Thursday Thrift: What is DIY?

I really admire do it yourself (DIY) type people that can take on a project of building, modifying, or repairing something themselves. Growing up, I watched my brother and other family members build several decks for family houses. My dad made himself a pair of saw horses one year. My mom can take a room and redecorate it without the help of a professional, magazines, or other input. Since moving out on my own, I have been forced to be a bit of a DIY'er. When the line running into my toilet sprung a leak, I couldn't afford a plumber so I had to replace it myself. It was a simple fix once I figured out what to do and found the parts to do it with. I have replaced the dryer tube that runs outside, helped my dad replace the floor, light fixtures, and trim in my living room, and have become somewhat of a whiz when it comes to basic car maintenance. I'm no stranger to getting my hands dirty, but taking on actual DIY projects for fun is not me. That is a problem considering I love finding stuff at the thrift stores for my house.

However, DIY does not just reflect home and car repair. There are many different sub categories relating to DIY that might surprise some.  According to Wikipedia:

• ·         self-publishing books, zines, and alternative comics
• ·         bands or solo artists releasing their music on self-funded record labels
• ·         trading of mixtapes as part of cassette culture
• ·         crafts such as knitting, sewing, handmade jewelry, ceramics, etc.
• ·         designing business cards, invitations, etc.
• ·         creating punk or indie musical merchandise through the use of recycling thrift store or discarded materials, usually decorated with art applied by silk screen.
• ·         independent game development and game modding
• ·         contemporary roller derby

So I fit into the broad "normal" DIY group and then the first of the sub-groups. I can also bang out some pretty awesome crafty cards and invitations so I'll throw my lot in with that group too. I really want to learn how to knit one day so that I can make myself hats. I like hats. The rest of the list is foreign to me, but I can see where each would be considered DIY (except the roller derby thing... no clue).

With the introduction of HGTV in '94 and the DIY Network in '99, DIY culture is booming. There are multiple television shows, magazines, and websites devoted to different DIY projects. People are really just kind of going nuts over it. Especially with the economy as it is, a lot of people have no choice but to learn how to do some things on their own (like in my case with the damn toilet). With all these people liking this crafty stuff, it amazes me that the Arts have been cut from so many schools. Children learn about crafty stuff in Art class... making clay pottery, painting (I have several original paintings in my home complements of myself and the sisters), scrapbooking, etc. And while wood shop isn't necessarily part of the Arts to my knowledge, who doesn't want their kid to learn how to safely use machinery to build a custom bird house and wishing well for the front yard? Yeah, programs like wood shop are being cut too. Yes, I am bitter. Stupid economy.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS