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Furniture making makes you a better person
Wednesday, 16th June 2010 20:49 PM
Those who have been following my blog will be familiar with my idea that craft work is character building, see Deskillingand In the Zone. Now along comes Matthew Cawford to steal my ideas!! I've not actually read his book yet, but I have heard him on Radio 4 and read an article on it in the Guardian Weekend magazine, middle class moi! Anyway he suggests that we have lost contact with physical reality. The media, advertising and marketing people create a virtual reality of brands and "reality" stories. At work the white collar worker and manager has no yardstick to measure their performance, their output is intangible and there can seem no limit to their power. They are often "buffered from" experiencing failure because there is no measure of it. Making or fixing things is the reverse, one is confronted with a tangible reality and it is evident when one has done a good or bad job. As I have said before "In furniture making you always get found out". This truism leads to a certain humility in the face of reality. Crawford says "There are people who'll say 'Oh, I'm not mechanical', but often much of what distinguishes people who are is that they're willing to undergo the experience of unambiguous failure".
When I teach jointing skills on my courses students often experience "unambiguous failure". The joint does not turn out as it should be, although they may ask me to assess it for them, they know whether it is a good joint or not. Failure is fine, one cannot expect perfection on a first attempt, the important thing is to strive to be better.The other factor important in making is judgement. During the making process one is using ones judgement to assess the materials and the development of the job, then at the end a judgement is made about the outcome.Making these constant judgements leads to a different, humbler, relationship with the world
Isn't itgood to know that going on one of my courses will make you a better person!
Bibliography
TheCase for Working with Your Hands:Or why Office Work is Bad for Us and Fixing Things is Good - Matthew Crawford
Guardian Weekend 8/5/10
Comments…Add yours
Posted by Isabelle Sene on 20/03/11
I am reading Matthew Crawford's book right now. It is hard work (philosophical language!) but it is a real enlightement.
What we need now is for someone to rewrite that book, but in a more down to earth language, one that doesn't talk about the great philosopher Anaxagoras or uses words like evaluative activity.
It is a symptom of our current society that whilst people in offices are loosing their jobs in London, many of them are coming to the conclusion that they would rather start again from scratch, and retrain as something different, doing something more rewarding. I know people who are going back to university at 40+, studying philosophy, psychology, massage, furniture making... Some will even move to the country side and find a job to do with mother nature such as organic farming, or go back to their childhood dream of being a car mechanic.
People have never been so eager to swap their office job for a workshop that involves creating something with their hands.
That's still unheard of in countries like France, who doesn't look favorably on mature adults trying to recycle themselves.
It is sad, but we need people like Matthew Crawford to remind us that it's ok to change and that it will be for the best.
Posted by Chris on 21/03/11
Hi Isabelle
Thanks for the comment. I'm interested in your comment about the attitude to work in France. I've always assumed that they have a fairly relaxed attitude to work in France, what with the short working week, early retirement and emphasis on La Weekend.I'll have to ask Emmanuelle, our gallery manager, who is French, about this.
I have noticed an increase in the number of people enquiring with me about a career in furniture making. My only worry is where are all the customers going to come from for all these makers. I think we need a change in attitude in the consumer towards disposability, to match this change in attitude to work.
I hope your own career change is going smoothly. Call in to see us if you are ever in Yorkshire.
Chris
Posted by Isabelle on 07/05/11
Hello Chris.
Just a quick note to tell you that I have (finally) finished reading the book by Matthew Crawford - it only took me about 6 months - and that I have written something about it on my blog for those who are interested in changing their career from an office one to a manual one.
http://artabelle.eu/WordPress/
I highly recommend this book which is excellent for putting into words the feelings of helplessness and intense boredom common in people who work in an office and who are deeply unhappy there; and in offering reassurance that switching to manual work shouldn't be viewed as a step back in one's career, but as a creative way to live a more wakeful life, in full awareness of our human condition.
Did you ask your gallery manager about the problems mature people face in France when they want to change career?
All the best,
Isabelle