One of our goals with this project is to recognize, highlight, and celebrate "Bloopers," or what we would typically think of as mistakes. While we often associate mistakes with negativity or a sense of deficit, a core part of the Conference Creatures approach is to enjoy these follies. We want to provide a window into the areas of research that usually remain unseen, especially since they contribute to the Conference Creatures experience.
Sometimes when we're creating for Conference Creatures, things don't go as planned. Whether it's a broken crochet hook, a heap of tangled yarn to untangle, a presentation slideshow that doesn't tolerate being converted into PDF form, a blurry photograph when attempting to document CC's adventures, or a webpage heading that disappears, our "failures" have brought us immense amounts of joy.
We have noticed that our pets have an affinity for helping us create our conference creatures. Olivia's dog, Karl, and Hannah's fluffy cat, Teaspoon, are good crafting companions. In contrast, Cilantro, Hannah's grey cat, is a menace who frequently steals creatures and runs away.
In addition to mischievous cats stealing completed creatures, Hannah also faces the challenge of creatures being stolen during creation. Hannah takes care to hide her crochet materials away to deter these cats, but when the cats are awake, no project is safe. On various occasions Cilantro and Persimmon have worked together to open bags and steal the in-progress creature with the ball of yarn still attached. Then, they take care to chew through the yarn, resulting in partially formed creatures that require additional time and attention to finish constructing.
Sometimes our creatures don't turn out as planned, but we appreciate the extra personality our "mistakes" bring to each creature. The inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies of individual creatures are what make each creature unique, but they also become most evident after the creature has been crafted. When we began the project, we were concerned about creatures who don't quite meet intended dimensions or look like the models on the patterns.
According to Olivia, we "like to play things fast and loose with needle size and yarn weight" when creating Conference Creatures. As a result, we have composed some comically large creatures. Each time Olivia, Marcia, or Hannah have produced huge creatures, we share pictures and laugh. Then, inevitably, one of us (usually the crafter of the giant creature in question) expresses concern over whether anyone will choose it. Though these XXL creatures aren't appealing to everyone, we've found that they still find loving homes!
Though mistakes require us to redo work or develop workarounds, they also force us to slow down. Our society's expectations of efficiency and productivity devalue mistakes, particularly those that force us to slow down to develop workarounds or redo tasks. What our bloopers reveal is the value of slowing down and the ways in which it encouraged us to problem solve and practice. Since skill and understanding are developed through repetition and practice, our bloopers illustrate learning opportunities.
As compositionists, we recognize the importance of understanding how "process" contributes to meaning and knowledge. Like our appreciation for writing processes, we also understand much of the Conference Creatures project through the lens of process, rather than product. Instead of worrying about whether we will be subject to "customer" complaints, held to certain quality standards, or expected to maintain a strict surplus inventory, our unconventional approach to creature creation that does not rely on our products being up to commercial standards allows us to focus on creativity, play, and relationship-building through our project. Turning our attention toward the process of creating, distributing, and storying Conference Creatures removes the limitations of the capitalist market economy which liberates Conference Creature creators to appreciate creatures who have a bit more "character" than perfect ones and to make up their backstories.
Like CC, every Conference Creature has their own personality. Using CC as our mascot has provided us with extra entertainment, as we like to bring her on non-conference adventures. Documenting CC's extracurricular activities invites us to pause and view the world from CC's perspective. Hannah has found the perspective-shifting practice of photographing CC pushes her to reimagine how she and the world(s) relate to and interact with one another. Simultaneously, documenting CC's experiences pushes her existence beyond that of a crocheted plush rabbit, and instead toward becoming legible as a unique being. As CC's experiences are layered upon her, we have the opportunity to create stories and narratives with and through her. By telling stories through CC—or any Conference Creature—we explore an alternative approach to recognizing and leveraging continuities between our professional and personal discursive practices.
While we try not to keep too many creatures for ourselves, occasionally there's one that we can't bear to part with. A hot pink crochet bunny, who has been named "Evil/Bad Bunny," illustrates how creatures take on personalities of their own. There have been a couple creatures we haven't been able to give away. Marcia was making creatures during the winter and sent Hannah a picture of the now infamous Evil Bunny. In addition to his fighting stance and lopsided smirk, the eyes were pushed in slightly too far, which created a sort of "furrowed brow" effect. Marcia knew she'd never be able to replicate Evil Bunny, so she kept him.
When visiting Hannah over the summer, Marcia admitted that she couldn't bring herself to part with Evil Bunny when she handed off a new class of creatures. Marcia then explained that her friend had suggested that Evil Bunny needed a cigarette, so she crafted one from a toothpick. Somehow, with the toothpick in his mouth, Evil Bunny looked happier. Later in the summer when Hannah visited her parents, Marcia and Hannah went through boxes of old toys and located additional props for Evil Bunny: a green wine glass, a beer bottle, and a silver gun that Marcia got out of a gumball machine as a kid. We introduced CC to Evil Bunny, and they became fast friends. Unfortunately, that may have been a mistake. After just a few minutes with Evil Bunny, CC caved to his peer pressure and we found the pair smoking together.
