Think that the little scrap book and stars and inserts big sister used to glue inside it as a little hobby, or granny crocheting a tea cosy is over due to the rise in technology and digital photography, think again.

Concerned parents and teachers alike are spearheading a growth in the arts and craft industry in a bid to try lure children away from the ever worrying dependency on smart phones and computers.

kids on Tablets

Along with entrepreneurs who are making strides in creating their own designer prestige packaging for the jewelry industry, designer soap makers, and cake making DIY enthusiasts who saw the opportunity to grow during this new entrepreneurial age of small business growth online.

The arts and crafts industry is currently globally worth around a whopping 18 Billion USD. The two largest companies; Michaels and Hobby Lobby making up around half the total market, with shops all over the US and Europe sell handmade paper and scrap book supplies to a new generation of young people who recognize the therapeutic benefits of an artistic distraction, as well as parents and educators who are well aware of the education benefits of stimulating a child’s Imagination.

Imagine the future:

It is said that when a child goes to school they can think of over 50 uses for an elastic band, yet when they are leaving school they struggle to think of 5 uses. Imagination plays a vital role in any enterprise; therefore brain storming sessions require deep raking of ones grey matter to come up with new ideas for the business, so things need to change!

Stimulating the Imagination

Governments across the Western world are hailing the contribution of small business to their economies and the vital part imagination plays in this, and this stems all the way to the Kindergartens where imagination is born, so parents are now probing Head Masters about the level of Arts and Craft facilities available to students at schools.

Craft stores are conducting classes where shoppers can learn all about textiles and paper crafts, based on feedback they received from exhibitions, which are proving popular. Thus increasing brand awareness, brand loyalty and sales

Business Imagination

The Eco view:

The green generation, those who are uber-aware of the rape of natural resources, are behind a rise of recycling businesses, green business owners who insist on only using companies with a socially sustainable record, have carved a way into the arts and craft industry by creating desirable objects and their imaginative reconstruction of old discontinued items, extending their look and functionality. For business this is a major touch point and social awareness is very much a part of blue chip business web sites.

Sustainable business

Can you draw a map?

The US and UK have traditionally been the main purveyors of arts and craft products, however the last decade has seen a rise in the demand for arts from China, which has become the global leading in demand for fine arts.

Asia as a continent supplies around 100 Million USD in Handicrafts to the global market, Thailand being the prominent producers of fibre based objects, and provides additional employment and raise the level of living for both rural and urban populations. This industry plays a vital role in the economic development of the rural peoples and earns substantial foreign exchange.

Europe is worth circa 25.3 million non-primary private enterprises, out of which 99.8% are craft and small and medium-sized enterprises. Craft-trades play a significant role in most of the European countries The Crafts and small businesses employ more than 66% of Europe’s workforce i.e. around 98 million people. Small enterprises and craft businesses are a prominent source of jobs and a petri dish for business ideas.

Arts and crafts online:

The crafts blogger has come of age and no more so than in the on the Internet, Artists utilising globalisation giving away great design tricks and visually sumptuous pictures of the things they create or see.

One of the top blogs is: Skip to the Lou with 13,000 followers on Twitter, she writes about beautiful arts and craft designs as well as Artistic food creations.

One pretty thing boasts over 130,000 monthly followers and blogs about all things paper and plants to sewing.

Paer Crafts Thailand is a relatively new website but has started to see over 1,500 monthly web site viewers and close to 1,000 Facebook page likes in just 8 months they write about the Arts and Crafts industry from the business perspective, they are after all the factory in Thailand and they seek inspiration from their visitors.

Most bloggers have a shop and can make a lot of money if they are consistently altruistic in their approach and remember it’s about the website visitors.

Globalization

Exchange rates

Never been a better time to visit South East Asia and see what new arts and crafts the people of ASEAN are creating. The current rise in the Thai baht for example, means a wine presentation bag made from beautiful robust Mulberry paper would be a lot cheaper to buy now than it was two years ago, as well as accommodation and travel.

CM Paper Crafts Thailand is a world leader in the arts and crafts supply world and Mulberry paper creations direct from the trees grown in Northern Thailand and they have a sustainable business and employ local people with centuries old skills passed down generations. They do not cut any trees down; making a carbon footprint any green company would kill for.

You can download brochures or see their shop direct and they have a few great blogs too.

Source used : http://www.craftcentral.com/craft-industry.html