the craftsman

The status of the craftsman in society over the years has gone from high to low. We look down at the people who maintain our facilities, who change our oil, remodel our houses etc. Well.... we may not look down on them but they don't have the same high priority decisions to make that we do. I mean we have important thoughts and issues in what we do that takes a precedent over the everyday workings of things around us. Think about that the next time you go to someplace where services are rendered for your benefit and comfort of life.

Of course I am being facetious. However, I DO believe that we have distanced ourselves from the basic activities that help us understand the human condition. Shelter, food, clothing; creating things associated with survival. I find it interesting that it is so "in" to raise your own food now. I can't tell you how much time we spent in the garden as kids, tilling, planting, hoeing, watering, weeding the garden, shucking, breaking, picking, and canning. We did not do it in the interest of being hip that's for sure.

People who have hand skills are not shown the respect that they deserve and as a result those individuals start to take their abilities for granted. These skills are often replaced by "a better way" of doing things that is more "efficient". The worker looses ownership and free thought. The service can be mass produced with little thought and sent out the door. People consume the mass quantities. As a result people are distanced by what it takes to create and they loose respect for all things and people associated. Then quality suffers and the whole system starts to break down.

I ran across this documentary on the Colonial Williamsburg Gunsmith, Wallace Gusler (thanks for the tip, Michael). It is absolutely fascinating! You can watch the entire movie on You Tube. I remember going to a Metals conference at Southern Illinois University with my father a few years back. We went to see the blacksmithing demos and one of the individuals there was from Williamsburg (Peter Ross- colonial williamsburg) (Tom Latane). He was a blacksmith there and quite skilled to say the least. He forged steel with the accuracy of a machinist. It blew me away! I started to research this further and discovered the programs at Colonial Williamsburg. I ran across this site and read more about Gary Brumfield's views on craft and their apprenticeship program. The protection of these skills and trades is of particular interest to me.

Anyway, the documentary is amazing if you take the time to think about what the craftsmen are doing. Making the tools that make the tools.... it's the way of life.

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

part 5

part 6