and seemingly have no use for them, thus resulting in unnecessary waste. You'll eventually feel burnt out and abandon the hobby altogether, letting your supplies collect dust at home. This is NOT what these communities and lifestyles are about. I've said it many times, but I'll say it again: crafting and DIYing are about using what you already have to create something new and fresh, while also finding ways to repurpose your scraps in future projects as a means of limiting waste.
If you're starting a new hobby, I implore you to do thorough research and reach out to others in various communities in order to get a grasp of what you will be doing and how to reduce any potential harm. Hobbies are important, but so is keeping yourself, others, and this planet safe.