***UPDATE we have a meet-up Feb 27 time TBA please RSVP here: http://bit.ly/SekG***

I’ve had the pleasure over the past few months to meet some truly amazing people outside of my work and social realms. I made a real effort this year to get out and engage Toronto in an attempt to be inspired, and it did not disappoint. I did everything from present at sustainability camp, helped plan #hohoto, took part in a #convo, sacrificed my lamb for #tsTO, & woke up early one Saturday to join #thmvmnt. Seems like a lot for a guy working to get his own start-up off the ground, and it was/is to be honest. I have come to believe from these experiences that there is an exiting new spirit in the city that makes everything feel magical and that anything is possible. Even during these black economic times I honestly see opportunities like light peeking through cracks in the established order of things, ready to be exploited for positive change.

My whole life I always wondered what my parents experienced in the 60’s when there was so much momentum challenging the establishment and changing the way people thought. Now I believe I know, because it feels like it’s happening now. Those who are in the know, are those of us sitting on the cutting edge of communications. Communications that allow people with common agendas to come together and coordinate faster and more efficiently than ever before to create that change. One by one people outside ‘the bubble’ are discovering this stream of consciousness, and that’s where the power lies. Our new hyper-connected world offers discovery and empowerment more than anything else, and in it people are free to express, learn, expand, and think.

Now it’s also very easy to get caught up in these new ideas and forget yourself in the orgy of intellectual stimulation, and happy clappers, which is why I’m stepping back for a moment to see where I fit best. One of the realizations I’ve had is that I’m different from many of the people I’ve met and I’m starting to find much comfort in that. My (new) friend Mark Kuznicki (who I respect much) said to me in chat after a recent event “you’re a great little instigator” (I might say “sh*t disturber”) which I think sums me up with one addition, I’m also a doer. After post-secondary school, I worked in fortune 500 companies and then moved on to formal trades training and an apprenticeship which has given me a unique set of skills that has also hardened me to ‘talkers’, PR spin, marketing etc. Some might say I’m a bit anti-social-media and in some ways I am because it seems to breed complacency in many, while supporting antagonism in others under the veil of “conversation” and “feedback”. But to quote my mentor and master goldsmith Karl “The world is balanced without exception” &  “It’s only with your doing that you can change the things you believe in”. With those truths I accept that I must focus on the positive opportunities this new world gives and strive to produce results despite minor distractions or my own ego.

Since this is my personal blog, official home to bad grammar, and archive of ideas I thought that brief backgrounder on me would help those of you who read this feel a bit more comfortable with who I am and where my mind is. Which brings us to my idea the ‘Arts & Crafts #mvmnt’. Out of all the ideas to pop up recently I enjoy #thmvmnt the most (a) because it attracted the most creative ‘doers’ and (b) it sparked an electric open conversation. The challenge for me however was finding my fit while not stepping on toes (an A-B-Type-Scorpio-Male-personality thing) many in attendance had their own agendas and ideas myself included dragging some recent projects with me when they should’ve been parked at the door. What I discovered after meditating on the core #mvmnt concept(s) was that an entirely new yet related network of craftspeople and artisans would not only fit the model it could create that ‘you got my peanut butter in my chocolate!’ moment. By bridging creative people from web design, illustration , publishing, coding etc. avec builders, fine artists, makers and bakers it would open up opportunity’s for unique collaboration, learning and support.

Where my idea defers slightly from the #thmvmnt: I see the education of the public as important if not more so than peer to peer education. The artisinal tribe would not (in general) be dealing with commercial clients and therefore a more open and public event showcasing skills and wares to rival “One of a kind” would be needed. Note: peer to peer seminars with public attendance is an interesting mash-up, as well reviving the idea of interdisciplinary exploration and peer mentorship outside of formal institutions.

Ideas from #tsTO also fit into this idea, freeing up affordable space locally for makers as well as project start-ups may add an interesting feature to the local community providing a model for other cities to also mix their seemingly unrelated disciplines. Bring online ideas like #svc + start-ups like Community Lend and you start to see an organic infrastructure take form.

So what are my plans for (get ready for my new hash tag!) #arts&crafts ?

- 1st I want to continue to participate in the talks regarding #thmvmnt structure http://themovement.info/wiki/project:member_structure with the blessing of the group and founders understanding that my intentions are with #arts&crafts

-*Fail Refine Forge*

- Fail: Open this idea to connected community members representing fashion, fine art, food, and craft to discuss and build the idea. ie. How can the ideas of #tsTO space and #arts&crafts benefit others and tie into #thmvmnt. Are my ideas wrong, does this fit?

- Refine: Meet-up and enjoy a face to face conversation, #thmvmnt is publishing a book could we produce a show? Could a public show/seminars generate income? Create action plan

- Forge: Do it.

- Fail: & repeat.

This post will go out to a few in the hope that it finds the people passionate about both their work and community. Please feel free to post using the #arts&crafts hash tag on twitter, reply to me direct on twitter @ryantaylor (w. hash tag) or leave a comment below.