One of the goals of this site is to provide a platform for the spread & discussion of the handmade movement.

One such discussion I’ve tried to spark here, rather unsuccessfully, is what we actually think of when we think of “the handmade movement.” To me, this isn’t a semantic argument but rather one of great importance. How we define ourselves, our community, and our movement is how we will be judged by others. It is also how people will decide to identify with us or not. The way we define ourselves creates an opportunity for buy-in or opposition.

I have no qualms about the fact we will never reach consensus on what does and what does not qualify as handmade – or craft – or art. But the act of discussion, of discourse, helps us to define ourselves and our interactions, thereby strengthening our cause.

As for myself, I come at this discussion as an outsider. I am not a pro crafter or artist – nor am I even a talented DIYer. I was brought up with a deep appreciation for craftsmanship and design. And while this may hinder my ability to relate directly to the artists featured here, it does give me a unique perspective on the creative community and the movement around it.

As I see it, there is no line in the sand.

Let me say it again, there is no place that we, as a movement, can say that’s not “handmade enough” without questioning our own integrity & vision. At each level of creation & craft, there is an opportunity for purity – at one point or another, we all fall off the wagon.

So here is my stab in the dark:

Craft is vision, purpose, and idea that has been beautifully executed.

Let me explain.

Megan’s cozy/cuff is an original design. Its conception is Megan’s and hers alone. Her company, from accounting to design to marketing is just her, along with her insatiable need to do things the smart way. The cozy/cuff is laser cut by a manufacturing company in the United States that specializes in working with designers.

Her craft (aside from amazing jewelry) is the design, the conception, the blood, sweat, & tears that goes into creating an object that screams self-expression and artistic voice.

Her craft is an idea, beautifully executed.

Jan’s fabrics are her conception and hers alone. Her fabric exudes the independent spirit that they are born from. No one I know more carefully sources every part of her production chain – ensuring that each decision makes smart business sense, is eco-friendly, and is of impeccable quality.

Her craft is an idea, beautifully executed.

Fiona, of Cartolina (left above), and Lori, of Marzipan Inc (right above), create an amazing array of paper goods & gifts each in their own distinct style. Their goods are designed by them but brought into being by a printer.

Their craft is an idea, beautifully executed.

Clearly, a narrow definition of handmade does not apply to this kind of craft. Would you still buy it? Do you support it? Is it part of your handmade movement?

Let’s flip the coin over.

Many people take manufactured beads & findings and create jewelry pieces by hand. Wire is bent & snipped. Pieces are strung & tied. And one crafter’s piece may bear no discernible difference to the next crafter’s.

I am in no position to call this not handmade, clearly. But I do ask, where is the vision? Where is the independence in that craft?

As a movement, I believe we seek exactly what Grace said in her keynote to the IDSA conference:

To see the maker’s hand.

And, not only do I seek to see the hand of the maker, I seek to see their vision & their purpose. I want to consume goods that are conceived not out of marketing meetings but of needs, and beauty, and ideals, and purpose. For me, the maker may be a designer or an artist or a craftsman. For me, their personal mark – and unique vision – on the product is what confers the title of maker.

I seek to identify with the maker’s worldview.

I seek to support the maker’s independent ideas.

I seek to see a spark of the divine in the objects I buy, just as I see that spark in you.

Goods can be manufactured or wrought from flesh & bone and still have that spark of the divine. If you support the vision of artists, designers, and markers, you support our movement. If you are concerned with the purpose of what you consume and not the consumption, you are a part of this movement, if you support the independence of personal aesthetic and the inherent beauty of a marker’s touch, you support this movement.

This movement is a response to an evermore dull aesthetic of commercialism. Questioning that aesthetic and what it stands for – or doesn’t stand for – is the responsibility of this new Craft movement. Our response is one of steady progress towards our ideals, knowing that purity will not be reached in our lifetimes.

Art & Craft is an experience and an idea that cannot be held by narrow definitions. Art & Craft is where execution meets personal experience and where conception meets the divine spark of being.

{image credit: vintage thread fine art photograph by jessica torres}