When you think of the word "handmade", what springs to mind for you?
For me, when I think of handmade, I think: "time", "love", "originality", "quality", "support", "family" and "art", Sure, handmade stuff might be less than perfect, but who wants a piece of original art that looks like it's been mass-produced by machines? No matter what the nature of the handmade product is, it's ultimately a piece of art in its own right. Think about it - someone has spent years, perhaps even decades, perfecting their skills, learning new techniques, investing in supplies. Whether that's an artisan candle maker, a toy crocheter or a maker of handmade cards, each item is made with love, care and attention to detail. Each item takes precious time to plan, create and then promote. These aren't some items made by machine at 100 items/hour, being packed by underpaid workers in a conveyor-style setup and shipped off en-mass to be sold for small change. These aren't items that thousands of other people have also purchased and now have on display in their homes. Who wants to be just like everyone else? Every single handmade item is going to be different from the next, regardless of how uniform we try to keep them (originality and personality!). Each item is being made by one pair of hands, in someone's home office, on someone's dining room table, in their shed. Each dollar made through the sale of their handmade items means a real person (not a big corporation) gets to buy some more supplies, feed their family, save for a holiday, invest in more skill training. Real people, looking after real homes, real families, dealing with real health issues, perhaps. Their days are filled with hours upon hours of working on their craft, perhaps being paid below minimum wage for their time (when compared to being employed by someone else). It means late nights, hasty postal runs, an overflow of creative ideas as you lie there trying to get to sleep, having to navigate your own marketing and promotions, writing original blog posts, researching what your customers want, dealing with creative block and the challenges that poses. Why do we do it then? Because we're artists, and that's what we do. The love of the craft far outweighs any of the "downsides". The creation of art in any form is a therapy for most of us. It's an extension of our very personality, and without it, we have a void we cannot fill. That's why we need to do what we do, and we don't really mind all the harder stuff. All we want to do is CREATE. To INSPIRE. To bring JOY to others. To create a little OASIS in amongst the chaos of this world. Next time you see a handmade artisan online, at the markets, on the streets, take a moment to step back and appreciate their work and, if the opportunity arises, ask them what their inspiration is. Trust me, it will mean the world to them! xo Kat
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December 2017
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