In Our Hands
A Maker's Manifesto for Changing the World Through Creative Practices

Quotes

“With her signature sanctification of the ordinary, Bonnie Smith Whitehouse declares that craft supplies are holy, letter-writing is resistance, and creating anything—even a page-margin doodle!—is sacred work. When so many of us languish in "What to do?" and slide into daily dread, this book lifts us up from the inside, calling us back to the truth that making things is an ancient gift from our ancestors—and rehearsal for the future we are stitching, sketching, and sculpting through the body. This radiant handbook is hope made doable.” —Mari Andrew, New York Times bestselling author and illustrator

“A luminous and deeply humane manifesto for reclaiming agency in a fractured world... An invitation to step away from noise and despair and remember that meaningful change often begins, quite literally, at the table.” —Debbie Millman, author and host of Design Matters podcast

“At a time when so many of us feel hopeless and helpless, In Our Hands is encouraging, a powerful reminder that joy, possibility, and the conditions to create change rest within each of us. Encouraged by ancient traditions and revolutionary artists, Smith Whitehouse urges us to create our own creative practices and begin our own inner revolutions—and reinforces again and again, that the sharpening of our minds and spirits lies within the movement of our hands.” —Meera Lee Patel, bestselling author of Start Where You Are and How It Feels to Find Yourself

“This book was like a warm hug from my grandmother, who gifted me buttons and baubles and taught me to use glue guns and needles and thread. In Our Hands invites us to embrace the slowness, the messiness, and the humanness of making things—to see that, in a world of tech-driven, profit-motivated, instant gratification, crafting and creating are radical, transformative acts.” —Jessica Calarco, author of Holding It Together: How Women Became America's Safety Net

“Bonnie Smith Whitehouse is the queen of embodied spirituality, consistently teaching us practical ways to effect wonder in our daily lives. In this book, she nudges us one step further, beckoning us to participate in acts not only of soulful rejuvenation but of creative insubordination... In Our Hands reveals that art-making is more than a pastime or hobby, more even than a form of self-expression or ritual. It is an ancient form of non-violent protest, a revolution of the soul. For the many who feel convicted yet powerless, this book gives us inspiration, but more importantly it gives us agency, and in doing so, it gives us hope. All we need to do is unclench our fists, open our palms, and take matters into our own beautiful, capable hands—with Whitehouse as our guide.” —Varina Buntin Willse, author of Beneath and Between

“In a time when so many of us feel desperate to both tend to the world and nourish our own souls, In Our Hands meets us in this hunger. Enter this soulful, thought-provoking journey of a book that engages the imagination and genuine agency we all have to make a meaningful difference in the present moment with our own hands. Allow your mind, body and spirit to be nourished by Bonnie's wisdom and insights, and release your own hands into action.” —Caroline Vogel, EMDR therapist and author of As Yourself: The Sacred Work of Embodying Grace

“In Our Hands illuminates what we've always known in our bones: making things with our hands is how we make ourselves. Here is a book about creativity as courage, a call to action proclaiming that small, private acts of creating become the seeds from which collective transformation grows.” —Lisa Marchiano, Jungian analyst, author, and podcaster

“ Timeless and urgent! In Our Hands beckons us all to be a creative force in this world and warmly offers steps we can take to counter the destructive elements in our current moment and beyond.” —Nicole Nehrig, author of With Her Own Hands: Women Weaving Their Stories

"A poetic and powerful manifesto on the healing force of creative love. With a rare blend of passion and expertise, Bonnie Smith Whitehouse invites readers to awaken curiosity, imagine new possibilities, and rediscover the deep truth that when our hands create, our hearts heal. This is a book the world needs now more than ever." —Becca Stevens, Founder of Thistle Farms, CNN Hero of the Year, and author of Love Heals and Practically Divine

“In Our Hands burns with honesty, passion, soulfulness, and a ferocity of earned life wisdom. I can't recommend it highly enough for these days we find ourselves in.” —Mary Ellen Lough, poet and founder of Women Who Speak With Flowers