THE NEW ARTISAN

Craftsmanship ticks several current and future trends. Craft is about integrity. You know the provenance of each object and the skill that went into its making. As we move away from excess, craft has a new relevance.

But much more important will be the role of the artisan in the educational and professional world. The job requests are changing faster than the school system is adapting to it and students will be not suitable trained when entering the job market. The American writer Matthew Crawford, created a NY Times Bestseller with his study “The Case for Working with Your Hands”. His book argues for the psychological and spiritual benefits of doing manual work as opposed to the ‘ghostly’ corporatised office work to which most middle-class people aspire.

This year the second London Craft Week ran from 3- 7 May 2016 with over 130 events. LONDON CRAFT WEEK is an annual event that showcases exceptional craftsmanship through a journey-of-discovery programme featuring hidden workshops and unknown makers alongside celebrated masters, famous studios, galleries, shops and luxury brands.

How cool artisans can be shows Denise Poelzelbauer, an Austrian baker, who specialised on bread produced according to the five elements from the Traditional Chinese Medicine.

This new type of artisan makes it attractive again to do physical work, especially when it will be even better rewarded than an office job. Maslow’s hierarchy of need shows the need for self-actualization at the top. To create something by yourself and express your creativity and skills brings a fulfilment that people are looking for.

It’s cool to be hands on.

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