You Need A Hobby: The Disconnect of Self and Environment in The Industrial Age @square

You Need A Hobby: The Disconnect of Self and Environment in The Industrial Age

This is not a new idea among artists. Having been part of a group of lateral thinking artists at one point in time I believe this idea was raised and talked about. It is a common idea among artists as they make most things as opposed to buying everything.

At one time people made everything around them. If they could not make something trade was available by the local specialist ie. Blacksmithy. For the most part every person in the village could make something and did as their contribution. This was not only a means of pride but necessary to survival.

With the onslaught of the industrial age this element of contribution and skill set was removed from the human hands and household. For some complex modern products the production will never be limited to one set of hands. (For most of us anyway- see supergenius) The automobile, the cellular phone for example. Most of us would never possess the ability or desire to make such a object. And considering the time involved, we would face starvation in the process.

I was asked to sign up with a new website that was about objects that you own and what people had in common by means of co-relation. As it turned out I owned almost all original or handmade items. The digital products I have are not fancy but utilitarian. I joined because I like pioneer ideas and the people who created this one but for myself I could not share.

Let's return to the idea of the home environment. It is a human need to feel pride in one's surroundings. Perhaps the re-discovery of making things with your hands is, for any reason at all, one of self-esteem. You say, I don't know how to make anything. You may add, I have no talent. Both statements are untrue. I say this because making things has become a lost art. It has been removed from human hands and increasingly so over the last few generations. I recommend heading to the craft store or taking a course with one of the last standing artisans in your community. You need a hobby and there is always the community market on Saturday.