DIY- Creative self-realization trend vs. freedom movement

Journalism International
Jan 8, 2024
6 min read

Updated: Nov 28, 2024

Fig. 1: DIY watermarked cover image from Journalism International. DIY watermarked cover image from Journalism International.

“That was already in fashion in my time!”, “Oh, people are wearing that again?!”.

Statements from older generations, largely from the 20th century. What often turns out to be a trend today often took place in the past with a different background.

DIY - Etymology of an acronym

“Do it yourself” - The acronym stands for a distinctive, unambiguous statement. Whether a picture, a woven carpet, renovating your home or loving gift ideas - DIY stands for the creative self-realization of a project, without outside help.

“ Acronym: A word formed from the initial letters of other words or (occasionally) from the initial parts of syllables taken from other words, the whole being pronounced as a single word (such as NATO, RADA). (OED)

Historically suggestive revolution - the early beginnings of urbanization

Rather than just a new trend, DIY is considered a dynastic movement with no time limit.

Where industrialization once began at the end of the 18th century, there were increasingly mixed feelings among the population and the industrial revolution occurred.

As early as the 1840s, protests in Great Britain complained about the effects of industrial production of products. The economy made it remarkably to the next level, as the wealth of coal deposits provided an entry point as a solution to the excessive deforestation of scarce forest areas in Great Britain.

There was not only a material difference in quality between industry and skilled craftsmanship. Industrialization brought many advantages, but also many disadvantages. With the invention and further development of the Newcomians and later progression to the Watt steam engine, which could be fired with coal, as well as the spinning machine, the first milestones of industrialization emerged.

“ Spinning Jenny: Invented in 1764 by the cotton weaver James Hargreaves (1721–1778) from Lancashire, initially with 8 bobbins, the human-powered spinning machine was quickly developed further, but in 1769 the Waterframe, a water-powered spinning machine invented by Sir Richard Arkwright, made the yarn significantly smaller was stronger than that of “Spinning Jenny”.

Fig. 2: Industrialization - Child labor in the industrial heyday. Source: wissenschaft-x.com

However, an age that triggered the largest migration movement in the history of humanity (TU Dresden, p.9) not only caused increasing jobs, but also caused many problems, especially health-related. Industrialization resulted not only in an industrial revolution, but also in urbanization.

“ Urbanization: Urbanization means, on the one hand, a disproportionate increase in the city population and, on the other hand, the development of an urban way of life with a significant impact on society as a whole, i.e. a qualitative process. (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek)

The increasing divided opinion of this era increased purse strings on one side and discontent on the other.

The 19th century saw a significant step forward for the term “DIY”.

“AaC” - Propagating rebellion against industrialization

Historically, the first “DIY steps” took place in the 1860s. Where loud voices once made themselves known, the “Arts and Crafts” reform movement now emerged. An association of people, especially artists, who advocated against industrial production and for an architectural and design revolution.

The background to the emergence of the “Arts and Crafts” movement, which is also synonymized with the “Do-it-yourself” movement, was primarily the prioritization of a more humane production of products: “Developing products that are not only... have more integrity, but also be produced in a less inhumane way.” (Victoria and Albert Museum)

“Arts-and-Crafts” or “DIY” stood for “the appreciation that society places on the way things are made”. (Victoria and Albert Museum)

Every beginning is difficult. From 1888 onwards there was an annual exhibition by the “Arts and Crafts” Exhibition Society in the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum). Where decorative artists, in contrast to painters or sculptors, once received little attention for their works, the focus was on giving them new public meaning.

Before this exhibition, decorative artists, without regular exhibition opportunities, had little chance of exerting influence with their works and therefore neither reaching potential customers nor spreading their personal “message”.

The “Arts-and-Crafts” Exhibition Society hoped that the first exhibition would change the social and intellectual status of arts and crafts in society. For many years, this was the only public social platform for decorative artists to significantly change the way “people looked at manufactured objects.” (Victoria and Albert Museum)

The most famous pioneer of the movement is William Morris, the most famous designer of the 19th century. Through his membership of the student group “The Set” or “The Brotherhood” since his studies, Morris became aware of the social division and his interest in “creating an alternative to the dehumanizing industrial systems that produced inferior, “unnatural” objects.” (Victoria and Albert Museum), was awakened.

