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Handicrafts regain popularity in major cities
Back to nature: Soap and other cosmetics made from natural ingredients are safe and cause no harm to the skin or to the environment
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Back to nature: Soap and other cosmetics made from natural ingredients are safe and cause no harm to the skin or to the environment.
While many Jakartan urbanites spend their weekends relaxing or shopping in malls, many are now taking handicraft courses in painting, woodcutting, knitting, origami or cosmetics making.
Knitting enthusiast Dyah Ekarini Ratnaningtyas acknowledges that those engaged in craft activities, such as knitting, want to gain new skills.
'With the new skills they can have useful leisure time or even earn a living,' said the woman, better known as Rini, who runs a crafters' community Weekend Workshop (WeWo).
'I learned knitting from my grandmother when I was in senior high school,' she said. During college, Rini knitted as a hobby, until she joined an advertising company, which meant more work hours and less craft time. However, the chance of resuming the activity later unexpectedly arose from her office.
Some of Rini's peers asked her to teach them knitting and their numbers grew until they eventually organized regular weekend workshops. Moreover, for advertising personnel, knitting can serve as a means of de-stressing.
The number of participants prompted Rini to arrange workshops in a more spacious café near Kemang, South Jakarta. As news about Rini's knitting sessions spread by word of mouth, more people enthusiastically attended the gatherings.
After some time, Rini saw an opportunity to invite senior crafters to become tutors, believing they should receive exposure in terms of their business achievements and craft skills. With this new idea and participants' great zeal, WeWo has become a weekend routine.
Usually most crafters make something for fun or their own needs, before turning to commercial production if they see a lot of demand from friends. The same situation was experienced by Veronica Lucia Handayani, who first made handmade cosmetics because typical products were unsuitable for her skin.
'My skin is very sensitive and my doctor suggested that I use cosmetics without certain ingredients,' said Vero. As she had difficulty in buying such products, she researched online before beginning to concoct lip balm, body butter, soap and cleansing oil.
With her friends' growing interest in her personal products, Vero later received orders for soap and other cosmetics. 'Many of them also have skin problems and sought proper means of skin care.'
In 2013, Vero began to market her items via Facebook, Instagram and her website under the brand Kippabuw.
The rising demand led to a request for Vero to open soap making classes. A large number of people were interested, but she limited workshop to 20 participants with no more than two sessions monthly due to the complicated process involved. 'So far I've held the courses in Yogyakarta and Malaysia. I do it when there's such demand while traveling and I have enough spare time,' she said.
Admittedly, Rini and Vero's trainees are predominantly women and children. 'The youngsters are usually brought along by their mothers to join the workshops, and some of them are interested,' said Rini. 'Several craft workshops can in fact have child participants as long as they understand what's being instructed.'
Ten to 15 people are allowed at WeWo sessions to ease supervision and enable close relations among learners, who are expected to form their own communities in the future.
Meanwhile, Vero has never seen children at her courses. 'Perhaps soap making is rather complicated for them as it requires accuracy; any slight mistake will end in failure,' said Vero, whose small groups enable her to give participants personal attention.
'Soap class graduates have even initiated a mailing list for exchanges of soap making experiences,' Vero added.
An interesting aspect of both groups is their increasing awareness and desire to make various items themselves that they would otherwise buy from shops. According to Rini, some of her students regularly make knitted clothing as gifts for friends or birthday presents for their children.
'They feel satisfaction as they're able to produce something themselves. They don't feel such pleasure when they buy finished products,' Rini said about successful crafters. Those receiving such handmade gifts also feel happy because the articles are very personal and took a lot of time and energy.
Similarly, Vero spoke of her students who made safe cosmetics and cleansers for their families or themselves. They are proud of their capability to process natural ingredients into products that cause no harm to their skin or the environment.
'At first they thought workshop costs were high, but after being informed of the materials used like coconut oil, essential oils and other natural components, they could understand,' said Vero, adding that they later realized the lower costs of their handmade cosmetics.
This spirit of appreciating homemade products encourages Vero and Rini amid the influx of factory-made goods, while further inspiring senior and junior crafters as well.
Rini herself feels pleased to note the gradual revival of handicrafts, as proven by the opening of WeWo branches in Bandung and Serpong, Banten. 'Handicraft communities have been emerging in some cities, even mushrooming,' said the Parahyangan University graduate.
'It's very heartening to see fellow crafters sharing their experiences without any fear of competition,' said Rini.
The two women even hope to make crafting a lifestyle in Indonesia. Too ambitious? 'No, I've even heard of groups of crafters in Balikpapan [East Kalimantan]. Crafting is exciting and contagious, with concrete results,' concluded Rini.
' Photos by Juliana Harsianti
