Forest for the Trees

I have been banging around this concept in my head all weekend: do crafts fall in under the umbrella term "industry" and why would or wouldn't that matter?

According to Wikipedia the term industry is defined as "the production of an economic good or service within an economy." This sounds like crafts, yes? We produce goods within the economy. So much so that the Craft and Hobby Association says that the craft and hobby industry is worth a collective $30 billion dollars a year. (take note the craft section  of craft and hobby is just a portion of that number, and includes the business of craft supplies, not just the finished crafts themselves )

Meanwhile, in the UK, the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport is actually trying to remove "Craft" as an industry! Why you ask? Because...

"Most crafts businesses are too small to identify in business survey data, so while there has been a crafts section in the former classification, we've not been able to provide GVA [gross value added] data.
"We recognize that high-end craft occupations contain a creative element, but the view is that in the main, that these roles are more concerned with the manufacturing process, rather than the creative process."

So how far behind is the US with this idea? It is always hard to be the "little guy", the independent designer, the one man operation, but then to be not seen as an industry? It tears at the very fabric of the camaraderie we feel with one another. It  attacks our very existence and our self esteem. It adds to the collective consciousness that the arts in general add no value to our society and are not to be regarded and valued in any way. In short, this viewpoint will be the downfall of our society as we know it. Yes, I really think it can be that extreme.

This post started out in my head as a lesson why we need to come together, artisan and show promoter. Why we need to work harder at taking care of one another, to give the customer a better experience, to stop the shows where manufactured products are allowed, where artisans stand in mud for days at a time trying to make a living, and where customers are hawked at and lied to by fly by night vendors. It was supposed to be a post about protecting each other and acting like an industry rather than a hobby. It was supposed to be about being proud of who we are and what we do. It was supposed to be about producing high quality small shows rather than ending up with the mundane large shows that seem to be so prevalent. But now I have seen the forest for the trees: we need to come together as an industry before the industry is taken away from us.