In Our Hands

A creative call to arms for making with our hands to heal, resist, and reimagine what’s possible—perfect for readers of Wintering, Big Magic, and Your Brain on Art.

In Our Hands is a stirring invitation to reclaim creative practices as a source of empowerment, connection, and renewal in turbulent times. As we contend with mounting societal pressures, the erosion of rights, dehumanizing technologies, and the emotional weight of an increasingly uncertain world, this book offers a restorative path forward through the simple yet radical act of making. Blending intimate personal narrative with cultural and historical insights, Whitehouse illuminates the three vital strands of a creative life: making as self-care and spiritual grounding, making as a catalyst for connection and community, and making as creative activism.

Drawing on the legacies of artists and activists as well as contemporary creative movements rooted in social change, Whitehouse highlights transformative creations—from vibrant quilts that capture history and secret knitting codes that sparked resistance, to the quiet hope of paper cranes—and invites readers into their own acts of making. Each chapter pairs storytelling with reflective and creative prompts, teaching readers to work with their hands to process grief, reclaim agency, and imagine new futures.

A companion for burnout, anger, and reinvention, In Our Hands offers both solace and spark—a manifesto for creative renewal and change, rooted in the belief that creative practices can return us to our shared humanity and ignite a quiet revolution shaped by our own two hands.