Peter Korn on 'Why We Make Things'

You really are engaging your hand and your head and your heart

. . . and when you're working in the studio and things are going

effortlessly, it's like you as a human being 

are firing on all pistons really well.

~ Peter Korn, Radio Boston Interview

I've been reading a wonderful book, Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman (David R Godine, October 2013), by Peter Korn, who founded and is the executive director of the nonprofit Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, Maine.

The process of becoming a craftsman was 

the process in the sense of building an identity. . . .

. . . we create and edit and maintain stories of the world 

and how we fit into it that are our identity. . . .

. . . we are creating, in a sense, the story of ourselves. . . .

Listen in on this excellent discussion (23:30 minutes) with Korn that was recorded at Radio Boston on January 16. It opens with a reading by Korn, who then discusses how he moved from being a carpenter to being a craftsman, the process of "having an idea and then doing the hard work to manifest it excellently in the world" to find fulfillment and meaning in life, about "striving for excellence", and about creativity. Talking about his concept of "thinking with things," he also identifies some of the tools he uses as a master furniture-maker.

Why We Make Things Website

Excerpt

Godine Publishers Page for Why We Make Things

Why We Make Things on FaceBook