Please don't get me wrong, I love technology. Our computers, tablets, smartphones, even our factories, plastics, and robots...they've helped us advance and connect in incredible ways. But the more technology we absorb the more we need to embrace handcrafted work.It's the balance we need to stay connected to ourselves, and our humanity. And staying connected to our humanity makes us better people. When we see each other as humans, our differences get smaller.
Our hands have been our tools since the beginning of our time on Earth, and staying in touch with that knowledge and that legacy is what connects us on a very fundamental level.
When we work with our hands we feel a visceral grounding. If you've ever knitted, carved wood, embroidered, hammered metal, or thrown a pot you probably know exactly what I mean. It's a meditative, centering experience. It can make you feel both calm and focused, and it connects your head and hand, just as it always has for artisans all over the world, from the tiniest village to the biggest city. That is a truly world-wide connection. And it's clearly something we're craving. More and more people are getting involved with handcrafting goods, whether for themselves or to share. It's feeling good, and it's feeling right.
Manufacturing and mass production have their place. I'm grateful that our machines work, and that healthcare advances, and discoveries are made. But let's continue to balance ourselves. Let's continue to go home and pick up that handcrafted project we've been working on. Let's continue to appreciate what other artisans have created with their own hands. And let's continue to celebrate each other's talents through handmade work. I think it's important.
What do you think?
Please feel free to use the internet to respond, or just crochet your thoughts :)
-Erica Bouchard Rabins
Dogwood Hill Gifts
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