“Study the skills, apply them, build it. Write a story. Sketch this. It is therapeutic. This is craftsmanship.” Visual artist Tishk Barzanji is reading out a letter to his younger self.
“There will be doubt, there will be beauty, there will be the unknown. Because the deeper you get into this craft, you will find something new about yourself.”
He was speaking in the conservatory of London’s Barbican Centre, part of The Makers Project spoken word event, where The Balvenie craft whisky has tasked a group of successful makers with writing a letter to their younger selves exploring their creative journeys, practises and processes.
In front of the live audience, many participants focused on the ways in which their creativity had blossomed through difficulty or hardship. Barzanji referenced his debilitating diagnosis of vertigo, and how it proved to be a significant turning point in his artistic career: “The silent illness is a blessing in disguise. You will use these moments as the basis of new work.”
Similarly, jeweller Joy Bonfield-Colombara shared the pain of losing her best friend, and how her craft guided, and continues to guide, her through her journey of grief. Although the speakers came from different backgrounds and disciplines, many touched on the benefit craft and creativity pursuits can have on mental health.
Illustrator Tishk Barzanji speaks at the live Makers Project spoken word event. Photograph: Will Ireland
It makes sense, then, that the pandemic has awoken craftspeople inside us. During the lockdowns, we saw people taking up hobbies to occupy their time and to calm their nerves. Crocheted rainbows were displayed in windows in support of key workers, while a new trend of Harry Styles fans attempting to create a replica of one of his cardigans went viral on TikTok. And TikTok dance crazes became a phenomena in their own right.
With the appetite for creating on the rise, the market for buying is growing, too. According to a study by the Crafts Council, the number of people buying craft in England has gone up from 6.9 million in 2006 to 31.6 million in 2020, and the total value of craft sales has increased from £883m in 2006 to more than £3bn in 2019.
And when we weren’t busy making or buying, we were watching creativity unfold on TV, with programmes such as Grayson’s Art Club and The Great Pottery Throw Down inspiring a new generation of creatives. From flameworkers and songwriters to jewellers and self-made carpenters (hello, Tiny House Nation), it’s safe to say that we’ve become a nation of makers.
A point perfectly borne out by our recent callout to creative Guardian readers. In collaboration with The Balvenie – part of a wider drive to champion craftsmanship across the UK and encourage a new generation of makers – we asked you to tell us what you make and why for the chance to expand your creative horizons with a Guardian Masterclass and to win a bottle of The Balvenie whisky. When the entries flew in, it became clear that craft – once something thought of as a niche hobby – is now fully embedded in the mainstream.
As such, whittling down the winners of The Makers Project competition proved difficult. So many impassioned responses from participants spoke of the importance of craft in helping them through difficult times. Out of more than 300 entrants, all of which were unique and impressive, three makers caught our eye for three different reasons.
“Judging this competition really opened our eyes to the variety of making that goes on in the UK,” reported the judging panel, made up of Guardian Labs art director Cheryl Carulli, commercial features director Richard Vine, and design journalist Alice Morby.
“The level of the quality in the submissions made it really tough to judge but, in the end, we’ve focused on three makers who we felt gave us the most insight into what they craft and why they do it.”
Our third place winner is Lee Mattocks – a leatherworker crafting beautifully refined handbags in bright colours. We were struck by his ability to innovate during the first lockdown – when he couldn’t access any of his sewing machines or equipment – and also his refined style.
Third place: Lee Mattocks
So, instead of stitched seams, he came up with a way of fixing the bags together through edges that interlocked together to shape their final form.
“Covid forced me to think outside the box and take a more minimalist approach to design,” Mattocks’s submission said.
In second place is handweaver Margaret Jago, who hit the brief excellently, by taking us on a sensory journey of her personal weaving process.
Second place: Margaret Jago
“Winding a warp on to a mill thread by thread, you’ll see dark beside light; you’ll see gradients emerge,” Jago’s submission read. “Pattern possibilities will seem infinite. You’ll weave in meditation, and, with love, and cloth, will emerge a miracle every time.”
We award first place to flameworker Emma Mackintosh, who uses a gas-fired bench torch to blow textured drinking glasses that take inspiration from nature.
First place: Emma Mackintosh
The results are beautiful and individual, with the process rendering each glass unique.
“We are a part of nature and I like the idea that my glasses remind the user of their own part in the natural world,” Mackintosh’s submission read.
But what marked her out as the clear winner was the letter she wrote to her younger self: “Keep an open mind,” it read. “Art and science aren’t as separate as you think, and you will end up using and needing an understanding of both.
“Don’t try too hard to find your artistic identity. It’s already there, just give it time to develop by doing what you love and following your instincts. Be open to new ideas and ways of working, and embrace opportunities. Not everything will work out, but that’s life. Be philosophical.”
Each of the winners will receive a bottle of The Balvenie whisky and a Guardian Masterclass.
Like the winners, The Balvenie’s craftspeople have been pouring their hearts into their craft for decades – which is why they launched The Makers Project; to champion the process of making and inspire more makers to pursue their art. Find out more here
