Handmade Vs Handmade

No matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find a definitive answer to the never-ending “Handmade vs. Handmade” debate. If you are into any aspect of art or crafts, I can almost guarantee that you have had this discussion before in one form or another. So what do the experts say?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines “Handmade” as; made or prepared by hand rather than by machine. It is the definition of “Handcrafted”; modeling or crafting.

Merriam Webster:

Handmade; made by hand or by a manual process. Handmade; fashionable in an artisanal way. Crafts;

1: a: manual skill b: an occupation that requires skill with hands

2: the articles made by those who are engaged in crafts.

Webster:

Handmade; handmade or a process by hand

Handmade; A work produced by labor

Almost all the definitions were identical. For fun, I pulled out my dusty old Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary published in 1963 to see what they had to say 45 years ago. I wasn’t surprised to see that there wasn’t much of a difference. Handmade; made by hand or a process by hand. Crafts; fashionable in an artisanal way. Crafts; 1st: manual skill. b: an occupation that requires skill with hands.

Lastly, I tried to find a more modern definition, so I tried Wikipedia. Handmade; means something made by hand, rather than by machine.

To my surprise, the word handcrafted appeared with “No item title matches.” I tried “What’s Handmade” only to find a bunch of ads for people describing handmade items (as they see it) for sale.

After several hours of research, I gave up. I guess I’ll have to give you my narrative of artisan vs. handmade and allows you to decide which classification to choose.

Since most agree that “handmade” is a process of making something by hand, or with your hands, does it mean completely by hand or the process of putting something together with your hands? Reading the definitions I found, it means almost the same thing.

So you get a puzzle for your birthday and you assemble it with your hands. Did you make the puzzle by hand or did you do it yourself? What if you actually draw a picture, cut it into hundreds of pieces and then put it back together, is it handmade or handmade? You actually did the puzzle, didn’t you?

In an article I wrote Art vs. Craftsmanship I mentioned the definition of “Craftsman”; “also called” craftsman; skilled manual worker who uses tools and machinery in a particular trade. ”An interesting interpretation on the subject.

If you were presented with a kit to make a bracelet and you did, I think your bracelet would fall into the “handmade” category. He used his skills and put together something that was pre-made.

Using the same analogy, if you used the same kit and produced something other than a bracelet, or enhanced the bracelet using the parts in a different way than described or instructed, then you would still have it “handmade”. If I had to make and add extra parts or assemble the kit in a different way then I would say it is still “hand made”.

I believe this because I buy and use pre-made items to create the items that I design jewelry or otherwise. I can buy jewelry findings or handmade beads to enhance or complete a piece of jewelry that I design and make. The way I use the finds, where I place them, and the ability to design the jewelry around the finds I use, I call it handmade. This is bad, right? Either way, I used my hands and my mind (what matters most) in creating a particular article. And yes, I use a variety of tools to help me through the process.

As much as I would hate to admit it, I think “handmade” should refer to items that are made exclusively from raw materials. If you raise the sheep, process the wool, and then hand-knit it into a rug, I would consider it “hand-made.” But wait, you need tools to weave a rug, right? So does that take it out of the handmade category? What if you use a machine in the process? But what if you build that machine yourself? Is your rug handmade or handmade? Oh my gosh, this is too much information overload to process.

I work with natural materials in a different artistic medium; pumpkins They are a natural material. I grow them, dry them, clean them, sand them, stem them, embed them, beautify them, paint them and finish them in different ways. I still consider them handmade rather than handmade because I didn’t make the pumpkin itself. I just used something and added it using my hands and my imaginative ability. I use my ability to create something from an existing article.

Is there an answer to the difference between handmade and handmade? I have considered which classification to add my own work to several times while writing this article. What sounds better, handmade or handmade? Would it make a difference to you if you were given the opportunity to purchase an exact duplicate item? one marked as handmade and the other handmade? Would you always mind if you knew that someone used their hands to create the article? Does it come down to the keywords used in Google or Yahoo search for what you buy? Or are you going to buy something you like? That is the fundamental question.

The line I have to draw between artisanal and handmade is that mass-produced machine-made items are classified as handmade only because someone had to turn the switch on to off to start the process.

This debate will continue for years well beyond our time. Really do not care. You will first do a search for “handmade” and then proceed to “handmade” thinking that you will get a better result or the exact opposite. Either way, what you will get are items made by someone using their hands. Someone who has put their heart and soul into the product in the hope that someone will appreciate their work and buy it.

Don’t be limited by what I or anyone else says. Handmade, handmade is the same. If you like it, appreciate it, and it makes you happy, of course buy it. After all, it was handmade for someone special; you.