handmade vs handmade
No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find a definitive answer to the endless “Handmade vs. Handmade” debate. If you’re interested in any aspect of art or craft, I can almost guarantee you’ve 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 instead of by machine. It is the definition of “Hand Made”; fashion or handmade.
Merriam Webster:
Handmade; made by hand or by a manual process. handmade; fashionable by craftsmanship. Craft;
1: a: manual skill b: an occupation that requires skill with the hands
2: articles made by those who are dedicated to crafts.
Webster:
Handmade; made by hand or a manual process
handmade; A work done by hand
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; handmade or a manual process. craft; fashionable by craftsmanship. Craft; 1a: manual ability. b: an occupation that requires skill with the hands.
I finally tried to find a more modern definition, so I tried Wikipedia. Handmade; means something made by hand, rather than by a machine.
To my surprise, the word handmade appeared with “No match in article title”. I tried “What’s Handmade” just to get a ton of ads for people describing handmade (as they see it) items for sale.
After several hours of research I gave up. Guess I’m going to have to give you my crafting vs. crafting narrative. handmade and let you decide which classification to choose.
Since most agree that “handmade” is a process of making something by hand or with hands, does it mean entirely by hand or the process of putting something together with hands? Reading the definitions I found, it means almost the same thing.
So you get a puzzle for your birthday and put it together with your hands. Did you make the puzzle by hand or was it done by you? What if you actually draw a picture, cut it into hundreds of pieces, and then put it back together, is it handmade or handmade? In fact, you did the puzzle, right?
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 would think your bracelet would fall under the “handmade” category. You used your skills and put together something that was pre-made.
Using the same analogy, if you were to use the same kit and produce something other than a bracelet, or upgrade the bracelet using the parts in a different way than described or instructed, then you would still have “handmade”. If I were to make and add additional parts or assemble the kit in a different way, then I’d say it’s still “hand built”.
I create this because I buy and use pre-made items for the creation of the items I design, jewelry or otherwise. I may purchase jewelry accessories or handmade beads to enhance or complete a piece of jewelry that I design and make. How I used the findings, where I put them, and the ability to design the jewelry around the findings I wear, I call that handmade. Is this bad, no. Either way, I used my hands and my mind (what matters most) in the creation of a particular item. And yes, I use a variety of tools to help me through the process.
As much as I hate to admit it, I think “handmade” should refer to items that are made exclusively from raw materials. If you raise sheep, process the wool, and then hand weave it into a rug, you would consider it “handmade”. But wait, you need tools to weave a rug, right? So does that remove it from the handmade category? What happens if you use a machine in the process? But what if you build such a machine yourself? Is your rug handmade or handmade? My gosh, this is way too much information overload to process.
I work with natural materials in a different artistic medium; gourds are a natural material. I grow them, dry them, clean them, sand them, stalk, embed, embellish, paint and finish them in many different ways. I still consider them handmade rather than handmade because I didn’t make the pumpkin itself. I just used something and added to it using my hands and my imagination. I use my ability to create something from an existing element.
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 any difference to you if you had the opportunity to purchase an exact duplicate item? one marked handmade and the other handmade? Would you care as long as you knew someone used their hands to create the item? Does it come down to the keywords used in Google or Yahoo search as to what you buy? Or are you going to buy something you like? That is the ultimate question.
The line I have to draw between handmade and handmade is that mass-produced machine-made items are classified as handmade only because someone had to turn the switch on and off to start the process.
This debate will continue for years well beyond our time. Really do not care. It will first search for “handmade” and then proceed to “handmade” thinking it 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 purchase the item.
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, by all means buy it. After all, it was made by hand for someone special; You
