Thus far in our journey, I've talked a lot about the philosophy of using our hands. But what are they exactly and how do they work? This week we are making a brief detour into the world of anatomy. If we are going to continue to explore the role of our hands in our lives, it's helpful to know a little bit more about exactly how they work.

I feel very strongly that we need to be aware that understanding gender participation and representation in the world of hand work is really important. We need to make sure that the discussion is not just about valuing manual labour as a profession, and nor is it only about the value of the items produced. It's about valuing the hand work process itself. And to do that, I believe that it’s crucial that we make sure that the voices and experiences of both genders are equally represented in the discussion.

We need a place in our lives where we can turn off judgement and just be ourselves. Where instead of our activities being linked to external expectations and measured outcomes, they are linked to building an internal sense of well being and confidence. I can think of few better ways to achieve this than by making something with our hands.

What makes us fall in love with a particular piece or style of hand work? Do we have an almost instinctive connection to a type of material or a style of making?

Put a group of people in a room “doing” something and the emotional barriers start to fall. It’s as though the sheer act of focussing on a task with the hands allows people to be more open and vulnerable.

We live in a culture that largely demeans hand work when compared with academic work. I believe that by making this division we do a disservice to both craftsmanship and academic learning.

I believe that making things with our hands is absolutely fundamental to being human. It enables us to look outward and learn about the world around us as well as looking inward to understand ourselves.