5 Reasons to Learn a Traditional Craft

There are plenty of good reasons to start a craft, probably a lot more then I have listed here. But If you’re looking for a good reason to start a craft, I have one for you. Actually, I have five:

1. It’s fun! Most people also find it to be relaxing or therapeutic. Finding the right craft can take some experimenting, but most have low startup cost and don’t need a lot of equipment. Plus, you will never run out of things to give people for Christmas. What more reason do you need? 

Four more reasons? Here they are.

2. It teaches you important skills like patience, creativity, and problem solving. Most crafts take time, but you learn to build up patience. When first learning, you will probably follow other people’s instructions to a T. Once you have confidence in your skills you start looking for ways to create something of your own. When this happens, there is bound to be problems that come up. What your creating is unique, solving that problem is up to you. The good news is there is usually a solution, but you must be the one to implement it to your project.

3. Often, there will be a community surrounding a craft. It can be a guild, a bi-yearly get together, or maybe it’s just a meeting some one has arranged. Either way, crafts attract like-minded people with greatly varied experiences.  Getting involved in a craft community is a great way to learn, and in fact becomes a support system for when you have a questions or problem regarding a project.

4. It helps bridge generational gaps. The older generation has way more experience and has probably been working at a craft longer then you. Most of the time they want nothing more than to share this information. They are extremely excited when a younger person has taken an interest in crafts. Also, just because a person is younger doesn’t mean they don’t have any knowledge in a subject!  Its entirely possible they have been working at a craft longer then you. Even if they are learning from you, they often pose interesting questions that you might not have thought of.

Why not take advantage of this information? A craft can bind you together with someone you probably would not have known otherwise. I have become friends with several people who are forty to sixty years my senior this way. I’ve found that you tend learn about more then just a craft when this happens.

5. Crafts have historical value. History is important, and something that should be preserved. Today, crafts are usually just a hobby. Up until about the industrial revolution crafts were some people’s way of life. It’s a good idea to understand how things were done then. Not only is it extremely interesting, it creates an appreciation for what people had and how far things have come.

It’s also important when it comes to historical repairs. There are many things that we can do by hand, but not machine. Take gates, railings, and square nails for example. They were replaced by wire nails around 1900. If you want to repair a building before that time, then obviously you need square nails. While there is a machine the makes them, it does not produce the quality needed for repairs.  So where would you get square nails? Why, your local blacksmith!

If none of these reasons have helped you decide to take up a craft, then I urge you to look at number one again. Don’t worry if you think you are not creative. I know of several people who don’t seem to be, yet that hasn’t stopped them. When it comes down to it, whether or not you are having fun is really all the matters.