Artist’s guerilla craft campaign spreads body positive message
24 days of uplift #4: Introducing self-love craft club
Hello and a happy Monday to you,
Today, I’ve spoken to a fabulous artist and illustrator to bring you an exclusive interview about her work.
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A textile artist is spreading kindness in a unique way – by leaving body-positive messages in public places.
Dorothea Blackmore first started her project Self-Love Craft Club during her MA at Chelsea College of Arts.
“I have carried it on because it felt so important to keep spreading these messages,” the 23-year-old from Rochester, Kent, tells me.
“I believe craft is a powerful tool in the fight against fatphobia and diet-culture.
“Because most people see hand embroidery as cute and decorative, it’s a great way to engage people in difficult topics in a non-confrontational manner.”
The hand embroidered messages left on easy-to-spot places such as lampposts, fences, and trains include “You don’t exist to lose weight” and “all bodies are good bodies”.
“My work explores how craft can be used to create social change,” Dory adds.
“The concept was inspired by ‘Guerrilla Kindness’ a term created by Sayraphim Lothian, combining guerrilla art and random acts of kindness.
“I was also really inspired by Charlotte Cooper’s books ‘Fat and Proud’ and ‘Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement’, which helped me to accept my own body.”
Dory has mostly left the messages near her home in Medway and in London and says the response has been “overwhelmingly positive aside from a few fatphobic trolls”.
“I left a tag on each piece with the Instagram name @self_love_craft_club so people could tell me what they thought,” she adds.
“I’ve had a few messages from people who found the pieces, telling me it was exactly what they needed to see. I’ve also had people tell me they’ve been inspired to do similar projects in their local areas, which is amazing.”
Future plans for the creative include expanding the project to cover other social issues and create an online craftivism community.
“I would love for people to make their own messages and spread even more positivity,” she tells me. “I’m currently working on some sewn messages related to the stigma around mental health, another topic I’m very passionate about.”
Dory says it’s important to not feel upset about weight gain during the pandemic.
“I think it’s important to remember gaining weight isn’t a failure and your size doesn’t define your worth,” she says.
“You don’t need to get your ‘pre-Covid body’ back because bodies change and that’s completely normal. There’s so much more to life than losing weight.”
Dory also creates body-positive illustrations, which she shares on her Instagram.
All photo credits: Dorothea Blackmore
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Thanks for reading,
BB x
This is #12DaysOfUplift, a daily good news newsletter in the lead up to Christmas by me, journalist Becky Barnes. If you enjoyed it, feel free to buy me a coffee.
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A bit about me: I’m a journalist living in London. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram.