Freedom of craft

With the right to create

The Freedom of Craft initiative aims to create space to explore ideas and physical materials. It is based on the belief that craft is an important way to understand the world, oneself and others. The process of exploring materials, mixing, extracting and arriving at colors and function is essential to reaching a knowledge that cannot be created in any other way than through touch.

I don’t know about you. But when I do craft, I feel like I’m opening up a space that is filled, and being filled, with non-verbal knowledge. There is something happening at the edge of my consciousness, which can only be expressed by making, experimenting, trying, making mistakes but also succeeding!

It is a young initiative that was kicked off by the collaboration with Natalya Brashovetska and the workshop One template – many bags that we organized together in Svärdsjö in the summer of 2024.

It feels fun and exciting to send Freedom of craft out into the world!

Join the initiative

I hope you want to join us and participate in the development ahead. You can do so by following the Freedom of crafts social media accounts. There you will find updates and inspiration.

You can sign up for the newsletter.

You can also suggest new courses, themes and challenges that you find interesting and think Freedom of craft should address.

An important force and place

The name Freedom of craft is inspired by and linked to the idea of human rights, which can feel like putting on boots that are a few number of sizes too big. 🙂

But I would argue that in our modern lives we prioritize craft less than we should. Seeing craft as a right to create, explore and connect with the world can give us a nudge to prioritize it differently.

Crafts can help develop creativity, identity, self-confidence, well-being and community, but also independence. Crafts are a skill that is needed as we move towards a sustainable, circular society.

Although I believe that creativity really doesn’t have to be linked to something that is productive. Exploring, tinkering and playing is just enough!

Freedom of craft is also a play on the word freedom. I think of it as a “free-dom”. A space you own. As an inner space that you can live in and visit at any time. But also as taking place, taking possession and claiming the right to create.

Freedom of Craft welcomes those who want to explore the world in a physical way and give their creativity space and freedom.

Who am I?

I am Moa Borén, the founder of the Freedom of Craft initiative. My vision is to advocate for craft as a way to both know and learn about yourself, others and the world. Freedom of Craft does this by organizing courses and writing about craft, sharing ideas and projects.

Wool is the main track of creation for me. Wool and felting suit my hands and way of thinking. Of course, this means that Freedom of Craft will have a certain… bias in that direction. But I enjoy all kinds of crafts, and will also do collaborations with persons engaging in other types of crafts.

I have a background in the digital field as a requirements specialist, working on gathering insights about the end-user experience of digital products. Working with craft is an important way to connect to the materiality of the real world we live in.

I live in the countryside outside Avesta in Sweden with nature literally on my doorstep. My husband and I are renovating and fixing up our house from 1864. I can see foxes, deer, eagles, swans and cranes from my office window.