Handmade is not just an item made by hand. Buying handmade supports local crafts and people, wherever you buy it. The price you pay for it is exactly what you see – there are no hidden costs. The revenue stays within the country and people are not unemployed but working on their business either as individuals or as teams. Taxes are paid, money is created and the overall impact on our economy is huge.
When we buy handmade, we help to ensure that crafting skills are kept alive and create demand for training in those skills. At the moment, the powers that be are busy replacing skill-based training in craft with less labor-intensive or material-intensive courses – most often, offering courses that are conducted on a computer and easily stored on a small hard drive. The result of this is potentially lost skills, the collapse of craft and the real loss of our cultural identity. Students can maneuver through the system quickly, without a huge investment, and now they can be charged a small fortune for it.
But what happens if the machines can no longer function – for example, when our gasoline supplies run out? How do we as a nation restore these lost skills? The economy is so fragile because we have already lost so many of our skilled industries and are now struggling to bring them back. Wouldn’t it be better to maintain and grow a base of skilled craftsmen, rather than struggle at some future date to rediscover it?
Handmade is a celebration of our modern lives and our vibrant culture – not a mass-imposed, uniform consumer culture where everything looks the same and is easily packaged. Every handmade object is about people, not machines. It is about the time and effort that goes into each project. It is about the skill of each maker, the technical ingenuity of the creator, the magic of one person’s imagination, and it is a treasure trove on a beach of discarded machinery!
Why should you buy handmade products?
There are many reasons why I would urge you to buy handmade products from small businesses. To me, such things help a family to have dinner at night, educate their children, and generally live honestly with dignity. And more business giants like Amazon means that owners buy more real estate and yachts. Apart from that, there are many other reasons that would encourage buying handmade products.
The handmade work is unique and authentic. The human mind, although it resembles it, does not work like a computer, that is, it does not have the absolute precision of thought that would lead to an absolute copy of a construction. This is logical, especially if we consider how many thoughts and emotions permeate our thinking unfiltered. This “weakness” makes each object unique and irreplaceable and creates a special relationship between human and object.
Such a “weakness”, of course, turns the handmade into a work of art. The artistic expression of the craftsman stems from his inner world and his own life. From the formation of an idea to its implementation, the creator brings to the surface his thoughts and concerns, his happiness and his unhappiness. Thus, even a utilitarian object, such as a lantern, offers the observer a piece of the soul of its creator.
And if all this wasn't already remarkable, the effort of the maker to offer is added. Endless hours with a pencil, drawing and erasing lines. Countless materials, colors and brushes, mistakes that were done right. Ideas that didn't work, ideas that made it to the end. The craftsman uses his time to express himself but also to offer. Through his work, the objects shine with another value, as the labor alone is enough to move those who see him.
The most important thing is that anyone can create. What defines a craftsman is their imagination and technique, qualities that we can all develop. With the right approach, anyone can create something special to decorate their home or to give to someone they love. There, the object becomes personal, it binds the creator to them and imprints on them the most important memories.
Handmade is customizable (custom made)
The beauty and magic of handmade is that it can often be made just for you! Personalized and individualized objects hide a part of ourselves, of our personality. They are "cut and sewn" to our measurements and make us love them more than anything else!
By purchasing handmade items, you support creative minds who cultivate true relationships with their customers, you support innovative ideas… families… small businesses that in turn support local communities and economies!
Handmade is human... it has human nature within it... Something that has been created with hands, as an expression of a creative spirit, carries emotions... it is more valuable than any other object created with the machines of a factory, for mass consumption.
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