Why Craft is Key
“You know Mom, I don’t know anyone who sews! Actually, I don’t have one friend who makes things for themselves. They don’t paint, draw, make jewelry, do sculpting, woodworking, or pottery…Nothing.”
My daughter was in high school, and had just finished making her prom dress, when she uttered what seemed like an odd sentiment. Coming from a family of makers, it took me a minute for it to really penetrate.
But in her world, where most people have the resources to buy just about anything they desire, it was true. We tried to imagine a life without creating and making things. We agreed, without crafts — the designing and making of things — we would feel a serious loss.
So, why do we need to make things?
Making things is time consuming, messy, physically challenging, and mentally taxing. It takes practice — 10,000 hours of attentive practice, according to some — before your efforts result in something really good, something you might actually wear, or hang on your wall, or set out in your living room. That’s a pretty big commitment for a seemingly small payout.
Why sew a prom dress when you can choose from hundreds at the mall? Why draw a birthday card when you can grab one at CVS? Why build a side table or bench for the garden when you can buy one at Loews? Between Amazon, Ebay, Wayfair, and any imaginable specialty shop, the internet has even further expanded our options and buying power.
It is not practical, it is experiential.
The main reason for crafting something of our own is that there is a deep satisfaction that comes from making things. That experience can’t be reproduced in the act of purchasing. The difference has to do with ownership.
Crafted things come with hidden associations, a bit of the makers heart is forever bound to the creations they send out into the world…
When we make a purchase the transaction is immediate; money is exchanged for a product. There might be anticipation, compromise, or even sacrifice involved in making a large purchase, but the process is purely financial. There is no construction or crafting process that impresses a deep sense of ownership.
When we buy something made by another individual, or from a small shop, the maker retains some small bit of ownership in that product. They may not physically own it, and will probably never see it again. But a bit of their heart is forever bound to their creations.
When we make things for ourselves, we get to enjoy them as both creator and user. We can tailor things precisely to our own specific needs. We can invent unique objects. We can build beautiful places. We can furnish our living rooms, and expand our wardrobes with personality pieces.
And there’s the pride of wearing a perfectly tailored, custom designed gown, and the enjoyment of the compliments — some sincere, some not — from friends wearing beautiful, expensive, mass-produced prom dresses.
