Info, news & debate
Pottery
Beginners’ guide to firing pottery in a small gas kiln
We recently interviewed potter Tom Humphries, and he gave advice about making a living from making pottery. Here he gives advice for beginners about firing pottery in a small gas kiln.
Career change? Making a living from making pottery
At Lowimpact.org we’re interested in helping to bring production back to communities, and so we’re going to be talking with craftspeople, smallholders, natural builders, renewables installers and small business owners in our range of topics. I’ll be asking them about their jobs, and for advice for other people who are interested in doing similar things.
Craft in a crisis: helping heritage crafts come back from the brink
With a host of already endangered heritage crafts at even greater risk as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, what does the future hold and how can we play a part in helping heritage crafts survive and even thrive? Sophie Paterson explores.
Pottery on the wild side: digging your own clay
Digging your own clay – too much hassle or a whole lot of fun? We hear from Ruby Taylor of Native Hands about how to source your own clay, as she does for her wild pottery courses in Sussex. Over to her from here…
Join our new online community Living Low Impact
We’re excited to introduce our new Facebook group Living Low Impact – and you’re invited!
What we’re losing: the joy and satisfaction of crafting things by hand
The video below shows various stages of the production and finish of a 1-metre tall puppet by Jan Zalud. Jan makes all sorts of things – crafted by hand from wood.
The power of doing things ourselves using recycled materials: the Permaculture Book of DIY
This is a radical new book – not because the ideas within it are going to change the world, but because it contains funky little DIY projects that could make a lot of people think ‘hey, I’ve always wanted one of those, but was put off by the cost – but actually, I could do …
The future will be handmade? The prospects for craft skills in ‘developing’ countries
The Future will be handmade? In the information age, the question has an absurd ring. But I ask after listening to Ashoke Chatterjee at the Artisans House in Mumbai. As a long time President of the Crafts Council of India, Chatterjee tells us that ‘The Future will be handmade’. The question mark is mine.
Craft skills are too important to lose
How many people do you know these days whose work involves traditional craft skills? For every craftsperson in the UK, there must be a couple of thousand working in telesales.