DIY why?

It's a big deal right now, DIY... a.k.a. do it yourself; is it that we have developed an obsession with homemade looking crafts and clothes? Or maybe it's a result of economics and being on a tight budget?

I have a few theories that have come from analyzing my own desires to make anything from my own laundry detergent to the gown I need for my next formal event.

First of all, everything has gone mobile, there's very little material evidence of what keeps us busy all day; when I finish a DIY project I feel a mental relief at having a substantial piece of evidence in my hand for what I spent my hours on. It's very therapeutic.

Secondly, I don't have loads of cash laying around to spend on the latest fashions and trends (and my gadget needs take up my spending cash :-0); spending half the money on supplies to create an outfit rather than buying something new, or re-purposing some odds and ends to create a work of art for a bare wall, it really makes sense.

Thirdly, because I don't generally have extra cash laying around to do things like going to the theater or concerts, or whiling away hours at the coffee house drinking lattes, DIY is a really fun pastime to do with friends!

And the fourth and final reason for my DIY projects is there are so many Internet sites trending these projects out that I have an over-abundance of material to provide me with a rather long list of projects that could make my life more creative and resourceful.

So, these are my reasons, what are yours?

A color by any other name

Trends are peculiar in the sense that they sneak up on you. I don't remember when it was that I realized that mustard yellow was trending but it built momentum for many years before I realized it was a "thing"; I was having a conversation with my sister over the phone discussing her frustration at not finding a sweater online in the color "goldenrod", I knew the color she was describing and insisted she should search "mustard" instead, not to my surprise did she find many options in varying hues of gold and yellow.

The trend is for "mustard", it has taken over and dominated the world of decorating and accessorizing, it's not yellow and not goldenrod, it's very specifically mustard. In the case of this mustard yellow trend it's not just the color you're desiring, it's almost a lifestyle, add gray and you've taken it a step further.

Brand is important, if you are pushing a product or service or even just creating art, being vague won't raise your work above the noise of mediocre, you need to be bold and memorable, you need to be new and unique, push a new idea and become iconic.

This is branding, mustard yellow and gray are stamped on my generation like bell-bottoms on a hippie, it is defining, it is new (for now), it is current (for now). Enjoy it while it is here but remember it is a trend, so let it go when it is gone.