The Thoughtful Maker.
As a new graduate living in Colchester, I will be exploring topics surrounding craft/making in the contemporary surroundings of today’s society from a makers perspective on behalf of the Waiting Room.
The value and ethics of making by hand has changed dramatically over the centuries, but with a rise in popularity for the ‘handmade’ in recent years bringing craft and traditional making skills back to the forefront of popular aesthetics how on a personal level can successful making be encouraged, achieved or indeed even measured.
The confidence to make.
Once an unspoken bond between the generations traditional craft skills were passed down through families, creating pools of rich knowledge of medium and techniques learnt as children and perfected as adults. When local industry was king, businesses built on the foundation of immense skill and passion were passed from parent to child. This provided high quality handmade goods whether wood, ceramic, glass, fabric or something else.
Today’s makers I feel, have a somewhat more isolated journey to tread. With the decline of the family business or skill set (one the many fatalities of today’s mass produced consumer society), when an individual has decided to pursue the creation of a handmade objects, where does one begin?
The sheer plethora and diversity of medium, tools and paraphernalia surrounding a particular skill can be daunting. Many people are not lucky enough to be guided through the process of beginning to learn a new skills (either on an academic level or by a knowledgeable friend or family member). The key I believe is a tool that can help us learn and master any new skill we put our minds to, this tool is confidence.
Initially the confidence to understand that your need to make is justified, however small the project is vital when choosing a creative outlet. I urge you to have the confidence to spend as little money on the initial outlay of your new craft as possible, remember buying an array of materials, tools and magazines, however comforting will not automatically give you any amount of success or increase your skill.
Owning a small amount of good quality, well researched tools whether new, second hand or borrowed will leave you feeling ready and capable of starting your journey without putting a huge amount of pressure on the process of learning, financially speaking that most of us can ill afford in this climate. The less money you spend the more accessible craft becomes, boundaries and limitations breed creativity and innovation all qualities of a successful maker.
The confidence to ask for advice is also incredibly important, as is the ability to confidently make mistakes and progress from them. Mistakes are part of learning, any learning, all they prove is your ability adapt your thinking, train your hands in a new way, mistakes prove you are pushing yourself to become a skilled artisan.
There is an abundance of free help and advice online from people on the process of walking there own creative journey to help make these frustrating moments a little less painful. I have personally found YouTube tutorials immensely helpful when starting to learn new skills needed for my artwork. I enjoy for example as a textile artist eager to learn the art of crochet picking a basic tutorial to give the skills I am learning some context or meaning ( a dog coat, a baby blanket, a hat). These mark my progress through the minefield and build my confidence to assert the fact I am capable to achieve any goal I set myself.
The final ( and probably) my most pondered thought on the ‘confidence to make’ is in fact why make at all? Why follow a path trodden thousands of time before? Why make an object I could buy from a shop? Why spend time, energy and money on a difficult process when so many items are readily available on my doorstep?
In regards to these question I have come to these humble conclusions, firstly a path well trodden never means the journey is pointless. As individuals the beauty of life is that we all see things differently, this transfers to making in a very physical sense. Replication of technique and aspiration to others talents and belongings is a huge part of learning a new skill but they will never be the same as what another individual has to offer.
Our uniqueness blended with a traditional; solid techniques means we will always be pioneering new ways that objects look,feel and are used. No one can copy your vision or your individual sensitivity towards making an object meaning everything you accomplish is relevant and successful. By hand-making an item whether it be for yourself or others adds an element of the personal, I believe even the most mundane or domestic make has an element of the maker embedded in its core.
By having the confidence to accept and celebrate the individuality of our hands and minds provides firstly a great personal sense of gratification that no amount of money can buy and secondly the ability to leave a legacy of skill and passion for generations to come. You can master any skill you set your mind to and you can find empowerment by creating beautiful, practical and unique objects that enhance the way you live.
Here in the maker space at The Waiting Room we strive to build a community of makers from all backgrounds and abilities to support, skill share and mostly just to have a great time learning new techniques. We feel all making and craft is enhanced by getting together and sharing stories, frustrations, successes and of course the obligatory bucket of tea, cake and gossip. We want to ‘buy out ‘ of consumer lead crafting and help facilitate real people to learn real skills while building lasting connections and great memories.