Handcraft: Work, Art and Tradition

In our world of fast food, mass production and an increasingly insensitive “virtual reality,” those of us dedicated to the making and championing of handcrafts often wonder if they're not in mortal danger. Is it even possible to compete against the world of “everything fast” and “everything in mass quantities”? As a craftsman, is it possible to sell in a sufficient quantity in a globalized, mass-production environment?

We live, very often, in cultures that seem to worship passive entertainment and virtual experience. Those among us still making a living from the tangible results of our own individual efforts are few and far between. There are gaps between the way we live and the way that we exercise the physical and innate creative abilities that, some argue, are what make us fully human.

If you've worked for a long time creating with your hands, whether in painting, carpentry, weaving, jewelry, carving, or any similar art, you've become aware of the distinct satisfaction these activities evoke. They're utterly different from the instantaneous and empty stimuli that occupy most of the people around us.

This way of working - creating or crafting – while still adapting to new technologies and forms of consumption, is what Itevia dedicates itself to. We do  so without leaving behind the essence of the handmade, and, most importantly, while striving to educate the larger world in the value of the unique and the individual and that which is truly well-crafted. 

“When we create, we continue the best of our tradition.”

The simple creation of handcraft, allows us to preserve the ancient techniques and their meanings, and in so doing, we not only keep them from oblivion, but we add to our overall knowledge.

“Handcraft is a delight for the senses and a tool for everyday discovery.”

The most distinctive characteristic of any good handcraft is that, besides being beautiful, they can also be used as tools for the completion of day-to-day basic tasks. While the west has confined art to an “aesthetics’ corner,” the handcrafted actually forces art back into the sphere of everyday life. 

“The creation of handcraft feeds on and mirrors ancient tradition and culture.”

We’re not only crafting objects, we’re providing new voices to the memories of ancient cultures where traditions and cosmogony were materialized in the creation of everyday things. Many traditional societies continue passing, generation after generation, their arts as a form of “collective wisdom.” This allows many of them to maintain their own identities and attributes.

“Handcraft is a love for land, roots and traditions.”

Fundamental to the work of the craftsman is a love the work, for the land from which it originated and for the traditions that imbue such love in the handcraft itself. Love is a superior state in which the feelings toward ancient cultures are preserved and their identity and longevity are ensured.

As craftsmen, we need to believe that it is possible to excel and to bring our creations to new markets. If we're capable of adapting to new technologies and of taking part in expanding communities to make each of our voices heard.

We can see, in our own time, opportunities to educate these same communities about the value of handcraft, not merely as aesthetic objects, but as markers of cultural identity and as unique and useful items that make our lives easier and… yes, more beautiful.

As a community, we want to hear from you… What else do you think makes handcraft so vital?

What do you think is the best way to sell your own unique, artful and handcrafted items on the Internet?