Arts and crafts is a whole group of activities and hobbies that are related to making various things out of ones own hands and skills. The arts and crafts skills can be further sub divided into traditional crafts, also known as the handicrafts and the rest of the skills. Traditional crafts and many other crafts have been practiced since ages, while new skill and crafts keep coming with the growing time.

Modern era has seen the popularization of the traditional crafts and skills, which are widely popular among the masses. The term arts and crafts also refer to the design movement known as arts and craft movement propagated by William Morries and Edwin Lutyens. They strove to emulate the medieval craftsmen, who experienced great joy in the quality of their work.

These crafts can be learned by virtually anyone with minimal skills, but to gain expertise and be a professional craftsman, it requires a combination of skill and talent. Various community centers and schools run part time or vocational courses and workshops that offer to teach the basic levels of this skill within a short period of time.

The products of artistic production or creation that require a high degree of tacit knowledge, and technical skills are also known as crafts. These crafts require specialized equipment and are constructed from materials with histories that exceed the boundaries of western art history. These materials include ceramics, glass, textiles, metal and wood. Often these crafts are produced by a specific community. Generally there is a variation of the basic design of these crafts when produced by different communities.

Lastly this wide term also includes the useful rural crafts of the agricultural countryside. Thus the term arts and crafts encompasses a whole gamut of various skills and the product of these varied skills and craftsmanship.