In Which the Pirate Considers Handwork.

I really enjoyed this video that’s been making the rounds, in which Renate Hiller of the Fiber Craft Studio at the Threefold Educational Center discusses the value of handwork, on what it means to create and to be part of the Divine. It might be getting a little woo, but I believe that we are all a part of the Divine, and that by creating, we are expressing our own internal divinity. That’s all I’ll say about it here; I’m not trying to talk about religion but about the spiritual aspect that’s inherent in the act of creating. Regardless of one’s religion, beliefs, or lack thereof, I feel that there is a something that connects all of us artists and creators together.

In the video, Mrs. Hiller says that “there is a loss of understanding of the value of things, of the meaning of things,” when we don’t engage in the activity of creation, and I couldn’t agree more. When I spin – especially with the drop spindle – I think about the generations of spinners before me. I think about how the sails on ships were all woven from threads spun on a simple drop spindle. How much more does a piece of fabric mean when you’ve put in the long hours to spin the yarn and then to weave or knit or crochet it into something functional? How much less does it mean when you can just go buy it at the store?

Everything she says in the brief video rings true for me, but this particular quote really resonated: [Spinning]… is an activity that brings us closer to the cosmos; at the same time, we create something that is useful & beautiful.

What do you think?