Ever since the Industrial Revolution we have been on a path towards mass production – a world of formation where items are created to be produced en-mass at a lower cost and to a constant high quality. Now there is nothing wrong with this sort of production, it offers low cost quality items to be consumed by all. However, is mass production destroying handcrafted creations?
No, even though the Industrial Revolution took place a long time ago and has built up quite a head of steam in the few hundred years in existence, it has still not killed off handcrafted products or small cottage industries. So, why even in this day and age of technical wizardry are handcrafted products still in existence?
Adaption
Well, just as with anything that survives, it is about adaptability – evolution in essence. The handcrafted product industry has gone through such an evolution. From its origins as, in many cases, a lower quality alternative to cheaper mass production, it is now a higher quality medium of production. Handcrafted products are associated with style, character and quality.
Handcrafted products can be created to a bespoke style. Suits are a fine example of this. A custom made, handcrafted suit will always fit better and can be created to a higher quality than its off the peg mass produced equivalent. The craftsmanship involved in this handcrafted creation is something that no machine can replicate for the same price.
Individual
The quirkiness of these products is in the fact they are an art in themselves. It would be very easy with modern printing and computer technology to create, for example, a replication of Picasso’s Guernica or Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, however it is  not necessarily the same in any way. It won’t have the same feeling to it.
In the case of handcrafted pottery, there is something that must be respected about the creation of a beautiful bowl or plate, which is created and painted by hand. The high quality materials crafted into something that is perfectly imperfect is something a mass produced item can never reach.
Quality Materials
Handcrafted items are often created using the best of materials. The philosophy that only a human can appreciate working with the finest of materials is one that rings through. It is with this appreciation that the finest items are produced in their beautiful entirety.
There is also something more personal in owning something that is handcrafted. With this in mind there is even something more personal and beautiful about something that is designed with love and a philosophy – compare a beautiful iPod to a Chinese equivalent that can do exactly the same – most people would choose the former as it is a piece of mass produced art. The point is people want something that was produced with care and love and has a personality and handcrafts give us that. The Apple device is the relevant equivalent in the area of mass production – hence to an extent its popularity.
Pride of Place
The evolution of handcrafted products from something that were once a necessity and so were seen as a chore, to their elevation as an art work where the finest materials means they are given pride of place in people’s homes sees the demand for them continue. Though the majority of items we own will be mass produced, due to necessity, it is the handcrafted item we truly bond with and is created with true quality and so will never die.
About the Author: Cormac Reynolds is a freelance writer currently working for British Antique Replicas, who have been making handcrafted reproduction furniture for over thirty years. Visit the site to see the full range including dining tables, office desks and sideboards.