FIG. 3: Arts and Crafts pioneer William Morris with his Victorian designs. Source: thecollector.com — Fig. 3: Arts and Crafts pioneer William Morris with his Victorian designs. Source: thecollector.com

Dissatisfied with the commercial offerings of interior furnishings, he founded the interior design company Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. with his wife and mutual friends from the artist circle in 1861. “Everything was to be packed into boxes by hand, a principle that the company decidedly opposed to the mainstream -Focus on industrialized “progress”.” (Victoria and Albert Museum)

William Morris had a clear influence on society with his Victorian-focused designs, which did not fit at all with the industrialization era at the time. Many people joined the “Arts and Crafts” movement because of his inspiring, profoundly meaningful works.

Crossmediality - From a historically formative movement to a contemporary witness as a target group

Based on the “AaC” or “DIY” movement, the next decisive step towards self-realizing art took place. The world's first hardware stores were founded.

“ - 1959: “Do-it-yourself” market Zürich-Albisrieden (CH), by Gottlieb Duttweiler

(today Do it + Garden Migros)

- 1960: “Bauhaus” in Garage in Mannheim (GER), by Georg Baus

- 1968: “Hornbach” in Bornheim, Pfalz (GER), by Otmar Hornbach; first combined

hardware and garden store

With the widespread, well-received system of the always available option to buy craft materials for one's own home or smaller self-made projects, new branches of cross-mediality became widespread. Even before the first global hardware store was founded, in February 1944, there was a kind of instruction on how to do it yourself in your own home on German radio, which is reminiscent of later television programs, such as the Hobbythek format produced by WDR from 1974-2004, which is considered the oldest " DIY” TV show in Germany.

Fig. 4: Hobbythek. WDR television format from 1974-2004, with Jean Pütz. In the photo from 1975, from left to right: Wolfgang Back, director Janos Meszaros and Jean Pütz. Source: Spiegel.de

In addition to the pioneers in local retail, in German radio and radio and on German television, the first “DIY” specialist magazine came onto the market in 1965 - “Ich ist der Mann”. It is still published today by the same publisher, Bauer, and has a legendary reach of 1.18 million (BauerAdvance). The Spiegel also paid tribute to the topic in 1965 with an editorial “Do-it-yourself - Business with Leisure”. (Spiegel)

Fig. 5: Spiegel-1965 edition with the main title “Do-it-yourself - Business with Leisure”. Source: wdr.de

Fig. 6: First edition from 1957 of the “Selbst ist der Mann” magazine. Source: Wirtschaftswundermuseum.de

Change in meaning - Self-realization trend vs. freedom movement

With the progressive reconstruction in the post-war period, whose contemporary witnesses were previously considered the target group of “DIY” specialist magazines and other channel formats, and the increasingly increasing infrastructure, more and more technological “footprints” were added. With the invention of the Internet and the ever-rapid exponential increase in its features, blogger wealth began. More and more forums opened. Creative thinkers emerged who now saw themselves as authors and artists. In social networks alone, there is an ever-increasing number of accounts, videos and photos with the #hashtags and/or the term “DIY” used in the content description.

It is clear to note that “DIY” has long been perceived not only as a symbol for DIY in and on your own home or building your own furniture, but also extends to include smaller, self-made gift ideas, such as creating an album or a jewelry box. The fashion and beauty industry has also long since gained momentum and materials such as headbands decorated with flowers, time-degradable, vegan clothing, lipsticks, bath bombs and hair shampoo are now included in the term.

Conclusion:

Where once serious revolutionary intentions for a more humane, social solution in the “fight” against industrial production of objects were implied as a movement, decades later an entire “DIY” lifestyle developed with the opening of hardware stores accessible to everyone, the first building plans that were built in one's own home could be implemented or the first “DIY” magazines, to today’s trend of a huge mass of “DIY” forums, social media accounts or videos in media libraries.

There is much more to “do-it-yourself” than just something you made yourself. There is attention to detail, the background of having realized oneself creatively and especially thoughts, emotions, time and often self-financed raw materials in these products.

So if you receive a gift you designed yourself, you should always keep in mind that this is something individual, very special, created from the heart, that not only deserves thanks and recognition, but also conveys that the person not only put effort into making it but also thought about the recipient as a person.