The hottest Craftsmanship Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Faith & Spirituality Topics

Earlywood: I Love Difficult Teachers

The American Peasant • 738 implied HN points • 02 Nov 24
🚌 Education Teaching Methods Craftsmanship Student experience Pedagogy Skill development
  1. Difficult teachers can actually help students grow. They might seem tough, but their strictness often leads to better learning and skill development.
  2. Experiencing challenges in learning can make students better. When pushed to perform at a high level, students may realize their true potential over time.
  3. Feedback from teachers can sometimes feel harsh, but it's important for improvement. Learning to accept and understand this feedback is crucial in any craft.

The Frustrating Bias Against Strut-leg Chairs

The American Peasant • 2395 implied HN points • 31 Oct 24
🪑 Design Furniture Craftsmanship Construction Aesthetics Repair
  1. Strut-leg chairs are simpler to build and use less material, making them efficient for craftspeople.
  2. They are easier to repair compared to chairs with stretchers, needing only minor adjustments instead of full disassembly.
  3. Strut-leg chairs have a unique visual appeal and can sometimes actually be stronger than traditional chairs with stretchers.

Hysteresis: The Reason Wood Movement Ain’t Such a Big Deal

The American Peasant • 2335 implied HN points • 20 Oct 24
🪑 Design Furniture Craftsmanship Woodworking Sustainability Materials
  1. Wood can swell and shrink, but it often moves less than expected due to something called hysteresis. This means you might worry too much about how much your wood will move.
  2. Using flexible glues and ductile nails can help furniture withstand wood movement over time. These materials allow parts to adjust without falling apart.
  3. Many traditional furniture designs were made with wood movement in mind. This means older pieces often handle changes in humidity better than you might think.

My Lucky Scars

The American Peasant • 1956 implied HN points • 19 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Personal Stories Memoirs Life lessons Craftsmanship Anecdotes
  1. Scars can remind us of important lessons and experiences. They serve as a reminder to be careful and think twice before acting.
  2. Old tools can hold special significance, especially if they have a story behind them. Restoring a beloved tool can bring back fond memories.
  3. Life has cycles, just like repairing and using old tools. It's a reminder to cherish what matters and stay focused on what's important.
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Walking Japan (again): From Fukuoka to Nagasaki

Chris Arnade Walks the World • 1443 implied HN points • 16 Nov 24
🏝 Travel Cultural Travel Japanese culture Urban Exploration Craftsmanship
  1. Walking in Japan is great because it's easy and interesting. You can find nice communities to rest in and use trains if you need a break.
  2. Japanese cities might not be pretty, but they are clean and safe for walking. People respect rules and it's a friendly environment.
  3. Craftsmanship is important in Japan. Everyone takes their work seriously, showing care and thoughtfulness in everything they do.

No Viable Upgrade Path

The American Peasant • 2235 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Craftsmanship Tools Woodworking Mentorship Quality
  1. Kale's story highlights the importance of having the right tools in woodworking that will last a lifetime without needing upgrades.
  2. Investing in high-quality, durable tools from the start can save time and money in the long run.
  3. Choosing tools based on functionality and quality over aesthetics or price can lead to better long-term satisfaction and efficiency in woodworking.

The Chinese Watch Edition

Why is this interesting? • 180 implied HN points • 11 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Fashion Art Tradition Craftsmanship Identity
  1. Chinese watchmakers are emerging and creating a name for themselves in the watch industry. They are attracting new fans with their unique craftsmanship.
  2. Swiss watches are known for their quality and tradition, while Japanese watches focus on precision. The new Chinese brands are starting to offer a different perspective in this competitive market.
  3. As China develops its watchmaking skills, it raises questions about whether they can compete with established Swiss brands in quality and prestige.

#150 Just enough design (and no more)

Design Lobster • 259 implied HN points • 10 Jun 24
🪑 Design Philosophy Art Creativity Style Craftsmanship
  1. Hodo-hodo is a Japanese concept of moderation and balance applied to design, meaning 'just enough design.' It emphasizes the idea of deliberately holding back in design to achieve an ideal level of completion.
  2. Just enough design can create space for imagination and personal interpretation, as seen in the example of Kinoishi wooden stones that were designed as toys without instructions.
  3. Designing with 'hodo-hodo' philosophy can lead to subtle yet impactful details that might not be consciously noticed but can evoke emotional connections and enhance user experience.

no. 84: acts of cartography

let them eat cake • 199 implied HN points • 12 Apr 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Creative work Visual art Storytelling Craftsmanship Design
  1. The term 'umarell' is used to describe retirees who stop in the street to watch construction, often asking questions and offering unwanted advice.
  2. Building a restaurant involves acts of cartography, rewriting mental maps, and spending a significant amount of time on a construction site.
  3. Engaging in 'umarelling' - observing and learning on site - can provide valuable knowledge and a deeper understanding that goes beyond what blueprints can offer.

Ómós Digest #84 The King (and Queen) of Wild Smoked Salmon.

Ómós Digest • 196 implied HN points • 26 Feb 23
🍲 Food & Drink Cooking Farming Sustainability Craftsmanship
  1. The story discusses the migration of people to West Cork in the 1970s and 1980s seeking a new cultural lifestyle
  2. The narrative highlights the importance of being persistent and kind when seeking to learn from experts in different crafts
  3. Sally Barnes's experience with smoking wild salmon reveals the environmental challenges and changes in fish quality over the years

Creating love stories from metal. And melting them down when they end.

