What is craft? Creativity quotes from designers and makers
At Folksy we are incredibly proud to have such a huge stable of 100% British based and incredibly talented, designers and makers. Their shops are full of high quality, hand-crafted products. Each week we ask a shop owner at Folksy.com to tell us about their work in our Meet the Maker interviews.
Main photo: Lotus Blossom
Abi Simmons of Red Hand Gang
Below are some of their beautiful words for you to enjoy. Do any of them strike a chord with you?
Thinking of joining these amazing designer makers and crafts people?
At Folksy we only allow handmade items by designers based in Britain. You can open a shop for free and we don’t refuse any sellers that meet our guidelines. You’ll also get 3 listings for free, so you can see how easy it is to start selling your work – find out more
Creative Quotes from Folksy.com Shop Owners
When you’ve absorbed all the positive and creative vibes from these definitions of craft, why not leave us a comment and share your own thoughts about craft, supporting the handmade market and how important creativity is in your life – we are all ears!
“The need to make things has always been there for me, and when I’m in the ‘flow’ it feels like a form of meditation. But craft is more than just a combination of skills and experience, it’s also a link to the handmade past. In these mass-produced times I think it’s something we really need to hold on to.”
Becky Pearce – Jewellery Maker and Designer
For Emma Iles of Seaforth Designs the answer is simple: “Craft is Satisfaction!”
I believe craft is a refined skill, passionately creating something with your hands that’s personal to your own unique style.
Sarah Chatterton – Lotus Blossom Textile Art
“When you’re being creative, you’re doing something that’s truly you. You’re using all your skills as a human being to create something that brings pleasure both to you and others… To me, craft is about creating, either physically with my hands or designing on paper or on the computer. I’m happiest being described as a Maker, it’s a much clearer literal description of what I do.”
Surface Pattern Designer – Louise Brainwood
“Craft is something made by an individual, made from the heart with skill and passion, which reflects their own originality… I like my work to evoke a sense of nostalgia for quiet days gone by, where home and storytelling offer comfort and a haven from the hustle and bustle of everyday living.”
Sheena Spacey – Folk Art Ceramicist
“Craft is a part of me. It is inclusive and embraces friends, family and new experiences. It is the translation of the influences and passions of your soul. Creativity is like breathing to me, it’s just how I live.”
Stained Glass Artist Jenny Newall
“Craft is all about using the skills that you have developed over many years of practice. It’s small businesses and individuals creating unique and individual items. The time and love that goes into each item is breathtaking – and worth every penny!”
Chris & Hannah – Letterpress Prints
“For me craft is skill, an understanding of your materials and passion. Craft is everyman’s art. Anyone, no matter what their social status, education or wealth, can learn to create or own a masterpiece. I feel like it is as much a reflection of the buyer as the seller. It is the antithesis of a throw-away culture: craft items are made to last and be treasured, and every piece has a story behind it.”
Kara Leigh Ford – British Ceramicist
“Craft is creating with my hands from my heart and having control over the whole process. It’s about seeing the seed of an idea and slowly growing and nurturing that seed until it flowers.”
British Landscape Artist Helen Hallows
“Craft and being creative means a lot to me as it’s brought back positivity into my life. Creating something give me a sense of achievement, which I feel even more when somebody chooses to buy from me.”
Sally Hawker – Illustrator
“Craft is very personal, rewarding and can be therapeutic. Craft is a skill that is honed, and this skill can often be seen in the end product. Craft is at the frontline in the fight against mass produced impersonal objects. It is an expression of someone’s talent.”
Delphine & Max – Porcelain Jewellery
“A craftsperson is someone who has perfected a skill and is using it to make beautiful, desirable and often functional objects. Craft and design are around us every day in the things we use and see, and are an extremely important part of our lives and culture. It feels as if craft became more of a hobby around the middle of the last century, as people opted for new, machine or factory-manufactured objects. More recently there has been a recognition of the importance of craft and design, and a desire to see evidence of the human hand, even in digitally produced things.”
Alison McIntyre – String Artist
“Craft means great products, individually and lovingly made by a creator who cares.”
Judy Cramp – Pure Brass
“Making something with your hands and having the satisfaction at the end of thinking “I made that!”… I think people want something a bit different and not mass produced, and they value the love and skill that goes into something a person has made.”
Emily Winter – Pobble & Ping
“I think of craft as work that the designer has put a little piece of their heart and soul into. It means years of trial and error; it means processes that could be as old as time itself. It requires a certain amount of learning and understanding to produce works that should be cherished.”
Sarah Dukes, ceramicist – Dottery Pottery
“Craft is my lifeline.”
Laura Edwards, jewellery designer – Celtic Shore
Zoe Bateman – Handmade Jewellery, Ladybird Likes
