Everyday Musings > The Handmade World

The New Year's party at work was different this year. Everyone was asked to bring or make something that would be auctioned to raise money to do something meaningful for the city. I made a couple of sketches and others made things too. But due to insufficient things collected, the auction changed to collectibles from clients and their products.

I thought handmade was a wonderful idea though. To make something to build something else. The world has a rich heritage of using hands and craft. But maybe we've fallen prey to the instant culture. Tie and dye, kantha, hakoba, chikankari, smocking, crochet, our homes were a tribute to the handmade and an everyday part of our lives. Today though, we've turned handmade into something exclusive, expensive and hard to reach.

Also, Handmade is raw and unfinished. Machine made is faultless. Much like our new found concept of beauty and grooming, of being impeccable. The enjoyment of the flawed perhaps lies buried under this strain of consistent perfection.

Wabi Sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. It's simple, slow, and uncluttered-and it reveres authenticity above all. Wabi-sabi is flea markets, not warehouse stores; aged wood, not laminates; rice paper, and not glass. It celebrates cracks and crevices and all the other marks that time, weather, and loving use leave behind. For the Japanese, it's the difference between kirei-merely "pretty"-and omoshiroi, the interestingness that kicks something into the realm of beautiful/fascinating.

But there are those who're bringing it back to mainstream life. FabIndia has a poster in its stores that says not all garments will be alike, and any flaws in the weave is intrinsic and makes it more beautiful. I love Labourandwait.com– a UK based store that sells things made the old fashioned way, with time and care – things meant to age with you – things meant to be passed on. Buyhandmade.org promotes it as a way of life and Etsy.com is an exclusive ecommerce venture for handmade creations, and it's a joy to see the things people create.

With play-doh and do it yourself kits, parents are attempting to encourage their children to use their hands. But the kits are mostly put together kits, not sources of creation, of imperfection – they are designed so everyone will have the same outcome – the same picture on the cover – the balsa wood dinosaur will be the same for everyone, as will the DIY car. Unlike paper boats and paper planes and clay pots, where each turns individual and is related to the creator.

I wonder what would happen if we stopped right now and decided to turn back to becoming a handmade world, where each of us learnt a craft of the hand. There'd be less pollution, less clutter, less machines – more joy, more creativity, more life in our life.

Here's how to make a Snow Globe at home. Get a glass jar, any kind, with a lid. Get glitter to make snow. Small plastic toy/figurine (Santa/fairies/animals/trees) you'd like to place inside. Silicone or sealant to seal the lid. And Mineral oil or water to fill the jar. First, stick the toy to the lid with a waterproof sealant. It might need to dry overnight. Now, fill a deep bowl with water. Gently fill your jar - making sure to keep the sequins/glitter at the bottom. Now, gently submerge the jar - lid up - into the bowl. Then, put the lid under the water and make sure there are no air bubbles trapped under it. Twist it onto the jar. Remove jar with lid attached and turn jar upside down. Dry jar and lid completely. Be careful to not wiggle the lid, as this will cause water to squirt out. Take your tube of sealant and squeeze a good amount around the lip of the lid as you turn it around so that there are no air pockets. Again, it'll probably need to dry over night. Be careful to not wiggle the lid because this will cause pressure on the water and will cause it to weaken the sealant and create a leak. When the sealant is dry, your handmade Snow Globe is ready. As is your first step into the handmade world.