Creating while the world burns: why handcraft is survival

In recent years, it often feels like everything is too much. Global warming, pandemics, war, climate collapse, economic instability, wave after wave of crisis. So many scenes in the news feel like they were taken from dystopian movies.

And yet (or maybe because of that) more and more people are turning back to the basics. To slower, handmade things... To crafting... And embroidery, painting, mending, upcycling. To anything we can do with our hands, and that can help calm our nervous systems.

For me, this isn’t just escape, it’s also an answer. A form of resistance. A quiet but determined response to a world that keeps getting louder, faster, more fragmented.

Because while the world seems to fall apart, some of us choose to build again. With our hands. With thread. With heart.

It’s no coincidence that more and more research shows how crafting supports mental health, hormone balance, and stress reduction. There's rhythm in it, repetition, focus. There's presence. That’s why I keep going.

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/crafts-helping-relieve-anxiety-during-pandemic

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/aug/16/arts-and-crafts-give-greater-life-satisfaction-than-work-survey-suggests

I took these photos myself during my so-called “health walks” in Vienna’s parks, at a time when strict lockdown rules were in place. Made these in Schönbrunn of the empty alleys. These walks were my physical and mental lifeline before I turned to art again on a daily basis.

Austria’s official lockdown rules - relevant to outdoor walks during the pandemic / Sources:

• Wikipedia (German) – COVID-19 in Austria

• Wikipedia (German) – Ausgangssperre

During the strictest lockdown period (starting March 16, 2020), Austria introduced a federal regulation known as the "Betretungsverordnung", which restricted people from being in public spaces except for specific purposes.

However, §4 of the regulation clearly allowed outdoor activities for mental and physical wellbeing.

"Stay in outdoor spaces for physical and psychological recovery" was legally permitted and even encouraged, as long as social distancing was respected.

• Walks in nature, parks, or the city were allowed, even under lockdown

• People were encouraged to maintain well-being.

Now I encourage you - Ivett