Krystle Grant 1: The upside of the declining economy. A future for women, handmade and the economy.

This is just a rough draft of my proposed grants. I am looking for grants to support these projects.

In recent times the U.S economy has seen tremendous decline and has come close to being what is believed to be the second great depression since 1929. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics about 14.8 million people have become unemployed over the past year and many have faced foreclosure on their homes and personal property. In such difficult times it is almost impossible to look beyond the devastating problems in our country towards a prospective future. However, during the economic downturn, many local artists and crafters have seen growth in business since many consumers have steered away from goods that came with a very mainstream price tag. Importance was placed on handmade with an increase of handmade forums popping up in cyber world.

For this project I would like to investigate the mash up of the economy, handmade goods, technology and women. It may seem to be a rather complex mash up, but these terms and concepts are very much intertwined with each other. The project’s goal is to produce a documentary film that will look at the way , specific web hosting companies such as Etsy and Artfire are being used by women (they make up the majority of sellers on Etsy according to NEED TO FIND RESEARCH) to drive the economy. It will also focus on social networking sites (blogger, facebook, twitter and flickr) that many of these artists use in collaboration with their online shops. The goal is to understand the roles these platforms play in the future of our economy while looking at the future position of women in the socioeconomic sector of society.

I am a senior undergraduate at Stony Brook University Majoring in Women’s Studies with a minor in Theater Arts. My interest in this topic came after starting up my own Etsy shop and communicating with other artists via blogs and other social networking sites. I have always been an enthusiast of the handmade culture and believe that this will be one of the driving forces in economic growth in the U.S.

In order to expand this project, I am requesting a grant of $5000 to cover expenses needed to produce a documentary film and cover personal expenses. I will use the funds to purchase a video camera, editing software and cover necessary expenses while producing this film.

Mainstream has failed us with its highly inflated prices and is also responsible for the exploitation of women in and out of the U.S. I believe that many of these Etsy stores are the new small business and will drive the economy into the future, placing women in non-exploitive positions.