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Are Malta's old trades fading into memory?

Not long ago, Malta's streets echoed with the work of cobblers, watchmakers, seamstresses, lace-makers, stone masons, and countless other skilled artisans. Their craft wasn't just work. It was tradition. Identity. A way of life.

Today, many of these trades are fading into memory.

As we rush towards the future, we risk leaving behind the knowledge, creativity, and wisdom that once defined us. So perhaps the question isn't what comes next. It's what we're choosing not to leave behind.

This is the idea behind . 

It invites us to think creatively about the world around us; not simply accepting things as they are, but imagining how they could be different.

By revisiting forgotten skills, overlooked knowledge, and fading traditions, we begin to see new possibilities in old ideas. We ask questions that challenge assumptions: What is worth preserving? What can be adapted? What can these practices teach us about living, creating, and connecting differently?

When we look at disappearing trades through this lens, the question is no longer simply how we preserve them. Instead, we begin to ask: What possibilities do they reveal? What values, skills, and ways of thinking might they inspire in future generations?

Creative thinking is not only about inventing something new. Sometimes, it is about seeing new potential in what already exists.

's research at the Edward De Bono Institute for Creative Thinking & Innovation focuses on applying this theory to our beloved lost trades.

By revisiting forgotten knowledge and traditions, we open up space to imagine different futures—ones that are more connected, sustainable, and deeply rooted in what makes us who we are.