shayla pham

(hand)made with love

(hand)made with love is a project based on three central ideas: self reflection, sustainability, and my love for handcrafting. the piece consists of five handmade objects that live in a container that is also handmade. each object is important to me in different ways, and was made sustainably with love and care. before creating the objects, i gave myself the parameter to refrain from buying anything for this project as a way to cut down on consumption. the paper was made by hand using recycled paper products, and everything was put together by hand using materials that i already had in my home. the book and journal pages were printed using the risograph printer, which uses masters made from banana paper and ink made from vegetable soybean oil. i tore, folded, and stitched everything by hand, as making tangible pieces of art is my favorite way to create. sometimes i have eczema flare ups on my hands, and when it gets really bad i lose function of them for a few days. when these moments happen, i have intrusive thoughts of just “what if i cut off my hands right now and didn’t have to deal with this anymore?”, which is the theme of the supplemental poster i created for this project. when these moments happen, i try my best to remember to appreciate and take care of my hands, as i wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without them.

shaylapham.design
instagram.com/shaylapham
instagram.com/shaylapham.des
phamsm@alumni.vcu.edu