Committed individuals from the self-organized craft sector believed the larger population was unaware of the handmade sector and with the onslaught of the pandemic, saw the situation worsening for artisans. The network began looking for ways to support them through the lockdown phase which had brought the handmade economy to a grinding halt.

Despite the devastation which ensued, C19 proved to be an opportunity to address the fragility of the artisan economy, the second largest employment generator in the country after agriculture. The first efforts of the numerous people who joined the group were to organize relief for artisan families in distress. This temporary measure kept starvation at bay but was not the long term solution. Conversations around the challenges, the future potential of the ecosystem grew into an energetic network of multiple stakeholders willing to work together. Creative Dignity thus came into being as a collaborative space for the artisan sector along with other collective efforts that began simultaneously.

Within four fast-paced months, the network grew with connections in 26 states of the country and succeeded in raising money for relief, organizing digital access to markets, designing digital capacity building for artisans and experimenting with new ways of existing.

After two years of palpable impact, members of Creative Dignity decided to work towards post covid recovery leading to rejuvenation for artisan groups in India. With a spirit of collaborative resource-sharing, Creative Dignity stands as an unregistered network with a lean operations team, engaged members and a voluntary secretariat hosted by IndusTree Crafts Foundation.