On the value of handmade

In 2023, I left Copenhagen Business School with a bang when I received a top grade for my thesis on how the perceived symbolic value of a ceramic cup is influenced by the fact that it is handmade. My examiner was utterly confused by the topic, and I believe it remains one of the most peculiar theses ever submitted at CBS. For me, it was the culmination of the lifelong split I’ve felt between my left and right brain hemispheres, both vying for dominance.

But this isn’t about my brain—it’s about something I learned while writing my thesis: the value of something being handmade.

If you’ve ever held a handmade cup and thought it just feels different from a mass-produced one from IKEA, you’re not alone. And it’s not just in your head. Philosopher Walter Benjamin once said that handmade objects have a special aura—something that gets lost in mechanical mass production. According to him, it’s the unique presence of the object in time and space that makes the difference. When something is handmade, it has a story, a process, a person behind it. When it’s reproduced, it loses that very connection.

But Walter Benjamin is far from the only one who has tried to put into words why we value the handmade so highly. Many others have as well. Design researcher Jo Turney describes it as the mark of the maker’s hand—a physical connection between the creator and the user. Other researchers talk about psychic energy—the idea that the artist’s thoughts, time, and passion almost become embedded in the object. It might sound abstract, but research shows that people actually perceive handmade objects as being made with love.

One experiment even confirmed that people quite literally assess handmade products as more valuable because they feel that more soul has been invested in them. And this isn’t just true for adults—children do it too! A study found that as early as age four, kids begin to recognize the difference between factory-made and handmade objects. They even expect others to prefer receiving handmade gifts.

But here’s what’s truly interesting: it’s not just about aesthetics or quality. We’ve become so accustomed to being able to buy anything, anytime, that we’ve started to lose our connection to the objects around us. We buy, we use, we throw away. Handmade objects break that cycle. When we know the story behind an item—who made it, how, and why—we automatically take better care of it. And that can actually have a positive impact on the way we consume.

I’m endlessly fascinated by the relationship between people and their things. I believe we should live with fewer, but better objects—that every item we welcome into our home should be a favorite. With my ceramics, I dream of making you smile, laugh, or maybe even question what exactly it is you’re looking at. And, most of all, I want to make you think about how the objects you surround yourself with are made. That you know the story, the long journey, and the immense love and effort that have gone into each piece—so that you value it more.