From Davey’s first potato print at nursery to Granny’s hand-knitted jumpers, we all value the tangible and intangible qualities of the handmade.
Honest. Authentic. Artisan. Handcrafted products have never been more popular.
Functional or decorative, for eating or for sitting on, for wearing or for simply looking at, even the most basic creations have a unique stylistic quality that makes them considered works of art in their own right.
Figures compiled last year by the Crafts Council showed there were 11,620 craft businesses in the UK, with 43,000 employees.
Once the contribution of craft professionals working in non-craft industries was added, the overall value of craft skills to the UK economy each year was £3.4bn.
The largest artisan manufacturing industry in Scotland is in food and drink. Speciality food and drink shops are opening all over the country, while their niche products are making their way, too, on to chain supermarkets’ shelves: speciality cheeses, beers, gins and chocolates.
The food and drink sector is essential, not just to the Scottish economy but the UK economy too. It’s the biggest UK export area, contributing £76bn in 2012 to the UK economy.
Artisan food and drinks have become a big part of this and, while, there are no official statistics available, it’s acknowledged that bespoke products play their part in the export supply chain, that involves not only the artisans but operators, logistics specialists, HGV drivers, retail and countless others.
Bread, for example, has taken a large slice of the artisan market – artisan baking opportunities are rising up everywhere because of demand.
So, if you know your focaccia from your fougasse, you could join one of the 10% of manufacturing companies in the Federation of Small Businesses who specialise in food.
Design is a huge market too and new technologies are fast taking the place of old tooling systems.
Sylvia Lowe, Director in the Innovation Lab, predicts this year will see a leap in shared access to digital fabrication tools – new software and 3D printing – meaning that artisan opportunities become easier and more widespread.
Already, many design companies and personal buyers are desperate to get involved with creative people and work with them on new projects. It’s the perfect time to share your ideas about the shape of things to come.
And you don’t have to be Michelangelo to find a place within an artisan creative team. Even the simple things in life can have their roots in stylish and bespoke origins: functional or decorative homeware, garden furniture, wallpaper . . . yes, even the kitchen sink.
The artisan skills base is broad and all-encompassing and in an age of mass-marketed homogeny, buyers are looking for something out of the ordinary, real and created with TLC.
As the artisan market grows, so too do the job opportunities. This type of manufacturing could be the challenge you’ve been waiting for. Develop a skill, work with your hands, and create.
And get paid for something you love doing anyway.