DIY is very important to me

because i feel like punk may not be dead, but it is dying. (obviously, these are all my experiences, my reality, some of my observations may be true, some may be anecdotal. i encourage feedback) i feel like i've seen a lot of people adopt punk as an aesthetic first & foremost, without really understanding the political undertones of it. i'm barely aesthetically punk, because i don't have the clothes or makeup, but politically? i'm someone most of society deems a loser unworthy of the support i need; i'm an abused, disabled kid - adult, i'm an adult. heh - i'm an anarchist, i'm very politically and experientially punk. and i've seen a lot of people who are aesthetically punk, in person & online, who have politics very counter to mine! and usually, the thing i find most lacking with those people, is the DIY aspect. that's what's been neglected

and i am very, very aware of how DIY is just one aspect of punk and frankly i could talk for hours about how even fellow queer artists have made me feel out of place or disappointed/frustrated me, but i want to talk about DIY today because it overlaps with a lot of other aspects of punk; namely, that to be punk, you have to be anti-capitalist, and anti-consumerism

and i see a lot of lists floating around of "[insert counterculture here] brands & shops" on blogs here and my only reaction is to laugh a little because that is, imho, not very punk. emo & scene & others are different, because there's something to be said for how those are primarily aesthetics-based in nature, but punk? do you know what it means, to be called a "punk"? that was, and is, a word older, more conservative people had for someone younger who breaks the rules. and now i'm not going to gatekeep or say that you can't be punk if you dress like another punk because you're lacking in originality, because that's ridiculous, i don't really believe in originality as a concept (because i've read Austin Kleon's Steal Like An Artist), and doing what the people we respect are doing is how human beings learn from each other. so my problem isn't that all newer punks are clones; or that they (we? i'm pretty new!) look the same. my problem is, specifically, with brands. like Hot Topic. even like Hot Topic, yes. it might've been controversial enough to be considered punk back in the day, but the quality's gone downhill (i never bought anything because i was never allowed to, but i've been before, many times throughout the years). and, even more importantly, the times i've been recently, i've seen items that are like...gimmicks. tricks. they're supposed to look handmade, or they're supposed to have a unique aesthetic, but if they're being mass-produced for stores across amerikkka, they're neither handmade nor unique. i have some Hot Topic clothes, and they're alright, they are, but i didn't get anything that was pretending to be something it wasn't. i got, like, idek, clothes. black pants. a shirt. things that you could get at a department store. because if i'd bought one of the items that's supposed to be a novelty but isn't, i might've felt special in comparison to people who've never gone to Hot Topic in their life, but Hot Topic is just another company, just another brand. i don't want to buy into the trick, and i definitely don't want to be a walking ad. in fact, not only do i not want to give them my money, i don't want to spend money on things i don't need, at all

what i'd much rather do, especially in light of how there's this mass polycrisis; climate collapse, genocide/s, pandemic, and i could use the resources i have to support others & hopefully be supported reciprocally (this is called mutual aid), is make my own custom fashion. that i can wear and actually feel a smidge of humble pride in, because i made it. i don't particularly enjoy seeing lists of brands, i feel neutral towards 'small business' 'owners' (or, like, creators), unless i know them, but. seeing tutorials, including videos, that encourage people to just get really deep into fucking up & flavorblasting the clothes they already have?? ohhhhh i love that shit sm. i could talk about how much i love that shit for days. i could talk about my own attempts for days; i'm learning how to sew, from a friend, by recreating a cool hoodie that i saw at the mall that i didn't buy because i knew i could make it. and i want to see everyone working on their own projects, if they have the physical ability & will to, that they can also feel a bit of pride in. i want a world full of creativity & color & culture. and there's more i could say about how i plan to get there, and i'd love to talk about it with you if you want that, too, but for now, i'll just say, MAKING SHIT FUCKS. positive connotation

thank you for reading :))