Why should we care about craft, crafts and/or craftwork? Why should (traditional) crafts be preserved?

Here are some reasons (in no particular order):

Craft/crafts/craftwork can help us…

1. Connect with nature and our bodies

2. Connect with our ancestors (heritage)

3. Learn from the past for the present and future

4. Appreciate traditions and skills of individuals and communities

5. Develop and pass on manual skills that can sustain craft objects or be used for other purposes

6. Develop resilience – learn how to cope if and when taken for granted infrastructure and modern technology fails

7. Promote sustainable practices

8. Find motivation and improve our mental health by becoming immersed bodily and mentally in creating valued objects

9. Support local economies by supporting small businesses

10. Question a short term and purely instrumental or transactional mindset, thereby allowing us to develop a broader way of thinking and being

11. Add uniqueness and creative expression to our lives

12. Support communal activities and collaboration