06/06/2026
The first time I watched a woman weave on a backstrap loom (Maria, slide 2), I cried.
Those who know me will laugh because I tend to well up when things move me. But it was impossible not to. The focus. Her skill. The speed. The way her hands seemed to know exactly where to go. She and the loom were one, moving together in perfect rhythm.
More than a decade later, that moment still stays with me.
When I first moved to Guatemala in 2014, I was fresh out of college with big dreams and very little idea of where they would take me. What I did know was that I wanted to be in Central America working with female artisans. I was drawn to the rich traditions of indigenous communities and, in many ways, the echoes of my own Persian heritage. It felt meaningful to connect their craft to global markets.
Now, as a small business owner, I’m constantly thinking about efficiency and how to make the most of my time. Years in the corporate world has only reinforced those instincts. But when I reflect on what it means to be handmade — the expertise and patience it requires — I’m reminded that not everything meaningful can be optimized.
Some things are valuable precisely because they take time.
There are still corners of this world where “made by hand” is a way of life, not marketing speak. Where mastery is measured not in speed, but in years of practice. And perhaps that’s why it feels so meaningful today. In a world obsessed with mass production, what an act of bravery to instead choose tradition.
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Antique rugs, handmade crafts, vintage finds, home interiors, Persian rugs, Maya artisans
