Hands are us

Hands play a distinctive role in establishing our identity, both as a tool-using species and as individuals with unique talents and self-awareness. The fit between hands and tools should be as natural (sensitive to the natural functioning of hands) as possible. Improper fit and use leads directly to injuries such as carpal-tunnel syndrome. It is also involved in injuries attributed to compensatory patterns and to unnecessary restrictions of career functioning. Injuries can be avoided or sometimes repaired by redesigning tools and work patterns rather than through surgical or medical means. The mass manufacture of one-size-fits-all tools violates existing individual differences in the hand and what is natural to it. The artist within us is repressed to the extent that we lose touch with the tools, media, and performance patterns of our work. This loss makes us less professional and places our hands at risk for damage.