As people were stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, they turned to creative hobbies, such as arts and crafts, to fill their hours. Similarly, many who were furloughed or let go from their jobs became entrepreneurs, starting their own businesses from their own homes. The wide availability of platforms such as Etsy to sell handmade goods provided crafters with the opportunity to start their own businesses based on their passion.
Being at home during the pandemic also caused many people to fill their time watching social media, opening the door for several individuals to turn their crafting passions into careers as content creators. The meteoric rise in interest in crafting has allowed crafting influencers to cater to a growing audience, but in terms of more mainstream platforms, such as television, crafting content remains aimed at a younger audience with “kiddie” activities such as popsicle stick or macaroni art.
However, by aiming content mostly at younger audiences, these platforms are missing out on a large, untapped audience of adult crafters. One study shows 41% of crafters are millennials — between the ages of 18 and 34 years old — with a further 35% being 35 to 54 and 23% being 55 or older. That means a mere 1% of crafters are under 18, yet this is the audience for which most crafting content has been produced — until Made It Myself TV.
How Made It Myself TV will inspire home crafting businesses
The first DIY/crafting channel offered by VIZIO on its platform, Made It Myself TV serves as a dedicated home for crafting content 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A partnership between VIZIO and TriCoast TV — the force behind the wildly successful Dark Matter TV — Made It Myself TV hopes to inspire viewers to pursue and enrich their crafting passions. And since Made It Myself TV is available on any television using VIZIO’s operating system, which comes equipped out-of-the-box on every VIZIO smart TV, millions of households across the country and world can enjoy the app’s amazing crafting content.
The arts and crafts field has historically been considered “female-oriented,” but that is simply no longer true. Woodworking, a crafting space that has traditionally been dominated by men, has been growing steadily in the crafting field — so much so that there is a nearly even split between women and men crafters.
“One of Made It Myself TV’s most prolific crafters is Marc Spagnuolo, The Wood Whisperer, whose phenomenal woodworking content appeals to a predominantly male audience,” says Marcy Levitas Hamilton, CEO of TriCoast TV.
Crafting as a communal experience
Group activities within the crafting space are growing. The idea of crafting as a communal activity is nothing novel — just think of knitting circles and quilting groups. Hamilton also hopes to inspire people to take up crafting hobbies (or even professions) with their loved ones. “We see people dip their toes into crafting to make a handmade gift for their partner or family member, but what if they crafted together?” she asks. “It could make for a valuable bonding experience that is just as memorable as the thing being made.”
Indeed, should crafters craft with a loved one. It could be the excellent foundation of a family business. Selling the products together on Etsy — or even at local craft fairs — can be an easy way to form a healthy second stream of income through an activity that is enjoyable and offers an amazing opportunity for people to grow closer together.
For Hamilton and the Made It Myself TV team, inspiration is the key to getting people to turn their passion for crafting into a creative profession. Their goal with the platform is to create widely appealing content that is “good, entertaining, and inspiring.” Made It Myself TV is designed to appeal to adults of all walks of life who are or want to get serious about crafting.
Partnering with high-profile influencers and such a massive platform as VIZIO will allow Made It Myself TV to become the dominant platform for high-quality, informative, and inspiring crafting content. As more people find ways to turn their creative hobbies into home businesses, downloading or watching Made It Myself TV will give them the inspiration they need to make this dream a reality.
