Hand Craftsmanship in the Digital Age

The Joy of Workmanship is now complete, and heading to a publisher soon--with a little luck. Here's a description and the introduction. Let me know what you think!

Jennifer Benner is a master gardener, book author, and former editor at Fine Gardening magazine. I challenged her with the idea of gardening as a craft, and the result is this interview. This peaceful escape that Jenny jokes she is addicted to has given her more than a career and a living. We talked about how gardening changed her as a person, how the beauty of an object comes from the effort we’ve put into making it, or participating in its creation. There is a world of difference between understanding a garden as a service, or a product, and as a process. Much more comes from gardening than the garden itself. Enjoy!

Abe Chaber is a master gunsmith of best grade shotguns, having apprenticed under Carl Kruger. His work is beyond superlative, and recognized worldwide as among the very best. The challenges of gunsmithing, using only hand tools and traditional materials to maintain 18th and 19th-century authenticity in his repairs and reproductions, cannot be underestimated. Abe works with different steels, iron, copper, gold and silver, wood and horn, leather and many other materials each with their own properties, using only files, saws, chisels and hammers. What has kept Abe at his bench for over 50 years? How does he "just do it"? And what two words from his teacher encapsulate everything he works for? It's a long interview, over 2 hours. Listening in installments is permitted.

Ian Kirby's storied career as a teacher, designer, and hand craftsman with great skills of workmanship is the foundation of this interview. We talk of many things, from lessons such as to never make a piece of furniture without a purpose; how drawing from nature, not from other artists or craftsmen, is key to understanding good design; how students have changed since the 1970’s; how nothing in nature is truly ugly, and nature is our visual capital; the American v. the English way of learning woodworking; the problems of the designer not being able to afford his own work; that a pantry is essential in a good kitchen; and how through our work we set a standard for living. Visit Ian's website iankirbydesign.com to learn more.

Go see Ben's work at benswoodshop on Instagram, then you will have all the context you need for a discussion with him about mastery, beauty, making things, and what keeps him going, making things that people will treasure in their lives.

Cell phones make photography the most democratic of arts. You take pictures, don't you? What is the thrill of the click for you? Denise Keim, an amazing professional street photographer, and Chip Reid, attorney-by-day and talented photographer by night (and weekend-day) discuss who they are, what they do, their attitudes towards their work, how their work shapes them, has opened doors for them and fulfills their lives, and, in the end, if the Kardashians are beautiful. Doesn't the search for, and creation of, Beauty reminds us that we’re all part of a greater narrative?

The corporate lawyer told me he hated everything about his job except the paycheck. I wondered how he could live that way. I find such satisfaction and meaning in my simple cabinetmaking work. Other craftsmen seem to feel the same--though words to describe this secret ingredient are few and vague. Between interviews, an exploration of the goals of this podcast and the accompanying book.

Paula Sparks is my wife's best friend. She has spent her life either working with her hands or teaching how to use them in a range of trades. From furniture stripping and repairing, to jewelry making, to residential carpentry, we talk about throwing creativity into mundane work, quieting the inner chatter, the dullness of office work, and how comparison is the thief of joy. Enjoy!

Alex and Lauren are my former neighbors, sadly moved away. Though their backgrounds and experience are rich and varied, they have one thing in common-- they have been (and Lauren still is) part of the "restaurant world." Lauren as a high-end restaurant server, and Alex was an owner and manager. What do they have to say about "working with their hands"? Is restaurant work a craft? Does it involve the same things, or not? Is it "mind work" if not hand work? Be prepared to learn lots about what goes into a nice meal, with much practical and wise insight into what really matters in a good life, how the setting of a table is a craft, if not an art, to create a seamless dining experience; the social tolerance that working in close quarters teaches us; that Patience! is as key to their work as to any; and the the shelf that Lauren created out of nothing.

Mark sent a follow up email on the kind of wisdom he pulls away from hand work that was compelling enough to share and comment on. Only 15 minutes!