TODAY'S GUEST BLOGGER IS......

Hannah Blavins from Spans Studio

When Jill asked me to write a guest post I decided to talk about what handmade means to me.

But I’m not going to talk about the meaning of the word or what I think a handmade product is.

To me handmade is more than that.  It’s a process.  Making something by hand takes time and energy.  You go through many emotions, trials and errors and triumphs.

When you buy something that’s handmade you are buying someone’s journey, a part of them.  It’s a brave thing to do to give something of yourself to the world to be judged, rightly or wrongly, by others.  It’s what all creative souls that make handmade items for gifts and to sell do.

To me handmade is about healing.  About finding something that defines who I am and allowing myself to do what I love and be happy.  I know a lot of people deny that part of themselves and it’s very freeing to accept that part of yourself and make something for whatever reason.  Everything I make is a part of my healing journey.  Depending on the medium depends on what it does for me.  Sometimes it calms me, sometimes distracts, sometimes it brings me into the moment.  Sometimes it stirs emotions and I find that by working through it I heal. That is part of my process.

Hand making things makes me feel worthy and whole, whether it is seen as a quality item is irrelevant as by the time it is done I’ve gotten all I needed out of it.  I have been through the process and come out the other side and I am usually looking to the next project.

Learning a skill to make something takes time and lots of practise, this is something that never ends.  There is always something new to learn and add to the process of creating.

I hope you understand what I mean when I talk about handmade. I think its easy to just think of the end product as that is the tangible thing but the process behind it, what the person has gone through for it to get there is what makes it unique and the reason why I not only make handmade things but I buy handmade products too.

I have many gifts that have been made for me by family and friends and each one means a lot to me as the process was taken with me in mind.  They have given that part of themselves to me and I feel very blessed to be the person that receives it.

So next time you see a handmade item and like it, ask yourself, what did the person that made it have in mind? What journey did they and the item go through to get there? Hopefully you will see what I mean when I say that handmade is more that just a product.

http://www.spansstudio.co.uk

http://www.etsy.com/shop/spansstudio

Twitter: @spansstudio