When homemade speaks to the heart

When Frenchman Jean Guitton said in the previous century that “originality exists in every individual because each of us differs from the others. We are all primary numbers divisible only by ourselves”, he hit the nail on the head. So unique are we that the cultural goods that we produce just can’t be the same as anyone else’s. Your portrayal of a finch (or a BMW or a chocolate milkshake) can never be mine. Thank goodness. We may try and copycat, but each attempt will be unique.



And such is life when we craft self-made features for our homes and gardens. Along with the satisfaction of DIY comes the uplifting of the spirit. Research has shown that creating items can bolster mood, improve self-confidence, and reduce stress. Similarly, fiddling with our fingers improves mental agility, gross and fine motor movements, and also decreases cognitive decline. Crafting is a natural remedy against PTSD, anxiety, depression, insomnia and chronic pain.

Reverting to anything self-made is the logical antithesis of our overwhelm. So often we feel that the world is too much with us, that we want to get off. One way of registering our discontent is to shun goods made on large scale, where every piece looks just like the next. Creating our own objects or scenario is intensely satisfying.

Why get lost in the crowd when you can stand out? Perhaps some people are happy with cookie-cutter lives; most aren’t. Perkins and Jason questioned in Psychology Today: “Is it also possible that a primal sense of interconnectedness and the need to participate makes us want to be like others, in both body and soul? Yet at a deeper level, revolutionary advances in the domain of consciousness and artificial intelligence might shatter this need to merely replicate. We might experience an inner neural net-connected brain in vast new ways, where we can cast off fears and courageously pursue our creative individuality and artistic expression.”

Introducing homemade features to our properties makes them distinctly ours, such as a home-built BBQ. The question is, should such a unique piece not rather be removable in case you want to sell the property and take your original with you? What if the next buyer is not gob-smacked about your ingenuity?

Seeff.com cautions about fixtures and fittings and what needs to stay when you sell your property. “Homeowners often instal extras such as air-cons, decorative mirrors, garden décor, water tanks, chandeliers or antique doors. The matter of ‘what stays and what goes’ when selling is therefore often a sticky point between seller and buyer.”

Fixtures are usually permanently attached and removal would result in damage to the property. These are included in the sale by law as the purchaser is entitled to receive the land together with all items which are permanently affixed. Best would be to list such contentious items.

If our handmade items speak to our hearts, they should be mobile, like us.

Christine Stoman