I was recently in the British Museum for the first time in a long while. After the customary stop to see the ever popular Rosetta Stone I had a look in the room on the opposite side of the main courtyard – the King’s Library.

As well as books in the bookcases that lined the walls there were a number of crafted pieces from across the globe and through the ages. I didn’t have a camera with me – which proved to be a good thing. It allowed me to really look at the pieces rather than check them off as seen – as so often happens when taking a photo.

When you look deeply you realise that these pieces probably took an individual a significant amount of time to create – either in learning the craft, creating the piece or both. As such each piece represents a dedication to the processes that led to its construction.

In the present day many of these pieces would be easy to create using modern tools and modern machinery. As such the same pieces from today do not necessarily carry the same weight of dedication.

Instead that dedication typically goes into the understanding and creation of processes and techniques that can craft things at a mass consumer level. The end piece may not look as visually stunning, but if you look closely you may be able to envision the dedication of time that has gone into its design and the design of its fabrication technologies.

An example may be tucked in your pocket right now, waiting for the next call.

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Call me maybe / Carly Rae Jepsen