My Own Hand-Brain Connection

I can put my finger on a specific place, on a specific night when I became consciously aware that in pursuing my own handwork skills, creatively, I had changed my brain, maybe my IQ and definitely the way I would look at handwork forever after - even the way I would see the world.

I had gained a material compass. I understood that all material has its limits of size; things can only be built so large or so small without reaching the limits of the material. I understood that all material had a grain, a bias, a dimensionality, and that to make something in 3-dimensions, those factors in the source material had to be taken into account. Wood, fiber, fabric, metal and even the universe has its own limits to be reckoned with. Yet within those limits, creativity is boundless.

I understood something of the ideas of telescoping and spiraling. Think of: nesting boxes, matroyshkas, a photographer photographing a photographer, photographing a photographer.... These are good skills to have when deciding the form of an object coupled with its texture, line, pattern and color or when changing sizes and proportions. The brain must be able to slip-slide with purpose. Isn't it true? And sometimes we shut down and forget those functions when we most need to transfer them, as in scheduling a hectic day or planning a complex meal. Another thing I learned was how to keep the overall picture in my mind while paying attention to details.

How did I learn all these things? Mostly by pursuing a range of fiber crafts that culminated in original doll making. They taught me skills and philosophy I could never have learned in school. I strongly support handwork as an educational endeavor!