Why the Handicrafts Fascinate Me
Handicrafts is such a silly sounding word for such a tantalizing collection of creativity candy!
Which crafts actually fall under the handicraft heading varies widely by site, but dictionary.com calls it “a particular skill of making decorative objects by hand.”
Peachy - that covers virtually everything art related on the planet.
For the purposes of this site, I’m breaking it down further to encompass projects that would more often be labeled a craft than an art.
Now, before you put on your boxing gloves, I’m well aware that there are battles being waged across the internet regarding the domestic, supposed “lesser” nature of the word “craft” vs. the more “professional” term, “art”. Semantics - bleh. Both require insane levels of skill to master, and are honor-worthy in the art community at large.
In the Dawn B Creative world,
handicrafts includes everything from ceramics to stone work, basketry to beading, and leather craft to paper craft.
Many of the folk arts will live here, along with trades skills. Needlecraft and textiles [insert category link] might traditionally fall under handicrafts, but that’s another universe-wide horizon of awesomeness, so I’ve given it it’s own category.
As if the sheer scope of handicrafts wasn’t enough to fascinate, there’s also the goliath variety of skills and techniques within the category. You can be working with a soldering iron and glitter, all within the same field… or even the same project! SO. AWESOME.
I’ve only ever had a passing acquaintance with handicrafts, but they have a tremendous amount of appeal for a creative explorer like me.
Handicrafts tend to be very forgiving to novice and nervous crafters. There’s a higher-than-normal, first-timer success rate at achieving pieces good enough to display in your house (instead of your basement storage bin). And, let’s be honest here, an initial win is a great motivator to try another project!
I’ve noticed that individual handicrafts often have tight-knit - and welcoming! - world-wide communities of passionate individuals - loyal fans who carry on the traditions and history of each craft. The only prerequisite for participation seems to be a shared love for skills and advocacy, giving depth and connectedness to handicrafts.
Additionally, with so many of these crafts hearkening back to simpler times, there’s an innocence and purity in handicrafts that’s harder to locate in, say, the fine arts, where ugly themes, negative emoting, and depressing views of humanity are more acceptable and even lauded. I suspect some of this has to do with the average age of your typical handicrafter versus your up-and-coming artiste. Hmmm… that would make for an interesting study…
But this is changing, too. “Antiquated” folk crafts are making a comeback with today’s youth. (At the spring chicken age of 40, I’ll adamantly include myself in that category.) Like fashion and design, it’s cool to be retro! I’m geeked to see this infusion of fresh enthusiasm, and want to be an advocate for the trend!
It actually helps that most handicrafts aren’t exactly “mainstream” - there’s something appealing about “the road less traveled.” Am I right??
Ultimately, handicrafts (specifically those from an old county fair catalog I found in my bookshelf) are what first piqued my fascination with becoming a Renaissance artist - that is, someone who becomes proficient or even expert in a wide range of art fields.
What arts and crafts have you already sampled, and which ones would you LOVE to add to your repertoire? Share your answer in the comments below!