Men Yell at Me • 259 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Jewelry Design Craftsmanship Symbolism
  1. Creating personalized story rings with unique designs like mountains or bird feathers can be a powerful way to symbolize love and connection.
  2. Repurposing wedding rings after a divorce by melting them down can be a cathartic and transformative process, helping individuals let go of emotional baggage and begin a new chapter.
  3. Jewelry holds deep connections to personal stories and histories, making it more than just a material possession - it can represent relationships, memories, and values.

London’s 21st Century Woodsmen

London in Bits • 137 implied HN points • 03 Jul 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Craftsmanship Sustainability
  1. London has a large number of trees that need maintenance to provide essential services for the city.
  2. Most wood from felled trees in London is chipped or burned as biomass, but there's a growing interest in using it more positively.
  3. Companies like Fallen and Felled are repurposing London's wood to create furniture, highlighting the benefits of using local timber.

Last of Last Year's Geese

Into the Hedge • 59 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Farming Ceramics Craftsmanship Nature Animals
  1. The farm collaborated with a ceramics studio to create unique split-leg pottery aprons, showcasing handcrafted workwear and textiles.
  2. The geese were taken for slaughter as part of the farm's routine, highlighting the emotional complexity and respect for the animals under the farmer's care.
  3. The geese play a role in maintaining the farm by helping with grass cleanup before the arrival of new growth in spring.

Ben Suga on Balancing Tradition and Creativity

Chance Operations • 158 implied HN points • 22 Jun 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Ceramics Creativity Tradition Craftsmanship
  1. Ben Suga found inspiration in the physicality and difficulty of working with clay, similar to his experience as a wrestler in high school.
  2. Through apprenticeships in Japan and America, Ben learned the importance of tradition in ceramics and found creativity within the structured practice.
  3. The firing process in ceramics balances precision and control with chaotic elements like chance, adding an unpredictable yet intriguing aspect to the art.

Secrets of the mummy factory

The Quack Doctor • 39 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
💾 History Archaeology Craftsmanship Deception Trade
  1. An artisan in Los Angeles made a fortune creating fake Egyptian mummies for exhibitions and museums, using intricate methods to deceive even experts.
  2. The mummy-making process involved using wood, excelsior, plaster, glue, bamboo, and human skeletons to create realistic-looking replicas sold for up to $1000.
  3. The artisan, Fisher, blurred the line between fraud and honesty, creating a large number of fake mummies and other curious artifacts for profit, then later transitioning to giving talks about his craft.

Important source for Gardenworld - The Arts and Crafts Movement.

Douglass’s Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Aesthetics Community projects Craftsmanship Aesthetics
  1. The Arts and Crafts Movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts, advocating traditional craftsmanship and social reform.
  2. The movement emphasized simpler and more aesthetic homes and gardens, influencing styles like Art Nouveau and Modernism.
  3. Craftsmanship involves doing a job well for its own sake, contributing to people's well-being and community morale.

In melancholy for craftsmanship

Oleksii Sidorov • 72 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Craftsmanship Skill development
  1. Finding fulfillment in entrepreneurship can be challenging due to the continuous stream of problems and challenges.
  2. Traditional skill-based crafts offer a feedback loop that can bring satisfaction and fulfillment in gradual improvement.
  3. Entrepreneurship focuses on breadth of skills, while craftsmanship emphasizes depth and mastery in a single task.

Let us Aspire

Natural Selections • 8 implied HN points • 05 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Human flourishing Craftsmanship Artistic expression Social Critique
  1. Many people today earn money but don't create or build things anymore. Instead of making, we're becoming consumers, often just using technology without creating anything meaningful.
  2. Having pride in workmanship and making things is important for our happiness. Engaging physically with the world can lead to personal fulfillment and a deeper connection to our communities.
  3. Instead of focusing on breaking systems, we should strive to create and build. Craftsmanship and making beautiful things can lead to a new era of human flourishing.

#68 Making your presence felt

Design Lobster • 139 implied HN points • 17 May 21
🪑 Design Product Ceramics Emotion Memory Craftsmanship
  1. Software can represent human presence in abstract ways, like live cursors that show where others are focusing.
  2. Design can communicate human presence through physical elements, like thumbprints on a teapot showing the maker's touch.
  3. Design has the potential to touch emotions and souls, creating a deeper connection beyond just functionality.

#27 Ethical pots, transparency & citizen designers

Design Lobster • 39 implied HN points • 03 Aug 20
🪑 Design Ethics Transparency Craftsmanship Philosophy
  1. Consider the responsibilities as a citizen when designing. Designer have a role in society worth reflection.
  2. Moral significance can be attributed to design decisions, like in a pottery's 'ethical' qualities. Design choices can carry moral weight.
  3. Great design can be transparent, not invisible. Good design should be unobtrusive yet noticeable, aiding without hiding.

Thoughts on creativity in the age of AI

AMQ’s Substack • 1 HN point • 16 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Creativity AI Discovery Craftsmanship Generative AI
  1. Creativity can be seen as a mix of creation and discovery, especially in the context of art and design.
  2. As technology like Generative AI advances, the line between human creativity and machine generation can become blurred.
  3. Exploring creative processes, whether through AI or imaginative spaces like the Library of Babel, reveals the complex interplay between creating and finding.

Forté #6

SJF • 0 implied HN points • 11 May 23
🎭️ Culture Inspiration Craftsmanship Books Music Self-reflection
  1. The author is inspired by a video of Japanese craftsmen building a house with hand tools.
  2. The author appreciates a field recorder by Teenage Engineering called TP-7 for its beauty.
  3. The author recommends a book 'Material: Making and the Art of Transformation' by Nick Kary for its deep exploration of creativity.