Time to Cultivate Crafting
The crisp touch of a newly purchased school uniform, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the shining sight of recently scrubbed corridors, the taste of a school dinner and the sound of the bell: memories of a new school year are multi-faceted. For some they may not be good ones, but for others they may bring back feelings of excitement, of the fun of catching up with friends after a long summer holiday and even of the new learning adventures and challenges ahead. Whatever our own memories of the start of the September term, it is certainly a time of new beginnings and carries with it the potential of change and of some exciting opportunities.
What of our children? School will undoubtedly be a different experience for them than it was for us, but are there some things which can provide consistency through the generations? Of course there are many of these (family relationships, traditions and principles, to name but a few), but we would also add crafting skills to this list. At a time when many children and teens are feeling a bit adrift with much uncertainty before them, offering an opportunity to learn a traditional craft could be a game-changer for them.
Crafting anchors us firmly to our roots, be that family, region or country. For example, some of us may remember sitting alongside our mother or grandmother as she patiently taught us how to knit. This not only passed on a skill but also strengthened our relationship and probably gifted us with some precious memories of her life as we chatted away together.
In a broader context, learning a traditional craft will offer a young person a solid link with his or her heritage. For example, many crafts have a regional focus e.g. slate carving in Wales, withy weaving Somerset, Fair Isle jumpers in Scotland or chair making in the Chilterns. In addition, many heritage crafts were practiced throughout the U.K., dependent on the local geography. Thus, bodging was found where there was a swathe of woodland and spinning and weaving amidst the hilly country where sheep grazed. Learning a traditional craft comes with a free, living history lesson and will begin to cultivate a sense of pride in the next generation around the place in which they live.
Crafting relies upon a different set of skills to those usually required and examined within school. Fine motor skills, creativity, good hand eye coordination and knowledge of the material and tools with which you are working are all essential. Patience, attention to detail and the ability to persevere at a project over time are all invaluable aspects of character development which will grow alongside the skill itself. Crafting also requires a problem-solving approach and the willingness to both follow instructions and to be courageous enough to take risks.
Many children struggle with additional educational challenges, and these are often around sensory processing issues. Crafting is a wonderful way to engage these young people and offers a multi-sensory approach to leaning. The very tactile nature of the medium can be calming as can repetitive and rhythmic actions. The multitude of motor skills and coordination required will offer the opportunity for lots of practice within a calm environment. The sense of achievement when a project is completed and the young person has a physical object that they have created will be a great boost to low confidence.
Yet another good reason to pass on our crafting traditions to the next generation is that it creates community. In an age where our digital connectedness all too often seems to be at the expense of our real-life relationships, working together to learn a new skill is a great way of building new friendships. Workshops, courses and even apprenticeships may just be the opening a young person needs to set them off in a good direction.
There is far too long a list of crafts which are now endangered, that is, have limited numbers learning them and low opportunities for financial reward. These include glove, clog and bee skep making, canal art paining, illumination and wheelwrighting. As a crafting community, it is our privilege to ensure that these time-honoured crafting traditions survive and thrive.
As well as training up a new generation of crafters, we also need opportunities for them to sell their newly made wares. We will be in the run up to Christmas before we know it, and with that will be a proliferation of craft fairs and markets. Could a focus on passing on heritage crafts be the foundation of a new set of Christmas Fayre ideas? As an experienced crafter, you could consider offering opportunities to younger people to “have a go” (when you are brainstorming for Christmas Fayre ideas). This might only be a snapshot of what it would like to pass on your skills to a group of younger people, but it could light a spark of inspiration in them and bridge the gap between these heritage crafts and modern life.
Make sure you have the correct insurance in place to demonstrate, teach or sell your crafts. Craft fair organisers will probably ask that you to have public and product liability in place and this, although not a legal requirement, is a sensible protection to have wherever you are selling your products or having face to face connection with members of the public. Give us a call or send us a message and either Naomi or Sam will be glad to talk you through the best options for your unique business needs.
There is so much richness that comes with passing on these age old skills to the next generation, from preserving our cultural identity to offering new opportunities to young people. Let this inspire you to come up with a range of Christmas Fayre ideas which honour those who have gone before us while offering hope and an anchoring to our own children and grandchildren.