Blog Post #1

The new occupation I will be learning this semester is attempting different styles of macrame art. I have always loved the aesthetic look of macrame, but I have never attempted to make my own. This past week, I bought a macrame kit at my local Hobby Lobby store and my plan is to start with this since it has specific instructions and materials, so I am hopeful I won't get too far lost in the weeds.

In the assigned readings for this past week, Reker and Wong have shown how the meaning we place on different occupations lies along a continuum, ranging from meaning we place ourselves versus the meaning society gives an occupation. Reker and and Wong have termed those on the self-defined meaning side of the continuum as "individualists" and those on the society-defined end as "conformists" (Hasselkus & Dickie, 2021, p. 4). For me, the meaning I hold behind the occupation of making macrame is somewhere in the middle. I was first introduced to macrame art from different posts I saw on my social media feeds, and felt like others thought these art pieces were decorative and valuable within their homes. However, I also find a lot of beauty in it myself and I am excited to develop a more personal meaning with macrame as I learn how to do it. Looking at the big picture from making macrame to making art as a whole, I do place a lot of self-defined meaning in art. From a young age I've always loved to be creative and do craft projects, and I find joy in the sense of accomplishment after completing them. 

Also in the readings for this week, Heidegger has explained how the ways we thinking about occupations we participate in have a mode of calculative thinking and a mode of meditative thinking (Hasselkus & Dickie, 2021, p. 12). The mode of calculative thinking can be thought of as the logical and science-based mind, while the mode of meditative thinking is more of the emotional and imaginative mind. Aspects of selecting and implementing my new occupation of making macrame which fall under calculative thinking include determining how much the material would cost, calculating how much time I can devote to my occupation each week, and following the specific instructions in the Hobby Lobby kit. Aspects of selecting and implementing making macrame which fall under the meditative thinking mode is the value I put behind making art and the process of selecting which kit to do based on the colors and how much I liked the end-product.

Macrame kit from Hobby Lobby and tote bag I got to store my craft : )

References

Hasselkus, B. R. & Dickie, V. A. (2021). The meaning of everyday occupation (3rd ed.). SLACK Incorporated.