Artisans and Clients in the 21st Century: Technology as a solution to their dissenting symbiosis
Technology has pivotal role to play in bridging this gap between grass roots artisans and their clients
Symbiosis is a relationship between two elements that is to the advantage of both. Bearing this in mind, what is that symbiotic affair between artisans and their clients, even when many people (including the artisans and their clients) believe there is a wide gap between them? One way to understand this is by knowing what technology actually mean. Technology itself is the practical application of “knowledge” either science or art to produce things which enhances the well-being of mankind. It’s quite obvious that technology encompasses artisans and their clients; artisans being professionals that applies knowledge to produce things, while the clients being the consumers of the things produced.
In this article, we address the statement: how technology can fix the dissenting symbiosis between artisans and their prospective clients. In doing so, we would like to build on existing literatures, which will be properly referenced.
Artisans, Who are They?
Artisans all over the world are known and identified as skilled manual workers who create their wares mostly from the raw materials gathered within their environment. They are sometimes regarded as low cadre laborers because most of them may not have attended any form of formal education.
A research project by Dana Muntean gave a brief explanation on who the artisans of the 21st century are:
“The importance of craft sector development cannot be underestimated. The craft sector plays a significant role in the creative and cultural industries. Therefore an important question arises: what is the definition of craft and who could be considered as a craft-maker? There is no only single easy answer to this — the definition of craft and craft-makers is ambiguous, they were defined in a number of diverse ways by different cultural organizations, by people from related fields and even by craft producers themselves. Diverse organisations and their representatives gave their own definition as to what is meant by ‘craft’.
This research is based on the following definition of craft and craft-maker which are inseparable:
craft is about making and producing creative, innovative and peculiar things using diversity of materials, tools and techniques, both traditional and contemporary, which usually reflects the culture and personality of the maker and has a story to tell behind the product.”
Artisans are major players and components of any growing economy in the 21st century.
Cause of declination
From the perspective of artisans
Based on a post published on VCEELA, artisans preserve and promote cultural and artistic traditions. However, this industry is facing serious setbacks. According to Siddiqa Malik, chairperson of the Indus Heritage Trust (IHT), “The artisans are finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet and some of them have even started to abandon their crafts.” It is necessary to implement a sustainable program to help these artisans and to safeguard the national and cultural heritage which is represented by these crafts.
Based on research findings by Dana Muntean the ideal portrait of Artisans of the 21st century could be described as following:
■ They are ready to accept the challenges of the crafts sector’s dynamic environment and to focus their efforts on the improvement of their techniques according to changing tools, diversification of materials and development of new technologies
■ They make most of collaboration opportunities and IP protection
■ They know how to deliver an intriguing and inspiring story around their product.
Dana Muntean’s research project shares similarities with this research work. At the same, this research work brought to light principal challenges that any contemporary artisan faces on a daily basis that prevents them to fulfil this portrait:
- Absence of spaces for collaboration: Most of craft-makers expressed their concern about the lack of spaces where they could perform their craft activity, meet like-minded people and share their ideas and skills with them. Also, they believe that those spaces could be used to sell their unique craft objects and interact with their customers
- Limited access to high technology equipment and skills: The high price of such technological equipment or materials limits the amount of people who can get access to use it on a daily basis and experiment in the making process.
- Lack of knowledge on how to protect their creative products Intellectual property rights is an important business asset: The most important IP right that craft-makers could take advantage of is the design right, which is easy to obtain and not that expensive to maintain in the case where the design is new and individual in character. Moreover, craft-makers should not underestimate the power of trademarking and licensing that could bring an added value to their branding and positioning strategy.
- Narrow understanding on how to tell the story around their products: Our interview results revealed that price is not the crucial variable in enabling craft-makers to stand out from the competition, but the way products themselves make people feel.
These amongst others, were chosen as principal challenges for the aim of thorough study based on research.
From the perspective of clients
One can argue that artisans and their prospective clients are mutually exclusive, meaning that both complement each other, contrary to the general belief that clients are no longer trusting ‘professional artisans’ to carry out their needs. Why does this bias exist?
In an article published by Onu Fegus, he stated that “there is usually a gap between artisans and their prospective clients in the cities especially when these prospective clients are new to the city and are in need of basic crucial services”. Getting an artisan involves a certain level of trust process. In imbibing the trust of others in oneself, certain steps and verification will be needed.
Clients have fallen prey to the hands of unskilled and unprofessional artisans, the rate of this occurrence is far greater than the rate at which skilled and professional artisans are being employed. These amongst other things, like not being able to access artisans available in the clients location, not being able to preview the previous works of the artisan, is a major reason for the declining relationship between artisans and their clients.
Technology as a solution to their dissenting symbiosis
There are lots of technological approach to bridging the gap between these two entities. However, a more modern approach that encompasses almost all of the other approaches is presented in this research.
The artisan-clients services platform presented in this paper enables clients to meet artisans in an online matching platform. The system bridges the wide gap between artisans and their prospective clients by allowing customers even if they are new or old in town to connect to the available artisans within or outside their locality to attend to their needs through the online platform. This platform involves all the necessary verified information about each of the artisans, and ease in accessing this information, so as to engrave trust between the artisans and their prospective client.
This research propose a web-based platform that creates a meeting point for both the artisans and the client by: creating an online database of artisans on the basis of their sector for ease of identification; the integration of an online payment platform, a secure online payment gateway to encourage ease of transaction; creating a module for subscription and updates by the artisan; creating a module for interactions and feedbacks between all stakeholders in the system.
Artisans require appropriate channelization for the display of their products and services to encourage them and stem the tide of the dwindling fortunes of the country. Storytelling as I would call this process of displaying products and services is essential in increasing customers’ awareness about the creative and making process around products and in helping them realize the value of unique crafted objects.
Also, artisans would feel more encouraged to give their best when they are able to do their trade at their own comfort knowing that there is a market constantly waiting for their products. Their social lives would be greatly affected in the most positive way. The younger generation, haven grown to see the luxury in the craft, would also be encouraged to step in as the older ones gets weak and aged. Thus, the trend of transferring knowledge continues to grow.
This research was made possible by members of Group 337, Samuel Alake, Adu Ibiyemi, Ayanbode Emmanuel, Ismail Ogundiji and Ummakalthum Abdulrahman, of the Side Hustle Internship Program.
