50 Times Bad Ideas Met Bad Execution And The Results Got Posted On This Craft Shaming Group Interview With Owner

Bored Panda got in touch with some of the admins of “That's it, I'm craft shaming” and they were kind enough to answer some of our questions. First, we wanted to know about the group's inception. ”The group was started as a bit of a joke, just a way to poke fun at crafts that go wrong which is why we encourage members to post creations they've made that went wrong or not the way they wanted, it's about not taking it all so seriously, learning to laugh at your mistakes and embrace the human in it.”

Despite the focus on “shaming,” the real goal is lighthearted. After all, seeing a terrible project might help you gain confidence in your own work. Mistakes and happy accidents are all enjoyable content, and soon a community was born around, well, terrible creations, proving that you can find something good in the bad. 

We also wanted to know a bit more about the people behind and in the group, as it’s gathered a diverse assortment of amateur craftspeople and just curious internet users. “We're a broad bunch of people who come from all over, from Canada to the US, to the UK and Australia, so you'll find we differ a lot on what we call 'bad' if it's a case of style, I personally appreciate what others may call tacky or kitsch, love me a glittery hot pink feather mess!”

“But we tend to post crafts that are physically and technically bad, a clay sculpture that was meant to be a horse head and looks like a boot, a knitted bear that is so misshapen the comments are struggling to say what it was meant to be. We also monitor every post that if the majority don't agree it falls into a 'bad craft' it will get removed!”

We asked if they have any experiences from the group they remember fondly. “Not so much favorite stories, but things we've learned. As such a diverse group from so many countries, it's fascinating to see the taste and skill levels of different places. As someone from outside the US, I never knew how common it was to use your state as decoration, from slogans to flags to the actual shape of your state as a wall feature! I also like how creative people can be, sometimes the idea is there but the execution is just terrible.”

They left us with this thought to ponder as we look at this selection of “terrible crafts”: “I would like to add, that, in life, it is human to err. To make mistakes and have things fail to work out the way you plan. And you have two choices. You can hide your mistakes in shame, never speaking of them, and letting them fester and spoil inside. Or you can laugh, laugh at how funny our mistakes can be, laugh knowing you tried, and trying is the first step to succeeding.”