How to be a maker in a world overburdened with stuff?

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making and creating.

It’s just who I am, but in a world overburdened with disposable consumption it feels really important to question what you make with as much consideration of process and end life of the product as possible.

Questions I ask myself.

Can I learn the skills to make it?

Can I make it from materials that might ordinarily be discarded?

Can I make it from materials that at end of life can be composted or recycled?

Can I make things that will last, covetable things that are precious?

Can I share the skills I have learnt in a way to encourage other folk to be creative and be aware of the time and effort it takes for ‘stuff’ to be made.

For the past few years much of my design work has originated in the form of a paper cut. I like this bold medium, it feels simple, I don’t need much equipment and the pieces themselves can be recycled or composted.

The original designs are photographed, I then have an image that can be printed onto paper, fabric and other surfaces.

Here, a limited edition of some designs printed onto plywood, which would eventually rot away at end of life.

If I am going to put my design on a product I want that product to be of a high quality.

I have a fondness for enamel ware and wanted to have a limited edition enamel mug. There were lots of options out there, but, most of them offered just a transfer print design on an enamel mug that was not durable or aesthetically appealing.

After a bit of research I found a company in Poland that makes traditional hand made enamelware, using a process that has evolved over 100 years where the design is baked into the surface layers. These mugs feel solid, traditional, lasting. They cost more than the lighter transfer versions, but, they don’t feel disposable.

We have almost sold out of the first design, so I have just ordered a new limited edition design.

Here are two of the mugs hanging on the side of our local sauna in Shetland.

Www.haarsauna.com

My workshop at the Kirk also contains my husbands business. He works with industrial sewing machines repairing sails and making things that domestic sewing machines cannot.

We found ourselves with sails that were no longer fit for their original purpose, but the fabric still had years of life.

Our daughter works in children’s outdoors education where climbing ropes are regularly retired from use, but are still a valuable resource.

We looked at these materials and thought about how we might repurpose them?

Here we made an outdoor adventure bag.

Made from old sails, webbing straps and a screen printed design on the pocket. All hand made and designed by us in Shetland.

We use these bags all the time for wild swimming, or just transporting kit on trips.

For the past few years I have been delivering workshops in paper cut lampshade design.

A two day workshop where folk come to the Kirk and I guide them through the process of designing and cutting a paper cut, which is then sandwiched between a fabric outer and a plastic backing to create a shade for either a lamp base or to hang from a pendant.

I ask that they bring their ideas and inspiration to draw and cut their own design. It’s always a really enjoyable process as often folk feel unsure at the start as to how they will be able to turn the ideas in their head into a shade, but, by the end of the two days they leave with something they are really proud of and is unique to them.

I don’t always remember the names of the participants of the workshops, but, I usually remember what design they made. “Oh, hot tub lady” I might say, or “washing line family”!

Here, a paper cut lampshade design.

These are one of a kind because the original paper cut is sandwiched between the fabric and the plastic backing.

Whilst delivering these workshops I hope that folk enjoy being immersed in the creative moment, but, I also hope that it gives an understanding of the time, effort and materials resource inherent in every product in our homes and lives.

Our individual efforts in reducing and recycling and conscious consumption is not going to defeat the global capitalist consumerism, but we do have power in where and how we choose to spend.