Today while reading a recap written by a fellow Craft Wars veteran, I did stumble upon an interesting factoid: There have only been 2 male contestants so far. Hm. I can only guess that male applicants were scared off by the use of the term "crafting", as it does sort of imply the stuff your grandma used to make with cornhusks and old lace.
Several years ago, I did an interview with an all female owned and operated production company. Their line of questioning practically begged you to respond in a way that would appeal to their young female audience; teenagers who needed to hinge their identities on "girl power" because it was an alternative concept, yet already pioneered by others and thus not scary. One question in particular made me realize something.
"So, Ashley, you're a successful woman working in a male dominated industry. Do you consider yourself a feminist?"
Obviously, they were looking for a 'yes'. They were hoping for war stories about how hard I had to fight to get where I am because I'm a girl; how I wasn't taken seriously or, better, yet, had encountered sexual harassment and persevered! I'd also be able to provide anecdotes about the elder, wise, women who had helped me along the way, giving doe-eyed young women hope that role models DO exist.
Nope. None of that. I am not a feminist.
Seeing the modifer "female" used in relation to a profession bugs me. I'm not an accomplished "female" artist, I'm an accomplished artist. We're all playing on the same field, and I'll take on all you muthafuckas! I don't need to be categorized, nor do I need someone to give me an extra special award because I did all this stuff AND was a girl at the same time. I know it sounds like an awful lot to handle with all the lipstick re-applications and the tampon changing and whatnot, but I assure you it's manageable if you're good at what you do.
To be honest, until they asked me that question I had never really thought of my work in terms of gender at all. Anything I truly want to have, I pursue wholeheartedly and more often then not the hard works pays off. I'm not thinking about whether my chromosomes will help or hurt my chances. When it comes to work and art, I don't think of myself as a "woman"...or a man. I am Ashley Long. Love it, or get the hell out of my way.
As the Craft Wars season moves forward, I hope to see more male contenders in the mix. While my whole genderless artist rant prevents me from being counted as Craft Wars dude #3, I'd like to think I'm a bit more akin to the guys when it comes to my method. We don't look at blog tutorials, we don't have parties. We just are. We work alone in our shops, dig in, and figure shit out guerilla style. Building, designing, stitching, glueing, installing, evil genius-ing, ...making bacon guns and posing like the Terminator when we're bored.
Hmm. Maybe I should look into some genetic testing....
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