folk art Whether they can make money or not is related to every craftsman’s job.
Many old craftsmen in the village relied on a unique skill to maintain their family's livelihood when they were young. However, now, they can only watch helplessly as young people are more inclined to go to the city to engage in food delivery work, rather than taking up this ancestral craft.
To put it simply, no matter which family's children are looking forward to paying their tuition fees or their elderly people are waiting to see a doctor, just relying on the words "inheriting culture" cannot keep them from being hungry.
This contradiction is truly rooted in everyone's folk artist on the heart.
The real dilemma of craftsmen: Let’s talk about survival first, then inheritance
Walking in many ancient towns and old streets, you can find that most of the people engaged in bamboo weaving, paper-cutting, and clay sculpture crafts are masters over the age of fifty or sixty.
It’s not that they don’t want to teach, but they can’t find apprentices who are willing to learn.
A master craftsman who is engaged in making oil-paper umbrellas once told me that making an umbrella requires 72 processes and takes three days to make two. After selling it, the profit earned is only more than 100 yuan.
Today's young people go to construction sites to work as brick movers. Even if they work for just one day, they can earn an income of two to three hundred. Who is willing to endure the loneliness and calm down to learn this?
This is the most realistic aspect of the relationship between folk art and life. When craftsmanship cannot sustain even basic life, the roots of culture will gradually wither.
Economic income is the ballast stone for retaining craftsmen
In order for craftsmen to take root, they must first see money.
Many successful cases tell us that folk art can find a market through innovation.
For example, there are some Miao embroidery workshops that make traditional embroidery pieces into fashionable bags and mobile phone cases, and sell them to big cities through live broadcasts; there are also some inheritors of woodblock New Year paintings who have developed experience classes and cultural and creative gift boxes, and their annual income has increased tenfold compared to simply selling paintings.
What does this mean?
This shows that it is not that craftsmanship is worthless, but that there is a lack of ideas to turn traditional craftsmanship into best-selling products.
After a bamboo chair can be sold for 300 yuan, when a set of paper-cuts can be framed as a high-end gift, craftsmen will naturally be willing to devote their efforts to research.
Improve cultural consciousness, from "I want to pass it on" to "I want to pass it on"
Although having money is not enough, it is also necessary to make the craftsman truly believe from the bottom of his heart that what he is doing is great.
In some places, a selection event for "folk art masters" is held every year. Those craftsmen who are selected will not only receive a bonus, but the government will also help them hold exhibitions, publish picture albums for them, and have them appear on TV.
Gradually, these experienced craftsmen realized that they were so respected for their lifelong work.
The feeling generated after being recognized will turn into a conscious awareness with cultural connotations. This awareness is not to perform relevant performances in order to cope with inspections, but to sincerely want to elaborate this craft to be more excellent and spread further.
Find the fusion of traditional skills and modern life
The best way to protect craftsmanship is not to put it in a museum, but to return it to people's daily lives.
The arms are like blue calico, which was used to make quilts and headscarves in the past. Now it can be made into tablecloths, pillows, and even wall coverings. Shadow puppet shows are not only performed in scenic spots, but can also be made into shadow puppet DIY material packages, allowing parents to perform performances at home with their children.
These various practices, on the one hand, retain the key core parts of traditional craftsmanship, and on the other hand, they are exactly in line with the relevant aesthetics and usage habits of modern people.
If folk art once again becomes an indispensable part of life, and is not just a pendant that you glance at during travel, then its real vitality will truly return.
In the final analysis, dealing with the survival of folk artists and promoting their cultural consciousness are actually two aspects of the same thing.
Let craftsmen make a good living relying on their craftsmanship, and they will naturally regard this craft as a treasure.
All localities can use their brains to find ways to help craftsmen connect with e-commerce platforms, organize craftsmen to set up stalls in cultural and creative markets, and invite designers to participate in the development of new products.
Only by filling the pockets and filling the heart to satisfy those individuals who act as craftsmen can the old craftsmanship that has been passed down for countless years in the past survive from generation to generation, and not leave behind only a video image and a helpless sigh after the last master who shoulders the responsibility of passing on the craft passes away.
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