Why We Make Things and Why It Matters

The Education of a Craftsman

De: Peter Korn

Narrado por: 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

Insightful

I enjoyed the mix of making philosophy, administrating philosophy. And being philosophy. As an art professor who has taken on some administrative responsibilities recently, I found it both inspiring and comforting.

interesting but didn't resonate

interesting to hear him talk about his craft and his life and how he relates to them but it feels like he is missing a large chunk of what I experience in living my craft... cant put my finger on it, but as such the book felt frustratingly incomplete

Very interesting.

I bought this as a Daily Deal last year and didn't listen right away. I was between credits and so fished through my library and "what do you think I saw?" That party will make sense after you read the whole thing. Loved this book. Not sure if it answered the question of why we make things, but it was thought provoking and I enjoyed the biography feel and friendly telling of the book. Thanks for putting this out there.

Soothing, Thoughtful and Inspiring

I found this to be a book not just for people who create with their hands, but for everyone. There is a philosophy to crafting, and it begins, it seems, with the willingness to be bad at something. Until you are not. There is a lot more to this book. It's worth the read...or listen.

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