The third protagonist of Any Creative Form, the docu-series that explores contemporary creative culture produced by Collater.al Studio and Loft Films, is Erbil Sivaslıoğlu, founder of Bitti Gitti.
Read our interview here and watch the third episode but, if you haven’t already done, here you can watch episode one starring Luca Barcellona, and here episode two starring David Doran.
Any Creative Form was created with the aim of investigating contemporary creative culture to fill a gap created by the new content distributors, strongly focused on another type of product. Do you think that our project can become a starting point for brands, streaming platforms, and entertainment giants?
As creating and sharing content gets more accessible, demand for the new is always growing. Attention spans get shorter and brands are seeking ways of freshness each day. This can result in mediocracy, creating copies of a copy just for the sake of newness. The power of authenticity, story and function are way greater than just new and easy-to-create.
Some major brands are already using this for a while but this number hopefully will grow as projects like Any Creative Form puts a spotlight on the contemporary creative culture. Supporting ideas with a creative touch might seem a lot of work to start with, but it pays off in the long run. Brands who are willing to stay in the minds of the consumer will sooner or later hop on the train of using this power of contemporary creative culture.
Our documentary shows that your work is also fun for you, how you managed to make your passion your work?
I had a chance to work in the corporate sector as an engineer, freelance designer, app startup founder and strategy consultant over the past years. I love challenges and always seeking iteration based improvements. I realized no matter what I do, after each paycheck I was running to buy more materials and tools for hands-on creative processes. Finding a sweet spot for work and passion became a new challenge for me and I happily jumped on it. Everybody enjoys creating something by hand. But since we’re surrounded with easier alternatives, making your own stuff seems slow and rudimentary. I’ve founded Bitti Gitti to make handcrafting processes more practical and effective than ever. So currently all of my passion goes into encouraging people also start using their hands more in their everyday life.
Making wooden screen printer kits, wooden pinhole cameras, cyanotype printmaking kits and ready to customize passive amplifiers are just a few to name.
After 6 years of Bitti Gitti, I am still not feeling like I’m working. I still do problem-solving and design every day. Hands-on creativity is the heart of my daily schedule. Making a product and putting it onto the market is the best way of getting your product into the hands of people really seeking it. That way I get the most honest feedback.
Creating useful and sustainable products, pays back as more materials, more time for creativity and a network of like-minded people. I am really grateful to see work as a term of increasing your access rate for the resources needed to create more.
Our times are characterized by hype brands and mass production, wasn’t it risky for you to devote yourself to handmade objects?
I believe every risk also has an opportunity hidden inside.
When mass production first introduced was really making a difference by turning high demand products into accessible products segment. Now we’re bombarded with mass-produced products. Anything we have hand made nearby stands out instantly. I think there is a huge opportunity in utilizing the power of handcraft in our everyday lives. And there is a level of hand-craft to each project in Bitti Gitti. It’s not just me doing all the hand-craft and selling people products to, it’s more of a shared work. Bitti Gitti makes the tools and raw object forms and at our corporate workshops, people use these tools to make their own creations.
Mass production is not a bad thing on its own. It can be a great tool for a great starting point. For example, we’re using CNC carving on wood to get some pieces at the right dimensions every time. Instead of using it as it came out from the machine, mixing traditional techniques with creativity resulting in unique pieces every time.
Secondly, I think running your own business has never been as accessible as today. Creatives have almost any tool one can imagine turning their ideas into products. From online sales channels to worldwide shipping, wholesale marketplaces and storage providers there are an army of key partners to work with to make more time to spend on the creative processes. Ease of learning new skills also got easier. By educating yourself and constantly evolving the product I think there is enough room for everybody to do their passion as the main resource of income today. It’s not risky if you’re enjoying the ride. Thanks to Any Creative Form again for embracing contemporary creatives, makers, and entrepreneurs and spread their passion.
Credits:
Produced, Shot & Directed by Daniel Fazio
Edited by Ethan Salley
Artwork: Bitti Gitti
Produced by Collater.al Studio & Loft Films
