Why We Make Things and Why It Matters

The Education of a Craftsman

By: Peter Korn

Narrated by: Traber Burns

In this moving account, Peter Korn explores the nature and rewards of creative practice. We follow his search for meaning as an Ivy-educated child of the middle class who finds employment as a novice carpenter on Nantucket, transitions to self-employment as a designer and maker of fine furniture, takes a turn at teaching and administration at Colorado's Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and then founds a school in Maine: the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, an internationally respected nonprofit institution.

Furniture making practiced as a craft in the 21st century is a decidedly marginal occupation. Yet the view from the periphery can be illuminating. For Korn the challenging work of bringing something new and meaningful into the world through one's own volition—whether in the arts, the kitchen, or the marketplace—is what generates the meaning and fulfillment that so many of us seek.

This is not a how-to book in any sense. Korn wants to get at the why of craft in particular and the satisfactions of creative work in general to understand their essential nature. How does the making of objects shape our identities? How do the products of creative work inform society? In short, what does the process of making things reveal to us about ourselves? Korn draws on four decades of hands-on experience to answer these questions eloquently, and often poignantly, in this personal, introspective, and revealing book.

©2013 Peter Korn (P)2014 Blackstone Audiobooks

Liked ideas, but didn't land for me

I really liked some of the ideas stated, but I left the book feeling like he was preaching to the choir a bit. Maybe that's unfair, but I feel like framing so much of it specifically through the woodworking and why he chose it / what it gave him really narrowed his larger points down too much. He referenced other books and discussions of the idea and I wish he expanded on those ideas more after framing his own experiences but it just left me wanting. Or at least wanting to go read some of the people he referenced to see if the hit home for me more

Good read

This is a great autobiography of a craftsman who has inspired many others to pursue their passions.

Crafty

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It's short, it's informative, and it's reflective.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the way this person found his vocation and spoke so admirably about that which he loved (in this case woodworking). There's nothing more wonderful than listening to a person speak about that which they are passionate about. I also found that him feeling lost in the world and coming to this hobby without expectations to become an expert was a wise attitude.

Have you listened to any of Traber Burns’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, I am sorry. I will in the future.

Any additional comments?

Because I enjoyed this books so much I got Nick Offerman's Clean Good Fun and the Canoe audiobook. I didn't know how much I enjoyed men talk about woodshops until I discovered this book at a daily deal.

philosophy by wood crafting

Good narrative. Reasoning the act of making things into philosophical assertions. Rather a carefully biography to use as examples for the author's thoughts able the realization of the world and the society we live within.

Pretty good.

The narrator did a good job. I enjoy making and building. There were good points to the book, and I was able to learn more about the process of design, but often felt more like an autobiography of the author than about being a maker. Overall it was good, but even a week after finishing my listen I can't shake the feeling that my time was wasted.

fantastic!

an instant classic like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Shop Class as Soulcraft

Inspired

Well written and inspirational as Peter weaves theology and philosophy with making, selling and life as a craftsman. There are lots of treasures in this text that are worth holding onto for reference

Do we make things or do they make us?

Korn reveal as much about how things form who we become. Of course the process is reciprocal. Korn reminds us that a fair amount of risk taking often is behind what we "love" to do occupationally. His life is testimony to "thy own self be true". Not very easy for most to achieve without breaking others hearts who prefer us to take an alternate fork in the road. That is my take away from his life story.

Life perspective

What made the experience of listening to Why We Make Things and Why It Matters the most enjoyable?

Solid tale about why making things is part of the human endeavor. I will be re-listening to this multiple times in my life I am sure.

amazing

A fantastic book for a maker in any medium.
great narrator, great content, great execution.