Handicrafts

My entire life, I have always enjoyed making things, you name it and I have probably tried it. Until recently I didn’t really understand the reason why I chose certain hobbies and activities (art, crafts or handicrafts).  There is one common thread in all of the projects I try out, and that is functionality or usefulness. I always want my projects to have a use as well as beauty and enjoy the creativity. I have baked cakes for birthdays and always enjoy making homemade gifts for Christmas for family and friends. I have quilted, made pottery, sewn garments, gardened, canned, made candles, soap, and homemade beauty products, sewed handmade bags, knitted, crocheted, and many more I am probably forgetting. My point is to say that it took me waaay too long to figure out why I like what I like and why certain projects were not interesting to me. So that brings me to the point of this blog post. What is the difference between art, crafts, and handicrafts? These are just my opinions of what I think qualifies as art, crafts, or handicrafts so if you think of it differently no problem! I just think it’s helpful when trying to decide where people’s creativity is, for example, I never thought I was artistic and I don’t like crafts (again the popsicle sticks and glitter glue projects, or think macaroni necklaces) as much. Until recently I didn’t realize why I was drawn to certain projects until after I learned these definitions. I found clarity and it all comes down to usefulness; or functionality. All of the projects and skills I learn have the functionality to them. This would have been helpful when picking out new skills to learn, I now know what I enjoy and I can focus on those projects and skills.  If you or your child knows what category they typically fall into when...