We learn from an early age that gifts made by hand - lumpy clay bowls, handcut valentines, even stick-figure drawings with lopsided hearts and wobbly letters - mean so much more to the recipients than a mass-produced gift purchased at the mall. Why? Because we intrinsically know how much thought, effort and heart goes into a handmade item. It's the difference between the fleeting appreciation we have for something made by a new technological wonder, and the enduring wonder we feel for something we know was touched, worked, and reworked by an artisan's hands. Where imperfections and variations are no longer "flaws," they are endearing. Where value is dependant upon skill. It's the difference between the ordinary and art.
