We Were Made to Make

Led by Maggie Jonk, this session explores the deep human needs to create as a way to balance ourselves in today’s fast-paced, fragmented world; focusing on how craftsmanship can help revive a sense of purpose, identity and connection. Drawing on themes of intangible cultural heritage and the Year of Handicrafts, the discussion examines the modern pursuit of preserving and revitalizing traditional crafts, not merely as skills, but as a way of living that reconnects individuals to their roots and offers an opportunity to reshape their relationship with themselves and their communities.

From this perspective, craftsmanship is presented as a profound cultural practice capable of restoring what has been lost and contributing to the creation of continuity that is more attuned to fundamental human natural needs.