Spent the weekend jurying for the Crafty Bastards DC fair in September. It took two full days, but was good fun, thanks mostly to the other members of the panel, whose company I thoroughly enjoyed. They were not only knowledgeable but also managed to keep the mood light.

Overall, the experience was not entirely unlike jurying for a fine arts show. Crafters are apparently just as fond of declaring their work to be unique (we are all special snowflakes!) as fine artists--this despite the fact that the work of both communities invariably breaks down tidily into a handful of conventional, clearly defined categories.

The uniformity of preferred imagery was also surprising: I saw more owls, pirates, whales, squids, unicorns, ghosts, and smiling (or frowning) foods in one weekend than I've seen in the last three decades of my life combined. Who knew that what really ails mainstream consumer culture is a lack of fuzzy cupcake appliqués?