Archaeologist Alexander Langlands’ “inquiry into the origins and true meaning of traditional crafts” will give your brain calluses.
In a good way.
Sort of like the Essential Craftsman but with fewer worm drives, there’s just about nothing the guy doesn’t know how to do—the forgotten way.
Thatch a roof? Check. Make a farm fence out of a hedgerow—with the existing hedge? Got it. Make zip ties from bramble (see video below). Done and done.
He celebrates the mere stick—think shepherd’s crook as a key component to agriculture and human evolution—with an awe I find awesome. There’s page after page of “that totally makes sense” moments.
And despite the advanced degrees and stints on multiple shows as a BBC presenter, he’s one of us.
“Having finally gotten myself up to speed with the digital world, I begin to wonder whether the vast complexity and infinite interactions digital technology promises are in fact doing quite the opposite: are they actually narrowing our sensory experience?…
“Richard Sennet, in his ‘template for living’ The Craftsman, talks about craftsmanship as the state of being engaged: How we interact with each other and our immediate surroundings.”
In other words, nothing gets built while you play Pokemon. It’s fun, but it’s not productive. True relationships aren’t forged. The camaraderie of the jobsite doesn’t happen when you pour yourself into a screen.
I think that’s kind of cool. I think the tactile nature of life as it was not so long ago matters. Like riding a BMX bike in the rain or making a fort in the woods.
Also, don’t get me wrong. I like going to the dentist and CVS when I need to; I’m not pining for the days when it took all day long to churn butter. But I think it’s extra deluxe that someone knows how.