Through perfecting craftsmanship, we in turn perfect ourselves.
Socrates said the root of being human is the ability and mission to “handle things.” One way we express this mission is through traditional crafts: woodworking, animal husbandry, weaving, bread making, pottery, bookbinding, and fly tying. They all require us to work closely with material objects to make them more perfect, useful, and beautiful. We “handle” these materials, in a sense, extracting the best from within them which, in turn, brings out the best in us.
This is most easily seen in animal husbandry, where we care for another life, preserving its health. Yet a piece of wood holds a greater potential for beauty and meaning. With skilled eyes, artistic intuition, and steady hands, a master carpenter can unleash this potential.
Philosophy professor and self-sufficient farmer John Cuddeback states, “To be a craftsman… entails grappling with profound questions of life: Are we the kind of beings who act upon things according to some objective truth, thereby making use of our reason?… We see something beautiful and realize what it will take to cooperate with the truth of the thing in order to bring it forth, which will elicit the truest aspect of ourselves. This is also a way we can ultimately serve others.”
As Cuddeback points out, meeting the needs of others is our most significant way of “caring for others.” This is another purpose of traditional crafts. A chair crafted by a carpenter can fulfill someone’s physical need (a place to sit) as well as their aesthetic need (its design and beauty). A baker fills hungry stomachs while creating a work of art. Ranchers provide food and clothing for people. Traditional crafts perfect the materials, craftsmen, and recipients involved in creating them.
It’s clear how traditional crafts serve others and enhance ourselves. However, determining how craftsmanship leads to the perfection of the worker requires further contemplation.
Engaging in traditional crafts reconnects us with tradition and our own roots. Consider that people were making pottery long before the Great Pyramid of Giza was built. The fundamental nature of many traditional crafts has remained relatively unchanged over centuries, even millennia, because the basic nature of the materials hasn’t changed.
Carving wood or weaving baskets with the same basic tools our ancestors used connects us to their experiences and the unchanging aspects of human life. Traditional crafts reveal truths about ourselves: as part of our nature, humans are makers, craftsmen, inventors, and artists. We shape the world around us. Additionally, the crafts enjoyed today as hobbies were once necessities for our ancestors’ survival. While making these things, we remember how hard they worked and the hardships they faced, causing us to reflect on ourselves. Despite well-stocked grocery stores and bright lights, this fact may be far from our minds.
Working with our hands can improve our physical and mental well-being. Crafting grounds us in reality, reminding us of our limitations and revealing the essence of the world around us.
French sculptor and writer Henri Charlier observed, “With every stroke… the hammer strikes the essence of the thing, not only cultivating intelligence in a practical way but also helping us reflect on the spirit of nature and things.”
Craftsmen, through their work, possess a certain wisdom, a deep intuitive knowledge about how the world operates that goes beyond their personal expertise in craftsmanship. It may even shape their consideration of abstractions or philosophical truths in a healthy manner.
A skillful craft enhances dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and more. A friend once told me the historical concept of tools is that they become an extension of your body, not a substitution for it.
Perhaps this is why we derive such deep satisfaction from crafting. It is an extension of ourselves. The thrill of catching a trout with a fly you tied surpasses the experience of catching one with store-bought bait.
The satisfaction that comes with crafting is related to the time and effort involved. Crafts cultivate our patience and humility. Materials resist our efforts. Things go wrong. We make mistakes. We start over. In fact, we can only shape our world bit by bit through consistent, persistent effort, by the sweat of our brow.
Craftsmanship and the slow life complement each other. There are no “shortcuts.” The rhythm of this work reminds us to slow down, focus, cherish the present, and realize that what is most valuable takes time and cannot be rushed.
Cuddeback draws inspiration from the ancient philosopher Xenophon to reflect on this truth related to gardening: “Xenophon believed that ‘the blessings people receive are in proportion to the extent of their service to the land.’ As if the land is designed to draw from us a certain good disposition— one that is our own realization… The land demands steady effort and a willingness to observe and learn, to readjust and start again. It bids us to have an attitude of care… This attitude will always yield a return; everything will come in its own time.”
Finally, crafting can be a form of artistic expression as you materialize thoughts and create something with personalized meaning and beauty. It is not just functional. It is a distinctly human and personalized act. A pig can survive in any type of shelter. A person needs things that suit their nature. Because they can recognize the true, the beautiful, and the good, they need a beautiful home.
Mass-produced items lack the injection of personal style, meaning, and individuality that handcrafted goods possess. Sometimes, the imperfections in handmade items give them a quality forever unattainable by factory-made products. A mass-produced canoe is the same everywhere, at any time, whereas a hand-carved canoe cannot be replicated, better reflecting the unique qualities of individuals and cultures worldwide, none of which are replicable.
Of course, promoting traditional hobbies is not about turning back time or pretending we live in a different era. There are faster ways to accomplish what traditional crafts can achieve, and we often need these quicker methods. Nevertheless, traditional crafts still offer much to us, and they have not been completely replaced by more efficient methods. One reason is that craftsmanship is not about efficiency. Countless generations have dedicated their human reason and physicality to creating beautiful and enduring products, understanding that the benefits of craftsmanship go beyond utilitarianism.
The future of traditional crafts and legacy skills in today’s world, and the role they will play, is an exciting prospect. How can they be adjusted to enhance life in the 21st century? Crafts can and must evolve over time, although I believe the best crafts always remain true to their roots. Understanding them helps us do the same.
(The original article “Why We Should Learn Traditional Crafts and Skills” was published on the English edition of The Epoch Times website.)