When I first started this project I focus on portraying craftsmen in dying trades. However, to my surprise, there seems to be a revival of these trades here in Spain. I got to have intimate conversations with all of them about their day-to-day activities, their business, families, challenges and future dreams. Yolanda Ortiz for example, is a fourth generation candle maker, as a little girl she watched her grandparents make candles for hours. Another example is Javier Medina, whose storefront and studio looks like it has been there for decades, is part of the new generation of craftsmen. He works with rushes/grasses to create game heads, he is most famously known for his bullheads. In Spain he is called an “Espartero”. The newer generations of craftsmen incorporate technology into their business and push sales through their Instagram stories, influencers and Facebook posts. Not something we would have seen in the 19th century. I asked Javier, what do you think is driving the revival of craftsman? “People want a story, behind each handmade product there is a story to tell,” Javier says. “It makes a great talking piece,” he adds. And you might ask me, why do I think there is a revival in handmade crafts? Well for starters I got turned down several times to take photos because many craftsmen were already approached. I also think the Millennials are highly conscious of where products are being manufactured and how. As far as challenges, they face many. It seems like an uphill battle, always having to compete with bigger stores, cheaper products and online competitors for example. But their individuality, perseverance and love for their crafts is what made me become an advocate for them and these photographs are meant to show them in that light. Sergio Martínez

1. The Revival of Craftsmen

2. The Revival of CraftsmenWhen I first started this project I planned to focus on portraying craftsmen in dying trades. However,
to my surprise there seems to be a revival of these trades here in Spain. I got to have intimate con-
versations with all of them about their day-to-day activities, their business, families, challenges and
future dreams. Yolanda Ortiz for example, is a fourth generation candle maker, as a little girl she
watched her grandparents make candles for hours. Another example is Javier Medina, whose store-
front and studio looks like it has been there for decades, is part of the new generation of craftsmen.
He works with rushes/grasses to create game heads, he is most famously known for his bullheads. In
Spain he is called an “Espartero”. The newer generations of craftsmen incorporate technology into
their business and push sales through their Instagram stories, influencers and Facebook posts. Not
something we would have seen in the 19th century.
I asked Javier, what do you think is driving the revival of craftsman?
“People want a story, behind each handmade product there is a story to tell,” Javier says.
“It makes a great talking piece,” he adds.
And you might ask me, why do I think there is a revival in handmade crafts? Well for starters I got
turned down several times to take photos because many craftsmen were already approached. I also
think the Millennials are highly conscious of where products are being manufactured and how.
As far as challenges, they face many. It seems like an uphill battle, always having to compete with
bigger stores, cheaper products and online competitors for example. But their individuality, persever-
ance and love for their crafts is what made me become an advocate for them and these photographs
are meant to show them in that light.
Sergio Martínez