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AIBU?

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Original poster

Crafting is for crafters

75 replies

Longingforatikihut · 22/10/2022 08:03

Totally trivial (I think) and first world...

I am not someone who is generally good at crafts. It not a hobby I normally pursue but I saw an advert for a free one off workshop in a specific craft and I thought I would give it a try, maybe meet some new people, overcome a bit of the isolation I've been feeling lately. It's later this morning.

Yesterday a colleague asked me in passing what I was up to this weekend and I told her I was going. She is a 'crafter' and went to try and book a place for herself on lunch but it was fully booked. She then spent the afternoon telling me how I had taken the place of someone who 'took crafting seriously' and I should give her my space and on and on.

I've not given her my space and will be going. I just don't know whether it actually is bad etiquette. So i know for future. Not being a craft type person I don't know if there IS etiquette. Her reasoning was that crafter's supplement their income with their projects and thus I'm potentially taking away income by not letting them get experience in this craft.

It all sounds more and more ridiculous as I type so I'll stop there...

OP posts:
KleineDracheKokosnuss · 22/10/2022 08:04

You are a crafter. You are going to a workshop to do a craft. She’s an idiot and should wind her neck in.

Tomanycarrots · 22/10/2022 08:04

Your colleague is weird

anyway is entitled to try a craft or learn a craft

ManxRhyme · 22/10/2022 08:05

Shea an idiot. Tell her to stop being so rude and entitled.

grafittiartist · 22/10/2022 08:05

Bonkers!
It's for everyone to enjoy. Don't listen to her.
Have fun!

bigbadbarry · 22/10/2022 08:05

It’s absolutely ridiculous. Of course you can go and do a class, same as anybody else. I bet nobody there is intending it to become a source of income! Go, meet nice new people, have fun. She’s nuts.

BamBamBilla · 22/10/2022 08:05

Fuck that shit. If she wanted to do the craft workshop so much she'd already be signed up to it.

Changingplace · 22/10/2022 08:06

Anyone who wants to do a craft is a crafter, your work colleague is a complete weirdo, ignore them entirely.

Hope you enjoy the workshop :)

Glittertwins · 22/10/2022 08:07

BamBamBilla · 22/10/2022 08:05

Fuck that shit. If she wanted to do the craft workshop so much she'd already be signed up to it.

Exactly this. If she was into it that much, she'd have known about it and already booked a place.

Thirdsummerofourdiscontent · 22/10/2022 08:07

There is no etiquette around this except don’t be a whiny bitch if you don’t get in fast enough to get tickets. She is the CF

Cominghome1230 · 22/10/2022 08:07

She is being ridiculous. Unless the advert says it is for " experienced crafter's" then surely anybody and everybody can go and try it out.

Ignore her. I hope you have a lovely time and thoroughly enjoy it.

BuzzBeeEmoticon · 22/10/2022 08:08

There’s no crafting etiquette you’ve missed. As everyone is says, anyone who likes crafts is a crafter. Strange behaviour from colleague!

HereComeTheGrannies · 22/10/2022 08:09

In the last I’ve ran workshops like this, not free but just to cover material costs. They’re for anyone who wants to have a go, your colleague is a dick. I do hate the crafting world sometimes when gatekeepers like this get their knickers in a twist.

JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon · 22/10/2022 08:10

She's a dick

Also it is really poor etiquette (and sometimes breach of copyright) to sell items produced at a workshop. Drives my friends who run art classes and craft workshops nuts.

Hawkins001 · 22/10/2022 08:11

Hope you have a good session and enjoy yourself, @Longingforatikihut

OgdensGoneNutFlake · 22/10/2022 08:11

There's no etiquette, there's no Union of Crafters. She's being ridiculous and I hope you enjoy the workshop all the more knowing you "took her place" 😆

Fairislefandango · 22/10/2022 08:11

She's an absolute idiot. I am a 'crafter' (I knit, crochet and spin). People only become crafters by learning, and a course is a nice way to start. Only an arse would try and gatekeep the hobby they enjoy rather than encouraging others to enjoy it too.

cheercaptain · 22/10/2022 08:12

Your colleague is just being silly and bitter. If she had been able to book a place, she would have spent all afternoon talking excitedly about the planned event and how fun it was going to be. I don't know if there is any etiquette but usually sessions booking pages or promotional materials/platforms usually indicate the target audience and if beginners or people with zero experience are welcome to enrol. Go have a wonderful time.

MrsElm · 22/10/2022 08:12

Just to add to all of the above, anyone who wants to can become a crafter, and what better way to start than to do a workshop like this!

Even if you do it and then decide it's not for you, you would still not be unreasonable!

WhatTheHellIsAQuasar · 22/10/2022 08:13

She’s an idiot. Go and find out if you like it or not - I hope you have a great time and meet loads of new people.

if she asks on Monday tell her you didn’t go just to wind her up.

YouWereGr8InLittleMenstruators · 22/10/2022 08:17

She is identified with being a 'crafter' and clearly takes great pride in labelling herself in this way. No doubt is there an element in the crafting community where being a 'crafter' is not only a term celebrating the skills, talent, ingenuity and commitment to their chosen craft, but is also a term of validation and an instrument of sorting the wheat from the chaff. As often happens, it is also now used to categorise and exclude an apparent 'non-crafter' like you.
Your poor colleague.
It is, of course, codswallop.
The minute you get stuck into your crafting activity, you too will be a crafter.
Mighty crafting oaks from tiny crafting acorns grow.
Enjoy your workshop!

Notjusta · 22/10/2022 08:19

Surely the whole point of offering a free workshop like this is to give people the chance to try something out and see if they like it?! I would say it's specifically for people like you who haven't tried lots of crafting before. I'd be pissed off of I went to something like that and there were loads of experienced crafter's there TBH as I'd assume it was for beginners.

Your colleague is a dick. Put it to the back of your mind and have a lovely time this afternoon 🙂

00100001 · 22/10/2022 08:20

Your colleague is a selfish cunt.

Well done for not giving up your place.

DominoBlue · 22/10/2022 08:20

Everyone starts somewhere. All crafters were beginners at some point. Unless it specifys its exclusively for experienced crafters, then you are exactly who the course is aimed at. It's probably to introduce people to that specific craft with the hope of getting more people interested and selling you supplies.

Craft is therapeutic and maybe the council/charity/individual have arranged it for the purpose of introducing it to new people so they may see the benefit.

I come from a family of arty crafty people, everyone does something to a high standard and lots of other stuff too. I go on lots of different courses and you will always get a wide range of people and experience there. Being good and proficient at one thing does not mean you are good at everything. Ignore your rude colleague and go and have fun. Get messy or be a kid again. Get so absorbed you don't think about anything else, like meditation. Make something wonky and laugh at it. Craft most definitely IS for everyone. Have a lovely fun time. And show us what you made!

NotMeNoNo · 22/10/2022 08:22

What garbage. I suppose I am a lifelong crafter. I believe that a lot of "crafts" were either near universal life skills or respected occupations until recently and the more people take part the better. Also it's an interesting and creative thing to do .

Having said that I have come across people who take it really seriously and compete for certain items, workshops or designers, I honestly think they have too much time on their hands.

If it was a free workshop and wasn't advertised for experienced/advanced only then it's obviously aimed at encouraging new starters. People pay £100s for celebrity classes.

WonderingWanda · 22/10/2022 08:24

She sounds like an idiot. Please go and enjoy your course, make some new friends, produce something awesome and then go back to work and brag about it all to her.

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