Crafters, be proud!

I love to browse the Artisan Crafts gallery, read the artist's description and have a look at the comments people leave behind. I sometimes read comments like this:

• "Wow! That looks great, like it's mass produced!"
• "It's not perfect of course, there's some mistakes since it's handmade."
• "I think that the fingerprints/imperfections are ok, because they make it look handmade."
• "Crafts can't be perfect, we're not machines."

... and I cringe every time! Worst of all, sometimes it's the very artist the one putting down their work. I want to tell everyone to STOP thinking less of your work and your skills, and be proud of everything you do! I'm here to encourage you to always do your best, always appreciate your work, and always be proud of everything you do! Handmade is the best!!!

Handmade is always best

When was the last time anyone complained that their drawings aren't as good as a printer's? Or who ever said speed cameras take the best photos? A crafter is no less talented, and no less of an artist! Name any factory-made item, and I can guarantee that there's many handmade versions that are superior in every way. You can try it for yourself: look for pens, plushies, vases or scarfs. It's a fun game to play

You're better than a machine

You have the best tools there is: your eyes, your hands and your brain. A machine only does what it's told, it doesn't have your creativity or your keen senses. Most production needs to be quality checked by humans anyway! Machines are not flawless. Have you ever examined factory made toys? Try it, you'll easily pick up mistakes in all of them: visible seams, poor fit, lame paint jobs, etc. You won't find a single commercial toy that is perfect (I tried - there aren't any), but any crafter that respects itself will always do their absolute best to achieve a quality job. Some of the most precise jobs HAVE to be completed by human hands, like assembling expensive precision watches or painting perfect straight lines on Rolls-Royce's. So no, I'll never take this as an excuse and neither should you.

Always strive for perfection

Realistically speaking perfection is not always achievable, but that shouldn't stop you to always try your absolute best, not "good enough" or "I don't have the precision of a machine". It's ok if you're still developing your skills: by always trying to achieve perfection, you'll improve faster than just settling for "this is all I can do". I'm convinced that artisan crafters can achieve everything, no matter how big, small, intricate, detailed, or crazy. Keep trying and never give up!