Handmade

Creative Focus in the Age of Distraction

De: Gary Rogowski

Narrado por: BJ Harrison

In an era when there are countless competing claims on one's attention, how does one find the internal focus to be creative? For master furniture craftsman Gary Rogowski, the answer is in the act of creative work itself. The discipline of working with one's hands to create unnecessarily beautiful things shapes the builder into a more complete human being.

In the tradition of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Shop Class as Soulcraft, Rogowski's Handmade is a profound meditation on the eternal value of manual work, creativity, human fallibility, and the stubborn pursuit of quality work. Rogowski tells his life story of how he became a craftsman and how years of persistent work have taught him patience, resilience, tolerance for failure, and a love of pursuing beauty and mastery for its own sake.

Part autobiography, part guide to creativity, and part guide to living, Handmade is an audiobook for craftspeople, artists, and anyone who seeks clarity, purpose, and creativity in his or her work - and it's the perfect antidote to a modern world that thinks human labor is obsolete.

©2017 Gary Rogowski (P)2019 Tantor

Way better than expected!

Heard it three (3) times back to back. Found it very insightful and educational. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Finally!

Finally a book that made who I am clear and described why I am so nit picky and probably hard to work with. I’m not a woodworker, I’m a welder but hold myself to just as high of a standard as a seasoned woodworker.

Get lost in the craft

Story after story of time spent getting lost in mastery and disciplined in the craft, reveal a great reminder that life takes time. Be patient in all things that you do, as any quick result, likely isn’t the best result. 

worth a read

The book has a meandering quality to it. Reminding me of something I'd write

Worth the listen! The author read, therefore he wrote.

Of all the woodworking and craft writers, and yes I’ve read them most, Rogowski is the most engaging. Just goes to show that lit majors, for all their self doubts, are always the most insightful, and language loving, always the most capable of critical thought, regardless of the after-path. Anyway, the book is fine, with interesting connections, all of a whole, and the narrator rises to the occasion of his craft too.