Biofore Magazine 2020

57

FEATURE

“It seems like we’re slowly losing the connection between our brains and our hands.”

Molla Mills has travelled the world teaching people about the therapeutic benefits of handicrafts.

and make their way outdoors. To Mills, forests have always been a place of calm and relaxation, and the more she travels, the more she learns to appreciate Finnish forests. “Whenever I’m away, I miss the Finn- ish woodland terribly,” she admits, “espe- cially the ease of access and the fact that you’re often the only one around.”

ment when working with their hands. She’s also thrilled to be part of spread- ing the skill of whittling and encouraging people to give it a go, even if they don’t consider themselves very arts-and-crafty. Mills says we all have that element to us, but we tend to forget it. “It seems like we’re slowly losing the connection between our brains and our

hands, and many young people aren’t that interested in handicrafts,” she says. “In- stead, we use our mobile phones almost as an extension of our hands, like our own imagination wasn’t enough!” Maybe, she hopes, whittling and other forms of handcraft will make a comeback soon, just as the coronavirus pandemic has led many to reconnect with nature